Surefootedness, slip resistance and displacement space

Surefootedness of tiles

Surefootedness is an important component if you are to find a secure grip on the floor tiles when walking. Tiles that have the classification for sure-footedness are marked with "GRIP". The surefootedness is measured according to the angle of inclination on an inclined plane. The designations R9 to R13 indicate the sure-footedness according to the angle of inclination as follows:

R9 - sure-footed up to a slope of 6 ° to 10 °
R10 - sure-footed up to an incline of 10 ° to 19 °
R11 - sure-footed up to an incline of 19 ° to 27 °
R12 - sure-footed up to an incline of 27 ° to 35 °
R13 - sure-footed up to a slope of more than 35 °

Especially with glazed floor tiles, in addition to the slip resistance, the abrasion class is also important. It characterizes resilience.

Abrasion class 1 - very low load, bedroom, adjoining rooms, bathroom, home office
Abrasion class 2 - low load, as in the living room, guest room, dining room
Abrasion class 3 - medium load - living rooms in large households, hallway
Abrasion class 4 - high stress in business premises, outdoors, terrace
Abrasion class 5 - very high stress in commercial use, do-it-yourself workshop

Slip resistance for tiles

The slip resistance is the most important accident protection for tiles and must be given the highest attention in addition to the surefootedness. Lots of falls in bathrooms or kitchens could be avoided with sufficient slip resistance. It is better to set the R class for slip resistance as well as the information for surefootedness a little higher than too low. Bear in mind that older people, running children, someone with a leg injury, imbalance or very slippery soles are extremely at risk if the slip resistance and surefootedness are insufficient. The slip resistance is achieved by roughening the glaze on the surface of the floor tiles. Marking the slip resistance is also important for unglazed tiles, although these pose less risk of slipping. Natural terracotta tiles, for example, are not slippery. The following R classes show you the respective slip resistance:

R9 - low, should not be installed in normal living areas,
R10 - normal, bedroom, home office
R11 - increased slip resistance - this is the R class, which is suitable for floor tiles in living areas
R12 - minimum slip resistance for wet rooms
R13 - very high safety against slipping, guarantees special safety in wet rooms, use also in commercial areas

The displacement space for floor tiles

Every layperson can imagine something under slip and surefootedness. Few customers are familiar with the displacement space if they have not already bought tiles for areas with special security requirements. The best slip and step protection is of little use if the floor becomes a sliding surface through oil and other substances. In the displacement space, more or less pronounced grooves are made in the surface of the tiles. Slippery foreign matter can be displaced into these grooves, the tread remains easily accessible. These grooves are clearly visible on tiles on swimming pools, in the butcher shop or in the nursery. Often the front edges of stairs are provided with stoneware with a non-slip displacement space. The displacement space is given by V. The markings V4 to V10 indicate the derivation depth of the surface profiles, the displacement space. However, the interaction of slip resistance and displacement space is also important. For this you will find the markings A, B and C for tiles. A stands for an angle of inclination of 12 degrees and for tiles that you can lay at your pool, for example. B / C, on the other hand, is the mandatory safety of the floor for public swimming pools and similar facilities.