Thereisadutyofcareuponallflooringdesigners,manufacturers,distributors,installers,contractors,
andonthearchitectswhospecifyflooring,toensurethatflooringsurfacesarefitforpurposeanddonot
poseanysafetyrisks.
Whenitcomestospecifyingafloorcovering,DorsetWoolliscroftfullyvitrifiedfloortilesareyoursafest
choiceoffloortilesformanydifferentsituations,forbothinternalandexternaluse.Theyallcomply
withandinmostcasesexceedrecommendedrequirementsandregulationsafterrigorousinternaland
independenttesting.
ImportantInformation
Pleasereadthroughthefollowinginformationcarefully.Itsetsoutthecurrentsituation(atthetime
ofprintingthisbrochure)regardingcurrentregulations,testingmethods,specificationsofDorset
Woolliscroftfloortiles,fixing,cleaningandmaintenanceinformation,andourlimitsofliability.
TechnicalInformation
DORSETWOOLLISCROFTFLOORTILES
Pleasecheckthesuitabilityofthefloortilesandfixingsbeforespecifying,orderingandinstallation.Ifyou
areuncertainpleaseaskyourDorsetWoolliscroftsupplierorcontactourCustomerServicesDepartment
on01392473030forfurtherinformationandassistance.
SLIPRESISTANCE
OurTiles
OurDorsetWoolliscroftproductsaretestedforslipresistance
andotherpropertiesusingarangeofmethods(see‘Current
TestingMethods’sectionbelow),andtheresultsareincluded
withthetechnicalspecificationforeachproduct.Please visit
www.dorsetwoolliscroft.com for further information or
the relevant product pages in this brochure.
OurtileshavealsobeenindependentlytestedbyCERAM,
theglobalexpertinmaterialstesting,analysisand
consultancy.Formoreinformationpleasevisit
www.ceram.com.
ResponsibilityforPreventingSlipsandTrips
AccordingtotheHealthandSafetyExecutive(HSE)
‘Slipsandtripsaccountforaroundoneinthreenon-fatal
majorinjuries,andforoveroneinfiveover3-dayinjuriesin
workplaceareasthroughoutGreatBritain,atotalofatleast
35,000injuriesperannum(oneseriousslipaccidentevery3
minutes).’
AssessingandTestingSlipResistance
Theassessmentofslipperiness:TheHSEapproach
Thelawrequiresthatfloorsmustnotbeslipperysothey
putpeople’ssafetyatrisk(TheWorkplace(Health,Safety
andWelfare)Regulations1992).1Itwasthoughtthat
thecharacteristicsoffloorsurfacematerialsneededfor
satisfactoryslipresistanceweredifficulttoassess.However,
researchcarriedoutbyHSL,inconjunctionwiththeUK
SlipResistanceGroup(UKSRG)andtheBritishStandards
Institution,hasshowntheyarenot.Theslipperinessof
flooringmaterialscanbeaccuratelyassessedbyusing
commerciallyavailable,portablescientifictestinstruments.
1
Workplace health, safety and welfare. Workplace (Health, Safety
and Welfare) Regulations 1992.
Approved Code of Practice L24 HSE Books 1992 ISBN 0 7176 0413 6
Currentlythereareanumberofdifferentstandardstodeal
withtheissueofslipresistanceforfloorsurfacesintheUK.
HowevertheHSEoutlinestheresponsibilitiesforpreventing
slipsandtripsatworkplacesandpublicareasforflooring
manufacturers,architectsanddesigners,employers,workers
andfootwearmanufacturers.
TheHSEhaspublishedcomprehensiveguidanceofhow
andwhyslipsandtripsoccurandhowtopreventthem.The
currentpreferenceisfortheuseofthependulumorthe
rampbasedtestmethodsforassessmentofpedestrianfloor
surfacesorflooringmaterials,withadditionalinformation
fromsurfaceroughnessmeasurementwhereapplicable.
Asoftwarepackagetoallowanoperatortoassessthe
slippotentialofpedestrianwalkwaysurfacescanbe
downloadedfromtheHSEwebsite.Forfurtherinformation,
pleasevisitwww.hse.gov.uk.
