Non-slip flooring for the bathroom

Non-slip flooring from Villeroy & Boch

To ensure that the bathroom is a place to feel good and relax, non-slip flooring is important. Otherwise, water splashes can quickly make the bathroom floor slippery – and create a slipping hazard. Especially for older people, a fall in the bathroom can cause serious injuries. Accessible bathrooms therefore include non-slip flooring. This guarantees sure-footedness even in wet conditions and keeps the risk of falling to a minimum, making bathing and showering more enjoyable for people of all ages. 

What kinds of non-slip flooring are suitable for the bathroom?

Traditional tiled floors are especially prone becoming slippery in the bathroom. This is because water collects on the surface and prevents your feet from finding any grip – resulting in a classic aquaplaning effect. For this reason alone, it is worthwhile renovating older bathrooms. When remodelling a bathroom, the existing shower with a raised base and deep shower tray can usually be easily replaced with a modern, ground-level shower. An accessible washbasin, an easily accessible toilet and generous movement areas will make the bathroom more comfortable and safer for older people and people with restricted mobility. 

These days there are a wide range of non-slip surfaces that you can install to increase safety in the bathroom. When buying, you should bear in mind that the floor in the bathroom should not only be non-slip, but must also satisfy certain other requirements. It goes without saying that the flooring should also be waterproof, meet high hygiene standards and be easy to clean. To achieve this, it must not only be functional – its appearance should also fit into the visual and architectural concept of the bathroom and create a harmonious overall impression. 

Below you will find a summary of suitable non-slip flooring choices for the bathroom. 

Tiles

Tiles are still a classic choice in the bathroom – and for good reason. Floor tiles are waterproof, robust and long-lasting. When choosing tiles for the bathroom, it is important to check the slip resistance of the surface. When it comes to slip resistance, small tiles often have an advantage over larger ones. Due to the small size of most floor tiles, the resulting bathroom floor contains more grouted areas – joints are highly slip resistant due to the rough grouting material. A bathroom floor with small mosaic tiles is therefore considered very slip resistant. 

The disadvantage: The more joints the floor has, the more susceptible it is to dirt, limescale and mould because moisture collects in the joints allowing mould spores to penetrate more quickly. Cleaning is also more time-consuming with small tiles and a large number of joints. Large tiles are usually more hygienic because they require fewer joints – or can even be laid without any joints at all. When choosing tiles, you should make sure that you can feel the surface before making your decision, if possible. Wet the tiles with a small sponge to check their slip resistance when wet.

Wooden flooring

These days, the dream of a wooden floor in the bathroom can become reality. Thanks to special manufacturing and sealing processes, some wooden flooring products are also suitable for humid rooms. It is important to choose a wooden floor that has been explicitly manufactured for use in the bathroom – and have it professionally installed. For example, there are special parquet floors or wooden tiles for the bathroom that are made of particularly hard woods. Oak, maple, teak or Douglas fir, for example, do not tend to swell when they come into contact with water. Before placing an order, make sure that the wooden floor has been treated with a special non-slip lacquer. 

Stone floors

Stone flooring in the bathroom looks stylish – but is not always non-slip. Large, smooth marble stone tiles are especially likely to become slippery when wet. A good non-slip alternative is roughened stone flooring or pebble flooring. Disadvantage: Due to the relief and the many joints, this type of flooring is relatively demanding to clean. 

Linoleum, PVC and vinyl

Bathroom floors made of linoleum, PVC and vinyl are becoming increasingly popular. There is a wide choice of designs and the flooring is – if installed correctly – waterproof and easy to maintain. When dry, a floor made of linoleum, PVC or vinyl is slip resistant. However, this can change in wet conditions. Special vinyl flooring and PVC flooring with non-slip coatings are commercially available. Therefore, be sure to pay attention to the slip resistance class when choosing a flooring product. 

Rubber

Rubber is a natural product that is highly suitable as flooring in the bathroom. The material is impact sound-absorbing and waterproof, and inherently offers a certain degree of slip resistance. 

