What are the different anti-slip ratings for floor tiles?
Slip ratings on oors in stone and tiles, in the UK, are commonly measured as either PTV or R ratings and are normally used to determine the risk of slipping on ones tted in the home. Choosing a oor tile with a suitable slip rating for your oor is very important, and an inappropriate slip rating can present a risk or be dif cult to live with.
PTV ratings are a British standard and more common within the natural stone industry. They test material both wet and dry — while the test can give readings up to 100 PTV, most tiles fall between 10–70 PTV. The grippier the tile, the higher the PTV rating — a PTV rating should be presented as two gures, wet and dry. As per industry guidelines, anything below PTV +36 when wet is considered inadvisable for use as a oor externally, or for an area that will be covered in water — such as a wetroom or tiled shower oor. R ratings are used widely in Europe and for porcelain tiles. Unlike PTV, R ratings are given as a single gure and range between R9 and R13, but generally tiles fall between R9 and R11. Tiles with both R9 and R10 anti-slip ratings can be used throughout the house, but it’s advisable to use smaller format tiles, or tiles with a R11 anti-slip rating (or higher) for wetrooms or tiled shower oors.
But oor tiles with high slip ratings are not without their own set of problems. The higher the anti-slip rating, the more dif cult they are to clean — dirt will build up in the texture of the tile. Talking of which, it is also important that oors are kept clean, especially where a higher slip resistance is required.
GRAZZIE WILSON, CA’ PIETRA
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