Withslipsandtripsbeingsuchacommonhealthriskinmost
buildings,architects,specifiersandclientsneedtospecify
floorswhicharesuitablyslipresistantfortheirintendeduse
notonlyforimmediateusagebutalsoforthelongerterm.
Werecommendthatspecifiersseekexpertandcurrent
guidanceastheresearchintoreproducibleand
representativeteststomeasuretheslipresistanceofflooring
materialsisongoing.
Wehavesetoutthefivemainslipresistantmeasurements
belowtohelpyoutochoosetheDorsetWoolliscrofttilesthat
mostcloselymatchtherequirementsofyourinstallation.
23
TechnicalInformation
SLIPRESISTANCE
CURRENTTESTINGMETHODS
PendulumTestBS7976-2RubberSlider
• Fordeterminingthecoefficientoffrictionunderwetand
dryconditionsusingaFourSRubberSlider(alsoknownas
Slider96)
• Apparatusisportable(just);usefulfordeterminingslip
resistanceofflooringsinuse
• Presentlyacceptedlimitsforflooringusingthis
techniqueare:
SLIPPOTENTIAL
SLIPRESISTANCEVALUEUSING4S
High
23andbelow
Moderate
24to35
Low
36+
PendulumTestBS7976Part2TRRL(Transport&Road
ResearchLaboratory)
• Aswingingtestapparatustodeteminethewet
co-efficientoffrictionusingaTRRLrubberslider
SLIPPOTENTIAL
SLIPRESISTANCEVALUETRRL55
High
19andbelow
Moderate
20to39
Low
40to74
BarefootRampTestDIN51097
• Fortestingtheslipresistanceoffloortilesunderwetand
barefootconditions
• Thetilesarefixedonarampwhichismadewet.A
testerwalksonthemwiththerampsetatasuccessionof
increasinganglesuntilthetesterslips,andtheangleat
whichtheslipoccursisrecorded.
• A,BorCclassificationsindicateslipresistancelevels.We
wouldnormallyrecommendthattilesforuseinwetbarefoot
areasachieveclassificationBorC,dependingontheincline
ofthefloor.
UPPER
CAT. LOWER
LIMIT LIMIT
A
12°
B
>18°
C
>24°
18°
• Barefoot hallways (mainly dry)
• Individual and group changing rooms with lockers
• Pool floor in the non swimmer areas, where the
water level exceeds 80cm
23°
• Barefoot hallways, if not classified in A
• Showers
• Area surrounding the disinfectant sprayers
• Pool surrounds
• Pool floor in the non swimmer areas where the water
level is less than 80cm in parts
• Pool floor in the non swimmer areas in the
tide effect pool
• Lift slab areas
• Paddling pools
• Steps leading in to the water
• Steps, of maximum 1m width with hand rails,
leading into the water
• Steps outside the pool area
*AllDorsetWoolliscrofttilesexceedthevalueof36inbothwet
anddryconditions.
ShoeShodRampTestDIN51130
• Fortestingslipresistanceofasurfacetoshoeshodtraffic
testedonarampinthepresenceofasurfacelubricant
• Mostusefulforassessingprofiledtiles,ortilestobeused
inareaswherethereisahighriskofcontamination
• NB:thelowestclassificationisR9,andasthisisnota
goodspecificationforslipresistance,itshouldbesupported
byapendulumvalue.TherangeforR9hasrecentlybeen
changedfroma3º-10ºto6º-10ºbecauseofproblemswith
misinterpretationoftheR9category.
RVALUE
DEGREES
R9
6°-10°
R10
10°-19°
R11
19°-27°
R12
27°-35°
R13
35°+
AREA
• Steps leading into the water, if not classified in B
• Foot paths
• Inclined pool borders
*TheDorsetWoolliscrofttileswhicharesuitableforwetbarefootareasare
allCvalue.Forthefulllistpleaseseepages20-21.
