Altro provide high-quality solutions across a range of flooring products and wall cladding for a variety of sectors.
Altro provide high-quality solutions across a range of flooring products and wall cladding for a variety of sectors.
Altro provide high-quality solutions across a range of flooring products and wall cladding for a variety of sectors.
Altro provide high-quality solutions across a range of flooring products and wall cladding for a variety of sectors.
Whether it’s a large hospital, care home or community healthcare centre, you can provide inspirational rooms that don’t just perform and look good but also take hygiene and the safety of your people, patients and residents seriously.
Whether it’s a commercial kitchen or a work’s cafeteria, a five-star hotel or a chain of restaurants and cafes, safety, hygiene, the ease and speed of installation and cost are all top of mind when working with our customers.
When it comes to social housing and home adaptations, the way a home looks is just as important as how it functions.
We partner with designers, companies and industry experts to provide floors, walls and doors solutions across a number of specialist sectors, each with particular challenges.
As the inventors of safety flooring, we pride ourselves on being able to create safe environments for a variety of areas, and transport is no different. We’ve been keeping bus and rail passengers safe for decades on both public and private transport.
Altro's technical services teams are here to help you, wherever you are. They have detailed knowledge of substrate technology and any possible issues that might arise. They can offer you solutions and information on different installation techniques. So, whether you are a contractor, architect, designer or end user, if you need them, please get in touch.
Altro Custom floors and walls allow you to design for areas where looks not only count, but can positively affect the views and even the wellbeing of the people who live, work or visit. Imagine classrooms with floors that look like grass or sand; Mexican restaurants with beautiful views of the Mayan Riviera on the walls, or a cutting-edge fashion shop with modern art running from floor to ceiling.
Altro's technical services teams are here to help you, wherever you are. They have detailed knowledge of substrate technology and any possible issues that might arise. They can offer you solutions and information on different installation techniques. So, whether you are a contractor, architect, designer or end user, if you need them, please get in touch.
IdeasBoard is your creative space to collect and share your inspiration and ideas.
In your IdeasBoard you can organise your content, create and share new collections and share.
Experience Altro floors and walls in real-time with Insta-space.
Effortlessly visualise shades and communicate design ideas using your own photo.
See Insta-space FAQs.
Visit our London, Manchester, and Glasgow Showrooms and also our Possibilities Studio here at Altro Letchworth. Be inspired, explore our samples, and meet with our consultants for design, technical, and specification advice.
Showcasing our services and solutions in a variety of real-world applications, our commercial flooring, walling and doorsets case studies display how Altro’s products can be used to address industry-specific issues across a range of sectors.
Our European Technical Services Manager, Roger Moore, is back with some guidance on installing floors around drains.
Installing flooring in areas where there are drains is a part of most projects. It’s a straight-forward process but if the right steps aren’t taken, it can result in water and contaminants getting under the flooring, causing the flooring to lift, and trapping bacteria.
The drains that you are most likely to come across are clamped down circular drains. In areas where there is a larger amount of water, such as communal showers, swimming pools and changing rooms, you tend to find linear drains. Whichever you are dealing with, the approach should be the same.
When installing flooring around any drains or manholes in a wet environment, it’s vital to lift out the cover and cut the flooring so that it goes down inside the drain until it’s vertical. This means that any liquids will run from the flooring and down into the drain.
Where it all goes horribly wrong is when the flooring is cut just inside the clamped down area, at floor level and, unfortunately, this does happen! Not only does it mean you can see the edges of the floor which looks unprofessional and unsightly but it means any liquids don’t run into the drain, they sit at the top and some will go underneath the flooring causing it to lift. It also creates the perfect environment for dirt and bacteria.
We often see this problem in refurbishments – particularly when replacing a tiled floor. Our floors are a great alternative to tiles; no messy, time-consuming grouting and no risk of bacteria being harboured in broken, cracked tiles or grout. It’s common for tiled areas to have a drain that won’t work with a vinyl floor - one that doesn’t allow the material to be fitted underneath it and clamped with a retaining ring. It’s really important to look at what’s there and replace the drain if necessary.
It’s pretty simple to avoid but something that could be overlooked, particularly if the installer is inexperienced. If you are the one called to fix this type of problem, there are a couple of things you can do. The first option is to install a new section of flooring that runs into the drain, after replacing the drain with a clamp type, cut and welded far enough away from the drain to avoid similar issues. The second option is to use weldable edge trims, such as gully angle or Visedge fitted around the drain, which will allow you to weld the flooring to it. This isn’t the easiest option for a circular drain. In all instances you will need to replace a section of flooring. These solutions won’t be particularly attractive but will work; as usual, avoiding the problem in the first place is definitely the easier option!
For help with fitting Altro safety floors around a drain outlet, please speak with your Altro consultant- alternatively, we have a short video.
