Outdoor Test Shows Cleanability of SparkleTuff™ Transparent Anti-Slip Floor Coating

In order to demonstrate the cleanability of transparent SparkleTuff™ (“Sparkle-tough”) Anti-Slip floor coating, we placed seven contaminants on the surface of a porcelain tile coated with SparkleTuff™, as shown in Fig. 1. They are, clockwise from top left, black coffee (a long patch): cabernet sauvignon red wine; yellow mustard; mud from amended adobe (clay) soil; … Continue reading “Outdoor Test Shows Cleanability of SparkleTuff™ Transparent Anti-Slip Floor Coating”

Physical Therapist’s Glowing Endorsement of SparkleTuff™

Our clients and their information are confidential. Many parties don’t want it known that they have had slippery floor problems — it tends to bring claimants (legitimate or fraudulent) and their lawyers out of the woodwork. However, one SparkleTuff™ user, a physical therapist, was so pleased she volunteered to let us use her comments. She … Continue reading “Physical Therapist’s Glowing Endorsement of SparkleTuff™”

SparkleTuff™ Transparent Anti-Slip Floor Coating Has Outstanding Chemical Resistance, Zero VOCs

We are sometimes asked if SparkleTuff™, our long-lasting transparent anti-slip floor coating with excellent wet slip resistance, has good resistance to chemicals and cleaning/sanitizing agents. It does! It even stands up well to concentrated sulfuric and hydrochloric acids, ethanol, and sodium and ammonium hydroxides! SparkleTuff™ Anti-Slip Floor Coating is a polysiloxane, a type of coating … Continue reading “SparkleTuff™ Transparent Anti-Slip Floor Coating Has Outstanding Chemical Resistance, Zero VOCs”

Slip Resistance Safety for Industrial and Commercial Areas

Minimum wet slip resistance values (as wet Pendulum Test Values) for safety in many publicly accessible areas are listed elsewhere on this blog. But what about industrial areas used for very slippery operations like meat or fish processing, making mayonnaise or refining cooking oils, and for aircraft repair hangars? Guidance for these, recommended since 1999, … Continue reading “Slip Resistance Safety for Industrial and Commercial Areas”

Germany’s DIN 51130 Slip Test: What’s it Good For?

In Europe, a slip resistance test for flooring is prescribed by German Institute for Normalization (DIN) standard DIN 51130. A person wearing industrial-type treaded shoes walks, facing down slope, on a variable-angle ramp which has the flooring to be tested on it. The flooring is coated with motor oil. The walker (without holding the handrails) … Continue reading “Germany’s DIN 51130 Slip Test: What’s it Good For?”

SparkleTuff Outdoors on Level Surface and Stairs: 30-second video

The video below shows an outdoor level surface and stairs at a large mall, coated with transparent SparkleTuff™ Anti-Slip. A pedestrian walks down the stairs, which are partially wet from the previous day’s rain. With a material cost of about a dollar a square foot, SparkleTuff™ has excellent wet slip resistance by all respected test … Continue reading “SparkleTuff Outdoors on Level Surface and Stairs: 30-second video”

Roughness and Wet Floor Slip Resistance

We all know intuitively that roughness has a lot to do with floor slip resistance. Very smooth floors tend to have low wet slip resistance, and to some types of shoe solings (as on some dancing shoes) can have low dry slip resistance too. However, “rough” appearing floors aren’t always slip-resistant, and this has to … Continue reading “Roughness and Wet Floor Slip Resistance”

Floor Slip Rating: SCOF vs. DCOF

Static coefficient of friction (SCOF) was formerly used to measure the slip resistance of a wet floor in the USA, but the test method (ASTM C1028) was withdrawn by the ASTM in 2014. Experts in the USA now know to use dynamic coefficient of friction (DCOF), as the rest of the world has been using … Continue reading “Floor Slip Rating: SCOF vs. DCOF”

Why We Offer a “Recommended Tile Slip Test Package”

When our clients ask for an ANSI/NFSI A137.1 test we often recommend that they order a pendulum test as well. The pair of floor slip resistance tests is popular, and we offer a discounted price of $477.00 (for lab testing) when they are ordered together. The reason has to do with the A137.1 standard — … Continue reading “Why We Offer a “Recommended Tile Slip Test Package””

Dal-Tile Recommends Situation-Specific Minimum DCOF AcuTest Values

We have pointed out before that the ANSI A137.1 “DCOF AcuTest” and ANSI A326.3 minimum recommended wet dynamic coefficient of friction (DCOF rating) for level wet indoor areas of 0.42 is “one size fits all” and does not consider the use of the flooring — upstairs elevator lobby, commercial kitchen, pool deck, etc. The traction … Continue reading “Dal-Tile Recommends Situation-Specific Minimum DCOF AcuTest Values”