DisplacementVolumeValue(V)
• Thedisplacementvolumevalueforaflooristhemeasure
ofthespacebetweenthefootandthefloorsurface
• Highervaluesrelatetoagreatervolumeofdebristhat
canbeheldbythetexturewithoutcompromisingtheslip
resistanceofthetile
• ValueslessthanV4arenotrecorded
*AllDorsetWoolliscroftflattilesareratedR10,allstructuredtilesarerated
atleastR11.Forthefulllistpleaseseepages20-21.
VVALUE
VOLUMEOFDEBRIS
V4
4cm3/dm2
SurfaceRoughnessMeasurement(RZ)
• Formeasuringsurfacemicroroughnessstatedasan
averageroughnessfigureinmicrons,RzDIN,whichmaybe
usefultoassesssliprisk
• Aportabletestmethodusinginstrumentssuchas
MitutoyoSurftestSJ201P,SurtronicDuo,Surtronic25
• Mostrelevantonflattiles,asitmaynotbepossibleto
getareadingonatilewithanunevensurface
• Suitableforonsitetesting
V6
6cm3/dm2
V8
8cm3/dm2
Slipreadings-pleasenote:
*ThereareanumberofDorsetWoolliscrofttileswhicharesuitableforthis
typeoflocationratedbothV4andV5DVV.Seepages20-21.
Pleasevisitwww.dorsetwooliscroft.comforalltestresults
ValuesissuedbyOriginalStyleforslipresistancerelatetothetestresultsassuppliedfromCeramorfrominhousetesting.
Thesevaluescanchangeduringthelifetimeofatileasaresultofthefollowingfactors:Surfacewear/Poorcleaningregimes/Sealantsorwaxcoatings,correctlyorincorrectly
applied/Chemicalexposureswhichmayacidetchthesurface/Bodyfatsbuildupespeciallywhenplacedinbarefootareas
Ifinanydoubtalwaysretestthesurfaceonaregularbasis.
24
Currenthygienelegislation,togetherwithHealthand
SafetyRequirementsandtheConstructionDesignand
Management(CDM)Regulations,placearequirement
uponthespecifier,buildingownerandfacilitiesmanager
toeliminateallforeseeablerisks,bydesign,bylayout,
andbyspecificationofmaterials.Manyfactorsneedto
beconsideredwhendecidinguponthebestsurfacesfor
installation.Hygiene(cleanability)andslipresistanceare
importantfactorsinanyworkingenvironment,butthey
shouldreceivespecialattentionwhenbeingspecifiedfor
foodpreparationareas.Pleasevisitwww.tiles.org.ukto
downloadTechnicalAdviceNote7fordetailsregarding
specificationsandinstallationadvice,and
www.legislation.gov.ukformoredetailsand
thelatestregulations.
IndependentResearchRegardingCleanability
Testresultsindicatethatfullyvitrifiedproductsareable
todiscouragetheingressofbacteriaintothesurface
ofthetileandfacilitatethegreatesteaseofcleaning.
ResearchcarriedoutatManchesterMetropolitanUniversity
concludedthattherewasnosignificantdifferenceineaseof
decontaminationbetweenDorsetWoolliscroftfullyvitrified
tilesandstainlesssteel.
STAINRESISTANCE
DeterminationofResistancetoStains-EN10545-14
Testingforresistancetostainsisdonebysubjectingthetiles
tovarioussubstancesandthenattemptingtoremovethem
usingarangeofcleaningregimes.Thesubstancesusedare
pastes,oils,chemicalsandfilms.TheClassificationsare1-5,
where1indicatesthatthestaincouldnotberemovedusing
standardcleaningproceduresand5indicatesthatthestain
couldbeeasilyremoved.
ThePaste,Chemical/OxidisingandFilmStaintestresultsfor
allDorsetWoolliscrofttileswereaminimumof4.
Seechartonpages20-21forresults.
