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Wet environments

Providing solutions for well-being

Looking after the wellbeing and safety of customers, staff, visitors, or patients is paramount and wet environments can present a challenge.

We partner with you to create aesthetically pleasing, durable and design-led solutions in wet environments where the risk of slipping is very high.

We take your safety seriously. Shampoos, shower gels and hair products found in wet environments all pose a risk to people walking around. Our specialist flooring keeps your risk of slipping to one-in-a-million, even in these tough conditions, and is designed to not only give you peace of mind but to also create a lasting impression – from the way it looks to the way it works.


Altro solutions

Our range of solutions is designed for a variety of environments including healthcare, hospitality and education; protecting staff who look after residents, guests in hotel wet rooms and students showering after sports activities.

Slips and falls aren’t the only consideration in wet environments. Indoor humidity and poor cleaning can lead to a build-up of bacteria and mold, which can impact health as well as the appearance of the rooms.

You can use our safety floors and hygienic wall solutions for wet environments to create easy-to-maintain and safe surroundings.

Aesthetically pleasing and with a wide range of shades, we work with you to design welcoming and attractive spaces in your most demanding environments.


Aesthetics

Make the right impression

A welcoming environment is important, whatever the setting. From a contemporary scheme in a hotel wet room to functional student accommodation, our wall and floor solutions provide you with safe and stylish choices helping to avoid a clinical atmosphere.

With clever use of colors and combining our floor and wall systems, you can create a spa-like oasis in residential accommodations, help to make a sports changing room a dynamic and inspiring space or design a comforting bathing experience in a care home or hospital.

Design-led, practical and safe

Good looks also need to be practical to keep employees and visitors safe, maintain hygiene standards and reduce the risk of infection.

Altro Aquarius can be paired with Altro Walkway 20, allowing for seamless coordination from wet rooms to general areas. Altro’s low profile transition strips work with wheeled traffic and shuffling feet while keeping water from seeping too far from the drain.

Altro Promenade provides essential slip resistance in areas exposed year-round to changing weather conditions, making it ideal for indoor applications as well as patios, decks and pool surrounds that prioritize both safety and aesthetic appeal.

Altro Whiterock and Altro Whiterock Chameleon are hygienic solutions with matte and gloss surfaces for any design theme. Altro Whiterock wall designs gives the options of wood, metal, stone and linen for and unbeatable wow factor. Altro Tegulis brings the sleek style of tile, without any of the drawbacks of standard grout!


Safety testing

Preventing slips where it matters: our test results

At Altro we combine available industry slip resistance tests to get the most accurate proof of just how safe our flooring is.

We believe standard industry test values don’t always provide clarity of slip potential and categories of values are too broad, which is why we combine them.

Our safety floors for wet environments are tested with real life contaminants: shower gel, shampoo and conditioner. Altro Aquarius boasts a PTV of ≥36 (slider 96) against all these contaminants and the risk of slipping is just one-in-a-million; however, with water alone they maintain a PTV of ≥50 (slider 96).

The Pendulum Test (BS 7976)

The ‘pendulum’ is a swinging, dummy heel that sweeps over a set area of flooring in a controlled manner to simulate slipping on a wet floor. The slipperiness of the flooring has a direct and measurable effect on the pendulum value. Flooring that achieves a wet result of Pendulum Test Value ≥36 (slider 96) has a low slip potential.

The Ramp Test (DIN 51130)

The ramp test is widely used. R9-R13 values are based on angle measurements of a motor oilcovered ramp an operator walks on. The angle at which the operator slips forms the R value, but because the most common contaminant on floors is water, using motor oil doesn’t give a true representation of real life situations. In the barefoot version of the test (DIN 51097), the ramp is covered in a soap solution as a contaminant, simulating shower conditions, and rates flooring A, B or C. Altro Aquarius is rated class B and achieves an R11 on the ramp test.

Static and dynamic coefficient friction

The static coefficient of friction test is the accepted standard in North America. While it’s only required to test over dry conditions, at Altro we test our floors in both dry and wet conditions.

The dynamic test measures the force required to keep an object in motion as it slides. It’s believed this represents more life-like scenarios, as slips or falls generally start from a state of motion.


Hygiene

Keep bugs at bay

Wet environments can hide a multitude of bacteria, thanks to the damp environment. The World Health Organization (WHO) states that persistent dampness and microbial growth on interior surfaces and in building structures should be avoided or minimized as they may lead to adverse health effects.

To ensure a clean and healthy environment for all users, install floor and wall systems that are easy-to-clean.

Having a system that does not give bacteria anywhere to hide is a priority; Altro Whiterock is a fully bonded wall system: with sealed edges, abutments and joining systems you can be sure bacteria is kept at bay

Maintain clean conditions

If safety flooring isn’t cleaned properly, a hazardous level of dirt and contaminant build-up can accumulate on the surface, potentially increasing the risk of a slip. Altro Aquarius has been extensively tested with a variety of shoes and contaminants to ensure top performance in high-risk environments. Thanks to our Altro Easyclean technology, Altro Aquarius also requires a less stringent cleaning regiment. Altro Promenade’s low-depth stepped embossing makes for smooth underfoot comfort and enhanced cleanability while still providing ample slip resistance.


Working in harmony

Finding the perfect partnership between wall and floor coverings can be difficult, with the risk that the selected products may fail. With one of our complete floor and wall systems you can rest assured every element is designed to fit and work together perfectly.

Our systems not only fit together well, but our extensive testing has proved they are the perfect partnership. Altro Whiterock has been designed to fit together perfectly with Altro Aquarius or Altro Promenade forming a sealed, watertight system for enhanced safety and hygiene. This integrated system includes welded jointing, coveability and compatibility with drainage.

Our integrated system is:

  • sealed and hygienic
  • impervious, non-absorbent, washable
  • able to withstand extremes in temperature
  • designed to maintain performance and retain appearance

Product comparison

Altro Whiterock offers you a wide range of colors and finishes from clean white to decorative satins and vibrant Altro Whiterock Chameleon. Altro Whiterock wall designs provides a range of high-design finishes giving elegance and durability.

Wetroom test ETAG 022 Part 3 Annex A & F carried out by SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden shows Altro Whiterock is impervious to water ingress. Ceramic tiles can give you maintenance problems that Altro Whiterock doesn’t. Staining, grout cracking and individual tile failure are common issues but with our walls system there is less need to spend time and money inspecting and repairing surfaces.

Did you know?

The lifetime cost (over 25 years) of Altro Whiterock is 20% lower than ceramic tiles.