Built environment specifiers should reconsider approaches to safety flooring when designing for interiors, says global flooring company Tarkett.
The traditional look and feel of safety flooring often requires specifiers to compromise on desired aesthetics. But thanks to next generation transparent particles, Tarkett’s Safetred Design collections create limitless options for interiors while ensuring the same safety performance.
Developed with architects, designers and end users in mind, the collections offer a wide range of surface visuals and colours to choose from, including beautiful wood grain, a welcoming textile linen and the realism of natural stone, making it possible to create an ‘at home’ environment everywhere.
Traditional safety flooring has a ‘speckled’ appearance — these black specks are very hard particles called silicon carbide, which ensure that slip resistance does not diminish over time. From a visual point of view, this is often a source of frustration for architects and designers, as it means placing limits on creativity.
To address this, Tarkett’s Safetred Design ranges use a transparent particle called aluminium oxide, which has the same resistance properties but is invisible. This product innovation allows the company to offer a wide selection of designs without neglecting safety: the result is a proven, sustainably slip resistant floor, which meets the requirements of the manufacturing standard, EN 13845.
Designed for wellbeing
The UK has some of the most stringent rules and regulations around safety. Slips and trips may well be the number one risk when it comes to injuries — so the importance of choosing a proven, durable slip resistant floor cannot be underestimated.
With a wide range of wood, natural or colourful patterns on offer, Safetred Design allows specifiers to design flooring combinations that create inspiring and beautiful environments while also reducing the risk of slips, trips and falls. This is flooring designed with wellbeing in mind: free from phthalates and with ‘undetectable’ levels of VOC emissions.
Closing the loop
Traditionally, safety floors have been problematic in terms of recycling due to the nature of the aluminium oxide or carborundum inherent in them, however the ReStart programme is able to extract these particles for down-cycling so more of the product can be utilised. Safetred is produced using up to 40% of recycled content, and can be recycled via the Tarkett ReStart programme.
For more information and to download the new Safetred Design brochure click here.