ACCESSIBLEDESIGN
TheEqualityAct2010imposesobligationsonthose
concernedwiththeprovisionofservicestothepublicin
theprivate,publicandvoluntarysectors.Respondingto
thesedutiesmeansthatbuildingdesignersandspecifiers
arerequiredtoanticipateandovercomerestrictionsthat
maypreventpeoplewithdisabilitiesmakingfulluseof
premisesandsurroundings.
Designsolutionsneedtomeettheneedsofeveryone,
includingthosewithvisualimpairments,simultaneously
providinganattractiveenvironmentforallusers.
Contrastingcolourschemesoncriticalsurfaces,for
examplecontrastingcoloursonstepedges,helpsome
peoplewithvisualimpairmentstohaveaheightened
awarenessofphysicalfeatures.
TechnicalInformation
HYGIENEANDSLIPRESISTANCE
REQUIREMENTSINMANUFACTURING
ANDFOODPREPARATIONAREAS
LightReflectanceValue
Colouredsurfacessuchastilesandfittingscanbe
measuredfortheirLightReflectanceValue(LRV),where
ascoreisgivenonascaleof0to100.Dark,mattsurfaces
absorbalotoflight,forexample,amattblacktiletypically
hasaLRVof6.Light,glossysurfacesreflectmostofthe
light,soapurewhiteglosstiletypicallyhasaLRVof85.
Allothertilecoloursfitinbetweenthesetwoextremes.
Whererecommendedtoprovideacontrastingcolour
scheme,buildingregulationsrecommendthattileswitha
30pointLRVdifferenceormoreareselectedforadjacent
surfaces,howevera20pointdifferencemaybesufficient
inlargeareas.
Adequatecontrastcanbeachievedbyselectingand
installingtileswithaminimumof20toanoptimumof30+
LRVdifferentialsintonalvariance,harmonisingvariance,or
contrasting(opposingcolour)variance.
LRVresultsforDorsetWoolliscrofttilesandfittingscanbe
foundonourwebsite,www.originalstyle.com
Pleaserefertothefollowingformoreinformation:
• BSI Code of Practice ‘BS 8300:2009+A1:2010 Design of
buildings and their approaches to meet the needs of disabled
people’
• Building Regulations Approved Document M Access to and
Use of Buildings and BS8300:2001 Amendment 1
• The Equality Act 2010 Code of Practice
DEEPABRASIONRESISTANCE
DeepAbrasionResistanceEN10545-6
Thedegreetowhichthesurfaceofafloortilewillwithstand
abrasionistestedundergivenconditionsbymeasuring
lossofvolumeusingarotatingdiscandabrasivematerial.
TheresultsaremeasuredasVolumepermm(Vmm3).Hard
wearingtilesmustbemeasurelowerthan175Vmm3.
AllDorsetWoolliscrofttilesconformtotheENstandard
above.
25
TechnicalInformation
FIXING
CLEANINGANDMAINTENANCE
Grout:highlypigmentedgroutmaystainthetiles.Please
testbeforeinstallation.
Followthecleaningproceduresoutlinedbelowtoensure
thatallDorsetWoolliscroftfloorsaremaintainedtoa
highstandardofcleanliness,slipresistance,hygieneand
appearance.Detailedcleaningspecificationscanbefound
atwww.dorsetwoolliscroft.com.
Pleasenote,anyfixinginformationmentionedabove
doesnotapplyintheUSA.IntheUSApleasefollowthe
recommendationsofareputableadhesivemanufacturer
andalwayscomplywithAmericanNationalStandards
Institution(ANSI)specificationsassetoutintheHandbook
forCeramicTileInstallationpublishedbytheTileCouncilof
America.Usefulinformationcanbefoundhere:
www.ctioa.org,www.tileusa.com
MovementJoints
Forinteriororexteriorfloortileinstallations,movement
jointsshouldbelocated:
• overexistingstructuralmovementjoints
• aroundtheperimeterofthefloorandwheretiling
abutscolumns,curbs,stepsandplantfixedtothebase
• inlargefloorareastilingshouldbedividedintobays
notexceeding8-10mintervals.Onsuspendedfloorsthe
baysizeshouldbereducedandadditionaljointsprovided
oversupportingwallsandbeams
Allfloortilejointsshouldextendthroughoutthedepthof
thetile,bedandscreedandshouldbe6-10mminwidth.
