Other Types of Polyflor Flooring
Who are Polyflor?
Established in 1915, Polyflor is a UK-based worldwide manufacturer of commercial floor coverings and it’s manufacturing processes and systems in Manchester are ISO 9001 accredited. As a company, they are committed to reducing their environmental impact and conform to ISO 14001. Over the last decade, Polyflor have invested £34 million in plant and equipment, enhancing, and expanding their products to provide high-quality floor coverings.
Why choose Polyflor?
Polyflor offer a variety of floor coverings which include smooth vinyl, acoustic vinyl, luxury vinyl tiles (LVT), safety flooring, rubber and ESD. Widely specified due to their high durability and wide choice of attractive designs and colours throughout their ranges, Polyflor is a reliable flooring option.
In 1983, Polyflor launched their first safety flooring which contained aggregate particles to reduce the slipping risk in ‘wet’ areas. Decades later, all Polysafe safety floor ranges have sustainable slip resistance which conforms to HSE guidelines and are compliant with EN 13845. Some of their most popular safety flooring ranges include:
Polyflor has had a high commitment to sustainability over the years. They were the first floor covering manufacturer to achieve BES 6001 certification for responsible sourcing and it is good to know that they continue to have a sustainable approach. Many of their ranges today are recyclable and contain recycled materials.
What flooring does Polyflor do?
Over the years, Polyflor have expanded their product ranges. They currently offer safety flooring, smooth vinyl, luxury vinyl tiles (LVT), ESD flooring and rubber tiles in a wide variety of designs and colours. Please refer to each relevant section below for further information on each type of flooring.
Polyflor safety flooring
As mentioned above, Polyflor’s wide range of safety vinyl floorings are compliant with EN 13845 and are engineered to provide sustainable slip resistance qualities in compliance with HSE Guidelines (for further information see https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/geis2.pdf). Safety flooring is a type of vinyl floor covering which is specifically designed to reduce the risk of slipping. In Polyflor’s safety floors, safety aggregates and particles such as aluminium oxide, silicon carbide, recycled natural aggregates and quartz are incorporated through the whole thickness of the wear layer and not simply sprinkled on the top. The aggregates combine with the floor’s surface to create a rougher, harder friction surface. This ensures slip resistance for the guaranteed life of the product. These ranges include:
Polyflor smooth vinyl
Polyflor offers smooth vinyl ranges which provide an attractive, high performance flexible vinyl sheet, homogeneous with mono-layer construction and heterogeneous with a multi-layer construction. These ranges offer a low maintenance and hygienic flooring solution. This makes Polyflor smooth vinyl ideal for the demanding healthcare sector and applications such as schools, in heavy footfall areas where a safety flooring may not be required i.e. low risk of spillage. These ranges include:
Luxury Vinyl Tiles (LVT)
Polyflor’s luxury vinyl tiles (LVT) are a design-led floor covering available in multiple size formats. The collections capture the latest trends, offering many wood, stone, and abstract designs by incorporating various realistic surface textures. These ranges highlight the beauty of natural wood and stone whilst offering a hardwearing, easy to maintain and durable flooring. Polyflor’s LVT ranges allow you the creativity to choose your laying pattern so you can make the space your own. These ranges include:
If you like the look of LVT and need it to offer slip resistance, take a look at Polyflor Expona Control. These are well suited to areas such as canteens, office kitchens and general areas where it is generally dry but there is a risk of water spillage.
ESD
Polyflor’s Electro Static Discharge (ESD) ranges are designed to minimise or eliminate the risk of Electro Static Discharge. It has been specifically engineered to combat the problem at its source, by facilitating a uniform flow of static electricity directly to a ground point. These floorcoverings are commonly used in computer rooms, healthcare facilities such as x-ray suites and operating theatres, telecommunication centres and electronics manufacturing. For further information on using this in your commercial space please see ESD-Flooring_2020.pdf (polyflor.com). These ranges include:
What is a wear layer?
A wear layer is a layer of a floorcovering which increases it’s resilience to stains and scratches. It helps maintain the original appearance of the floor and generally, the thicker the wear layer, the more durable the product.
For commercial installations, a minimum wear layer of 0.5mm is recommended.
What does PUR mean?
Many of Polyflor’s ranges including Polysafe Standard PUR feature the added protection of a polyurethane surface treatment (PUR). You will see that the ranges with this feature contain PUR within their name. This surface treatment protects the floorcovering by resisting soiling and scuffing, helps to reduce the intensity of the cleaning required and creates the foundation for low maintenance. It provides optimum appearance retention and superior cleaning benefits.
Things to consider when choosing your floor
Before deciding on a floorcovering, you should ensure that you have considered all potential risks. Below is a list of questions to be considered:
- Contaminants – will the floor be used in an area where there is a risk of regular oil, grease, water or other contaminants?
- Nature of traffic – what will be the level of footfall? What will be the nature of this footfall? Will there be wheeled traffic?
- Maintenance – how is the floor going to be cleaned and how often?
- Aesthetics – is it going to be visible to the public? Is it important for it to look good whilst being slip resistant?
- Life expectancy – does the level of activity the floor will endure over the years require a particular period of guarantee?
- Footwear – is the area open to the public or is it a controlled space? Will you be barefoot, wearing footwear or could be either?
Is Polyflor dementia-friendly?
