Creative Colours - A Spectrum of Inspiration - Tile and Stone Journal

BARRIER MATTING
The first line of defence
TSJ considers some of the main options when choosing a
suitable entrance or barrier matting solution for a tiled floor.
Above Sentinel by Shackerley.
Gradus has re-launched two of
its popular secondary barrier
carpet ranges, upgrading the
performance and colour
choices available in the
Boulevard 5000 range, as well
as introducing modern colours
to the Boulevard 6000 range.
Renamed Boulevard 5000HD,
the barrier carpet now
incorporates a light scraper
yarn that has enhanced its
performance in removing dirt
from foot and trolley traffic,
plus it’s available in a wider
range of eight colours. The
Boulevard 6000 range has also
been re-coloured to provide a
plainer and more neutral
palette. Eight colourways are
now available, including three
new additions - Sapphire,
Mocha and Nickel - plus five
colours from the previous
collection - Shadow, Rosemary,
Galaxy, Indigo and Nightfall.
Both ranges are available in
2m sheet format. Boulevard
6000 is also supplied in 500 by
500mm tiles.
Today’s tile and stone market is awash with a plethora of
cleaning solutions and other aftercare ranges. However,
as any housewife will tell you, the most effective cleaning
practice is to stop dirt entering in the first place.
Documented evidence shows that around 80% of the dirt
entering a building is taken in on the soles of shoes and on the
tyres of wheeled traffic. When people (or vehicles) pass from
outside to inside a building they bring a mixture of dirt, grit and
moisture. So, unless entrances are protected, they can easily
become slippery and hazardous underfoot. Dirt can also quickly
work its way into interior floorcoverings with as much as 1kg
building up in a square metre of carpet within 14 days, even in
good weather conditions. Considering the high cost of dirt
removal, this is an unnecessary burden on cleaning requirements
and maintenance budgets. Moreover, the ingression of
dirt into textile and resilient floorcoverings can lead to scratching
or discolouration of the stone or tile surface, and also soiling
of the grout lines which is where a good proportion of the dirt
will inevitably be deposited.
It is thus essential to use an effective entrance flooring system
for the protection of internal floors, to reduce the requirement
of floor cleaning and minimize the risk of slipping.
BS 7953: 1999 Entrance Flooring Systems – selection, installation
and maintenance, Part 4 states: “The majority of soil entering
a building originates from the soles of people entering a
building. Other sources are the wheels of vehicles, for example,
wheelchairs and wind-borne soil. The amount of soil brought
into a building varies according to the weather and external
conditions, such as building work.
Entrance or barrier matting has several functions. Perhaps the
most obvious is to reduce the incidence of slipping accidents
by reducing the amount of soil and moisture tracked onto the
floor. They also help to prolong the life of interior floors by
reducing the ingress of soil. This also reduces cleaning requirements.
In order to fulfil these functions, entrance or barrier
matting systems need to remove and retain soil, minimise moisture
ingress and of themselves be simple to clean and maintain.
Part 5 of BS 7953 states: “The entrance flooring system should
scrape, wipe and retain, whilst making contact with both feet of
people entering the building and, in the case of wheeled traffic,
with the circumference of the wheels.
The Disability Act 1995 also has a major impact on how
entrance matting is to be specified. This is set out in BS 8300:
2001 Building design and approach to meet the needs of disabled
people – code of practice.
Clause 9.1.3 states: “Floor surfaces should be slip resistant to
give a firm foothold and good wheel grip under all wet and dry
conditions.”
This slip resistance is a vital factor since slips, trips and falls are
the most common of all work-related accidents Statistics
issued by the UK’s Health & Safety Executive show slipping and
tripping to be the single most common cause of injuries in the
UK workplace. In 2005/2006, slips and trips represented 36% of
the total number of reported major injuries in the workplace
and, of this figure, 19% involved slipping on a wet substance or
surface.
As well as days lost through sickness following falls, employers
also face the growing risk of litigation.
In the UK slips and trips accounted for 698,336 hospital bed
days in 2002/03. In contrast, accidents involving car occupants
accounted for only 82,395.
These worrying facts, combined with an increased awareness
about public liability, means that it is vital to get the entrance
matting specification - a building’s first line of defence - right
from the outset.
Selected Suppliers
Plastic Extruders offers a range of entrance solutions for locations
where water may be present and where there is a need to
maintain safe and hygienic conditions, especially in public
places such as jetties, around swimming pools, in shower rooms
and in changing areas. For barefoot and wet areas they include
Heronrib, Herontile and Heronair.
The company’s high performance entrance flooring systems
will prevent dirt from entering buildings, keep shoes clean and
effectively reduce cleaning and maintenance costs. The company
recommends the Frontrunner range, this includes Brush,
Matting and Module options, plus Frontrunner Plus and
Frontrunner XT.
3m’s Nomad Aqua 6500 Floor Mats remove dirt and absorb
moisture. They are suitable for medium traffic volumes of
between 500 and 1,500 crossings per day. They feature dual
fibre construction for long lasting performance.
Construction Specialties‘ entrance flooring range, Pedisystems, has
been used for projects large and small, across a spectrum of
business sectors including healthcare, education, commercial,
retail, transport and leisure. The company operates a Quality
Management System complying with BS EN ISO 9001:2000.
Jaymart’s Raincheck is a super-heavy contract quality, extra
absorbent, deep nylon brush-on-vinyl backing, clean zone barrier
matting/foyer carpeting. 8.5mm thick, it is specially manufactured
for heavily trafficked areas. It combines maximum
42 TSJ JUNE 2010