Theyshouldbedesignedtoavoidbeingsubjectedtothe
effectofwheeledtrafficandwherethisisnotpossible
metalreinforcedjointsshouldbespecified.
AFTERFIXING
Itistheresponsibilityoftheownertoprovidefor
routineinspection,appropriatemaintenance,andto
assurecompatibilityofallcleaningmethods/products
withgroutandmortarmanufacturers.Appropriate
maintenancerequirementsaredeterminedbythesite
environmentandthespecificuseoftheinstallation.
Alldamagingcontaminantsmustberemovedfrom
groutjointssufficientlyandregularlytoavoidpermanent
damagefromexposuretofood,biologicalwaste,
industrialchemicalsandaggressivecleaningsolutions.
Consultmanufacturersforrecommendedprocedures.
NewlyLaidFloors
Theremayberesidualcementonthetilesurfaceofnewly
laidfloors.Alltracesofthismustberemovedbyapplyinga
mildlyacidicdecementingsolution,whichmustberinsed
offthoroughly.Cleanregularlyasspecifiedbelow.
RegularCleaning
Regularcleaningwithwarmwater(orhotwaterforoiland
grease)andaneutralormildlyalkaline(pHto8)detergent
willremoveallbutthemoststubborndirt.
Mixthedetergentasrecommendedbythemanufacturer.
Thewater/detergentmixturemustbeleftonthefloorfor
enoughtime(5-15minutes)toallowittopenetrateand
emulsifythedirt.Rinsethoroughlywithcleanwaterto
removealltracesofthedetergentmixture.
Largeareasofplainortexturedsurfacetilesarebest
cleanedwithrotary,cylindricalorreversingmechanical
scrubbingmachinesasfollows:
1 Useslowtomediumspeedrotation.
Ifthemachinehasasuctiondryingfacility,useitfirstwith
thesuctionfacilityswitchedOFF.Thispermitsthewater
detergentmixtureusedinthescrubbingprocesstoremain
onthefloortopenetratethedirtlayer.
2 Leaveforatleast5-15minutestoelapse,thenrepeat
thescrubbingoperationwithcleanwateronlyandwith
thesuctiondryingfacilityswitchedON.Itistherinsing
processwhichremovesthedirt.
3 Spillagesofoil,fatoranymateriallikelytostainor
causeaslippinghazardshouldberemovedimmediately
byusingdetergentandhotwater,followedbyacoldwater
rinse.
4 Usewarningsignsorphysicallyexcludepeoplefrom
wetcleaningareasuntiltheyarecompletelydry.
LongerTermMaintenance
Cleanthefloorperiodicallyusingarotary,cylindricalor
reversingscrubbingmachinewiththeadditionofan
abrasivepowderorfineSilicaSand.Theseproductsscour
thetiles,removeimpacteddirt,andgenerallyrefreshthe
floorwithoutdamagingtheirsurface.Removetheresidue
withcleanwaterandrinsebeforeitcandryout.Ifhigh
velocitywaterjetsareusedforremovalofstubborndirt
thiswillnotdamagethetiles,butmayerodethejointsif
usedregularly.Ifoilorgreaseispresent,usethejetwith
warmorhotwaterandwithapHneutraldetergent.
Pleasenotethatmarksmadeduringinstallationand
withconstantusemaybemoreobviousonpalecolours.
ThereforeevenDorsetWoolliscroftfullyvitrifiedtileswill
requireacertainamountofextracleaninginareasprone
toheavysoiling.
26
NB.ThesecleaningandmaintenanceinstructionsareDorset
Woolliscroft’srecommendationsandnotnecessarilyexhaustive.
Therecommendationsofmanufacturersofcleaningequipment
andmaterialsshouldalwaysbefollowed.