Polyflor is a local member of the Dementia Action Alliance and offers a variety of dementia-friendly floorings. They have collaborated with the Salford Institute for Dementia to agree on 10 principles of dementia-friendly flooring which are:
- Develop continuous flooring surface
- Careful use of tonal contrast
- Reduce impact sound
- Accentuate colours to give depth
- Avoid sensory overload and false steps
- Reduce sparkle
- Matt floor finish
- Blend flecks with the tone of the main floor surface
- Avoid smells and odours
- Provide smooth transitions
Dementia-friendly flooring is appropriate for a wide variety of settings. These can include own homes, sheltered housing, day centres, hospital environments, care facilities, and residential care and nursing home environments.
Below are some examples of specific areas where Polyflor’s dementia-friendly floorings can be used:
For more information on Polyflor’s dementia-friendly flooring please follow this link - Dementia_Brochure_Digital.pdf (polyflor.com)
Is Polyflor long lasting?
All Polyflor products are designed to be long lasting. Floor coverings can last from 5 to 25 years depending on the quality and how they are installed and maintained. Please check each range for specific life expectancies.
How easy will it be to maintain my Polyflor floor?
Smooth vinyl and luxury vinyl tiles (LVT) are probably the best low-maintenance flooring option, often just needing a sweep or vacuum to remove loose dirt and dust. For deeper cleaning, you can simply mop the floor. On top of that, some collections feature a polyurethane reinforcement (PUR) on the top of the floor layers to support ongoing maintenance and a simple cleaning regime.
Safety vinyl floors have a textured surface to aid slip resistance. Historically, this has meant that these floors have been harder to clean, however, as many of these floors now have a PUR coating, maintenance has become a lot easier and are suitable for steam cleaning on a periodic basis.
For more detailed information on how to maintain and care for your floor please see Floorcare & Maintenance.pdf (polyflor.com).
Is Polyflor waterproof?
Polyflor’s sheet vinyl flooring is a water-resistant floor option. The vinyl itself is waterproof but we always recommend appropriate sealant to the perimeter of room and hot welding any joins to prevent water ingress in these areas. The waterproof nature of Polyflor sheet vinyl flooring means it can lend itself to regular wet cleaning. Polyflor Luxury vinyl Tiles are more suited to dry areas as although the surface will not allow water to penetrate through it, as these are individual tiles, water can ingress at the tiles edge. For this reason, spillages should be moped up promptly to minimise this and cleaning should be by sweeping or a damp (not wet!) mop.
What is the relevance of slip resistance and what do the numbers mean?
PTV stands for Pendulum Test Value. This is a measurement of the slipperiness of a surface. It also calculates slip-resistance. To measure PTV, a pendulum is used to simulate either a shoe or bare foot on a surface. The PTV scale ranges from 0 upwards, where:
- 0-23 is very low slip resistance
- 24-35 is moderate slip resistance
- 36+ is excellent slip resistance
If you are requiring a floor in an area which may be continuously wet, e.g. a wet room, your ideal PTV rating would be 36+.
R-rating is another way of measuring slip-resistance. This is a ramp test where someone walks over a flooring sample on an inclined ramp in the presence of an oil contaminant. The level of degrees the ramp can be inclined before the person slips is categorised into ‘R’ values running from R9-R13, with R13 being the most slip resistant. Whilst there is no direct correlation between PTV and R-rating, the R-rating of a floor is just as accurate.
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Classification
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Angle of Slip
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Slip Resistance
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R9
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6°-10°
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Low
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R10
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10°-19°
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Low/Moderate
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R11
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19°-27°
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Moderate/High
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R12
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27°-35°
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High
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R13
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>35°
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High
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What is the best Polyflor range for commercial kitchens?
Our favourite range for commercial kitchens is Polysafe Apex. Polyflor’s Polysafe Apex is specifically designed with enhanced levels of slip resistance for areas of extreme and intensive food production and processing where the risk of high viscosity contaminants is likely. With a range of six varied colours and a thickness of 2.5mm, Polysafe Apex is a reliable choice. It is 100% recyclable, contains recycled materials and is HSE compliant with a rating of 45+ on the Pendulum Wet Test and R12 on the ramp test.
Another brilliant option for commercial kitchens is Polysafe Ultima. This range is particularly suited to busy commercial kitchens and food preparation areas where there is a need for the floor to perform under the demands of heavy footfall and high viscosity contaminants. With a sustainable slip resistance of 40+ on the RRL Pendulum Test, Polysafe Ultima is a great option for your commercial kitchen. Similarly to Polysafe Apex, Polysafe Ultima is 100% recyclable, contains recycled materials and has a thickness of 2.5mm.
What is the best Polyflor range for wet rooms?
Polysafe Quattro PUR is a perfect option for wet rooms. It is a heavy-duty, flat emboss, carborundum-free safety vinyl. It is designed to provide excellent slip resistance in continually wet areas with a rating of 50+ on the Pendulum Wet Test. Polysafe Quattro PUR is an ideal solution for both barefoot and shod traffic. Customers typically find this easier to keep clean than other ranges which feature a raised emboss. This range is also suitable for changing rooms, swimming pool surrounds, hydrotherapy areas and disabled adaptations.
If you prefer a raised emboss, Polysafe Hydro is a popular and reliable alternative. It is a heavy-duty safety vinyl flooring which is specifically designed with a pimple emboss, for areas that are subjected to constant running water and where slip resistance is a priority. Like Polysafe Quattro, Polysafe Hydro is also suitable for both barefoot and shod traffic.
So, should you buy a Polyflor floor covering?
Yes, it’s a great choice. With a tremendous range of products, designs, styles and use applications, you will be sure to find a suitable Polyflor floor for you!
