safety flooring melbourne

What Is Safety Flooring?

Safety flooring is a commercial flooring
category designed for areas where tested
slip performance, durability and
practical maintenance are important.

Many safety flooring products use resilient
vinyl construction. However, specifications
differ between ranges. Therefore, always
review the technical data of the exact
product before selection.

Where Is Safety Flooring Used?

Suitable safety flooring products may
be considered for a wide range of
commercial and public environments.

• Healthcare facilities
• Aged care environments
• Education facilities
• Hospitality venues
• Commercial kitchens
• Changing rooms and utility areas
• Other high-use commercial spaces

Nevertheless, each area can have different
performance requirements. Select the
flooring according to its intended use,
technical specification and applicable
project requirements.

Why Slip Ratings Matter

Safety flooring should not be selected
by appearance alone. Tested slip
performance varies between products,
surface finishes and collections.

Depending on the range, technical documents
may include wet pendulum test results,
ramp classifications or other
slip-performance information.

Therefore, compare the project’s required
performance with the tested results
of the selected flooring product.

What Do R10, R11 and R12 Mean?

Some safety flooring ranges publish
ramp classifications such as R10,
R11 or R12. These form part of the
product’s tested slip-performance data.

However, a higher classification should
not automatically be treated as the
best choice for every area.

Instead, the correct rating depends
on the intended application,
the relevant testing method and
the project’s specification.

Safety Flooring vs Standard Commercial Vinyl

Standard commercial vinyl and safety
flooring may both use resilient
vinyl construction. However, their
performance priorities can differ.

Safety flooring generally places
greater emphasis on tested slip
performance. Standard commercial
vinyl may focus on design, everyday
durability and maintenance.

As a result, technical requirements
should guide product selection
rather than appearance alone.

Sheet Safety Flooring

Many safety flooring products are
supplied in sheet format.
Sheet flooring comes in wide rolls,
which can create fewer joins
than individual planks or tiles.

Depending on the selected system,
installation may also involve
seam welding, suitable edge finishing
or other project-specific details.

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What Should You Check Before Choosing Safety Flooring?

Commercial safety flooring should meet
the requirements of the specific project.
Before selecting a range, compare:

• Slip performance:
  Check tested ratings against
  the project requirements.
• Commercial grading:
  Confirm suitability for expected traffic.
• Construction:
  Review thickness, wear characteristics
  and product format.
• Subfloor requirements:
  Confirm the substrate is suitable.
• Cleaning:
  Review the manufacturer’s
  maintenance instructions.
• Fire performance:
  Check technical data where required.
• Warranty:
  Review coverage and installation conditions.

Subfloor Preparation Matters

Safety flooring requires a smooth,
sound and suitable substrate.
Glue-down sheet flooring follows
the surface underneath closely.

As a result, subfloor imperfections
can affect the finished appearance
and installation quality.

Depending on the site, preparation
may include grinding, patching,
priming or levelling.
Moisture and general surface condition
may also need to be assessed.

Can Safety Flooring Be Installed Over Concrete?

Yes. Suitable safety flooring can be
installed over a properly prepared
concrete substrate.

However, installers should first assess
the slab for moisture, flatness
and surface condition.

Concrete should not automatically
be considered ready for installation
simply because the previous flooring
has been removed.

How Is Safety Flooring Installed?

Dex Flooring installs suitable vinyl
safety flooring using a
glue-down installation system.

The flooring is bonded directly
to the prepared substrate using
the adhesive system specified
for the selected product.

Depending on the project, additional
finishing may be required around
seams, edges, penetrations and
adjoining floor surfaces.

Does Safety Flooring Need Underlay?

Glue-down safety vinyl does not
normally use traditional
floating-floor underlay.

Instead, the flooring is bonded
directly to a suitable prepared
substrate using the approved
installation system.

Therefore, correct subfloor preparation
is especially important to the
finished result.

Safety Flooring for Healthcare & Aged Care

Suitable safety flooring products
may be used in healthcare and
aged care facilities where
the specifications require
appropriate slip performance,
durability and practical maintenance.

However, different rooms within
the same facility may have different
performance requirements.

Always compare the selected flooring’s
technical data with the requirements
of the individual area.

Safety Flooring for Hospitality & Commercial Kitchens

Hospitality environments can place
additional demands on flooring.
Water, oils, cleaning procedures
and regular traffic may affect
surface conditions.

For this reason, choose a product
with tested performance suitable
for the exact application.

Do not assume every product described
as safety flooring is suitable
for a commercial kitchen.

Safety Flooring for Education

Selected safety flooring ranges can
suit education facilities and
other public environments.

Nevertheless, classrooms, corridors,
wet areas and service spaces may each
need different flooring specifications.

Consider traffic, cleaning, tested
slip performance and intended use
before choosing the final product.

Safety Flooring vs Carpet Tiles

Not every commercial area requires
resilient safety flooring.

Carpet tiles may suit offices,
meeting rooms and other spaces
where acoustic comfort and
modular replacement are priorities.

Safety flooring may be more suitable
where the project requires specific
resilient flooring performance.

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Explore Other Commercial Flooring

Commercial projects often require
different flooring systems across
different rooms.

Compare carpet tiles, carpet planks,
vinyl plank, vinyl sheet and
safety flooring to select suitable
options for each part of your project.

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