Fair-faced floor screeds

Exposed screed or concrete flooring comes into its own in ultra-modern or minimalist bathrooms. The floor is sanded down by a specialist and made waterproof with a special lacquer. Fair-faced floor screed and concrete can also become slip resistant if treated appropriately. 

Porcelain stoneware tiles in various designs from Villeroy & Boch

Villeroy & Boch offers excellent non-slip flooring solutions with an elegant look. Many of these high-quality porcelain stoneware tiles also meet the demanding slip resistance requirements for accessible bathrooms. The VilboStone or VilboStonePlus surface sealing also makes them very easy to clean and durable. The porcelain stoneware tiles are available in many attractive designs – such as a discreet real wood look, a fine slate look and a minimalist concrete look. 

What should be taken into account when laying non-slip flooring?

You should always have non-slip floors installed by a specialist company to ensure optimum slip resistance and hygiene. Careful grouting or sealing is important to protect the floor from the ingress of moisture. If the joints and gaps are not grouted correctly, they will act as a gateway for moisture and mould. In the worst case, moisture could accumulate under the flooring and lead to swelling – replacing the floor is then unavoidable. Wood, laminate or vinyl should always be glued down over its entire surface to eliminate any cavities between the screed and the flooring as far as possible. 

It is also important that the material is not damaged during installation. Even small chips on the edges of damp laminate or wood can mean that the seal is no longer complete, allowing moisture to penetrate and soften the material. 

Tip: Are you planning a bathroom renovation and looking for a stop-gap solution to help avoid a slippery bathroom floor in the meantime? Non-slip strips that you simply stick onto the tiles are a good temporary option. 

Non-slip flooring from Villeroy & Boch

Important: Even with non-slip flooring in the bathroom, bathroom rugs with high carpet edges can pose a tripping hazard. In the interest of safety, these should be avoided. 

Slip resistance classes: what do they mean?

When choosing a non-slip bathroom floor, the official slip resistance classes can be a valuable aid. 

Slip resistance in wet barefoot areas (A-B-C value):

A second standard specifically classifies tiles that are used for wet barefoot areas – for example, bathrooms or public swimming pools. This standard is DIN 51097. In this test procedure, water is used instead of engine oil and the test subject does not wear work shoes, but rather walks around barefoot. For the bathroom, floors with slip resistance value B or C are a good choice. A combination of the above-mentioned R-values and the A-B-C safety values is usually used to indicate slip resistance – for example, R10B or R11B. 

General slip resistance (R-value):

According to the standardised criteria set out in DIN 51130, R-group tiles (R10 and R11) are particularly suitable for private bathrooms. These are also recommended for accessible bathrooms. However, R-group tiles are not necessarily suitable for walking on barefoot – they are typically used in commercial or outdoor areas. In the test method according to DIN 51130, the slip resistance of the flooring is therefore also tested with work shoes and engine oil. The maximum angle of inclination at which the test subject can stand safely is measured. 

Taking proper care of a non-slip bathroom floor

To maintain the non-slip properties of your bathroom floor in the long term, regular maintenance is important. The floor should be regularly cleaned with a damp mop, as dirt can also affect the degree of slip resistance. The best thing to do is to ask the flooring manufacturer or your specialist installer about the correct care and maintenance. However, some basic rules apply to non-slip bathroom floors: 

1. If possible, do not use soap or washing-up liquid on textured or roughened floors, as these may adhere to the surface and thus impair its non-slip properties. 

2. You should refrain from using harsh cleaning agents on coated non-slip surfaces, as these could attack the coating. 

3. Non-slip tiles or stone floors can often be maintained with a special waterproofing agent for porcelain stoneware to preserve their non-slip effect. 

4. Diluted vinegar essence or cider vinegar is an excellent home remedy that will thoroughly clean your bathroom floor and can also be used on most non-slip flooring materials.