LIMITSOFLIABILITY
Environment
Ourproductsaredesignedandmanufacturedwith
environmentalissuesinmind.Weregularlyevaluateour
operationstoimproveinareasofenergyandefficiency,
reductionofemissions,ecologicalconservationand
useofmaterials,andwearecommittedtocontinue
tofindnewandinnovativewaystoachievefurther
improvementsinourenvironmentalperformance.
Ourwastemanagementpolicyensuresthat
wasteisminimised.
DorsetWoolliscroftacceptsnoliabilityforthefaulty
installationofitsproducts.Inthecaseofanyclaim
relatingtothetilesthemselves,DorsetWoolliscroft’s
liability,totheextentpermittedbylaw,islimitedto
eitherthereplacementoftheproductorarefundofthe
costoftheproduct,anddoesnotextendtocoverany
consequentialloss.Claimsmustbereportedwithinseven
workingdaysfromreceiptofthetiles.
Tilesmustbeinspectedpriortoinstallationandclaims
cannotbeconsideredafterthetileshavebeeninstalled.
LifeCycleCostandSustainability
Lifecyclecostingisbecomingincreasinglyimportantas
manufacturers,architectsanddesignersarechallenged
toprovideandspecifytotalcost-effectivematerials
andsolutions.Lifecyclecostingcalculatesthecostof
aproductoveritswholelifespan,includingowning,
operating,maintaining,repairing,recyclingand
disposing.DorsetWoolliscroftfullyvitrifiedfloortiles
areClassA(A=loweroverallenvironmentalimpact)
andmanystudiessupporttheviewthatporcelaintiling
isthemosteconomicalflooringsolutionoveralifespan
of50years.
Pleasebeadvisedthatinstallationconstitutesacceptance
ofthequality,colour,size,textureandshadeofthe
tiles.DorsetWoolliscroftwarrantsthatitstilesconform
totheirdescriptionandarefitfortheirpurpose.
DorsetWoolliscroftmakesnootherexpressorimplied
warrantyastofitnessorsuitabilityoftheproducts
forparticularinstallations.Weextendnoguarantees,
expressorimplied,astowearresistanceormaintenance
procedures.Itisimperativetofollowgroutandadhesive
manufacturers’instructionsregardingtheirsuitabilitywith
ourproducts.Ifindoubtpleaseconsultthe
grout/adhesivestockistfromwhomyoupurchasedthe
products.DorsetWoolliscroftmakesnorepresentationsas
tothefitnessforpurposeofthirdpartyadhesives
andgrouts.
DORSETWOOLLISCROFT
SPECIFICATIONS
Fordetailedindividualspecificationsofalltilesand
fittingsmentionedinthisbrochure,pleasevisit
www.dorsetwoolliscroft.com.
AllDorsetWoolliscrofttilesandfittingsare
manufacturedtoconformtoBSEN14411.
SHADING
Someveryslightshadevariationmayoccurbetween
differentsizedtilesofthesamecolour.Beforefixingtiles
itisimportanttolaythemoutingoodlighttoensurethat
anyshadedifferenceisevenlydistributed.
PHOTOGRAPHY
Owingtovariationsinstudiolightingandprintinginks,
thetilecoloursshowninthisbrochuremaydifferslightly
fromthoseoftheactualtiles.Itisalwaysadvisableto
requestasample.
TechnicalInformation
ENVIRONMENTANDSUSTAINABILITY
Pleasenotetheuseofcertainacidbasedcleaning
productsmaycausesomeofthetilestoreactandchange
incharacter.
ALSOFROMORIGINALSTYLE
Wecansupplylargeformatfullbodiedand
glazedporcelainproductsforcommercial
andretailapplications.Ourextensiveproduct
portfolioalsoincludestraditionaland
contemporarystylesofmosaics,walltiles,
mouldingsandbordersinceramic,glass,natural
stoneandmetal,plusarangeofmosaicsfor
swimmingpoolsandspas.
Wearecommittedtoprovidingacomplete
servicetothespecifierwithfulltechnicalsupport
inproductselection,designandinstallation.
Formoredetailsofourrangespleasevisit
www.originalstyle.com
27