QUESTION

Slippery Tile - Is there a bathroom wall tile that should NOT be placed on the floor because it is too slippery?

ANSWER

ANSWER - There are ceramic tiles designated only for wall applications and they should not be used on a floor due to its limited durability. All floor tiles can be used on walls.

Whether the tile is designated as a floor or wall tile it should be considered slip resistant for inside showers and general public areas. When wet the tile surface should have a COF rating of .6 or greater per ASTM C1028 or DCOF of 0.42 or greater per ANSI A137.1. There are no codes that I'm aware of for slip resistance outside of the shower area for the bathroom floor.

Ceramic tile surfaces vary in the degree of slip resistance and there are trade-offs. The more texture the tile surface has the more slip resistant the more readily it gets dirty, the more difficult it is to clean and the more frequent you have to clean it. The smaller the tile with many more grout joints will help make it more slip resistant to some degree, but can not be measured.

On the other had the smoother the surface of the tile the more slippery it will be, the less it will pick up dirt, the easier it will be to clean and the less frequent you have to clean it. People will often go with this selection and use area rugs for step-offs to dry off to keep the floor dry.