Coefficient of Friction

Coefficient of Friction

About Coefficient of Friction

Whether you are a tile installer or a tile supplier you assume some liability if you sell or install a tile that is not slip resistant, particularly for exterior and interior wet applications. The past standard, which is still used to some degree today, states that a tile in wet conditions should have at least a 0.6 static coefficient of friction rating over a wet tile surface per the ASTM C1028 test method. The new standard, ANSI A137.1, is called the DCOF AcuTest and has a minimum dynamic coefficient of friction rating requirement of 0.42 for interior level wet areas. The DCOF AcuTest is supposed to be a more reliable standard in terms of safety. It doesn’t address interior sloped surfaces or any exterior applications; although other studies in Germany claim that an overall safe rating is 0.45 DCOF per the AcuTest. Make sure you inform your customers about the slip resistance of the tile they have selected, and whether you have the expertise to determine if it’s suitable for the intended application.

Keep in mind that the more textured a tile surface is, the more slip resistant it is. But the more textured a tile surface is means that it will pick up more dirt and will have to be cleaned more frequently, which means more effort will be needed to clean it! So there are tradeoffs. A tile can also be too textured. How a floor is maintained will also affect how slip resistant a tile is over time. So properly maintaining a floor is critical to keeping the walking surface safe. For more specific details, read my article in the October 2012 Construction Specifier magazine “Avoiding the Fall”.

About the Tilewise Cartoons

TileWise cartoons were developed under Donato Pompo's leadership for Club '84 (Ceramic Tile Action Group).  Club '84 was a non-profit organization of accomplished individuals from all segments of the ceramic tile industry.  The group's mission was to develop and distribute educational aids to educate, train and bring quality awareness to the distributors, specifiers, installers, and consumers of Ceramic Tile.

The TileWise cartoons were created to communicate issuses and concerns in the business of using ceramic tile for all segments of the industry.  The objective was to educate to promote the quality use of ceramic tile.  In each cartoon the screen exaggerates what you shouldn't do or emphasizes an issue or concern, then George the Bucket (named after CTI founder George Lavenberg) says what is correct.  The cartoons ran for twelve years in each issue of the Tile Industry News, a major industry publication, published by the Ceramic Tile Institute until 1999 when it ceased.

Use these cartoons to educate your customers and employees to help avoid potential problems, and to promote a positive image of your company through newsletters, posters or mailings.

We hope you can put these cartoons to good use to help your industry and your business, and we know you will certainly benefit from them if you do.  Good Luck!

The TileWise Cartoons will be displayed and available for your use. Restricted to limited single use. Randy’s cherished wife, Suzanne, is working hard to care for their precious sons, Rudie and Remie. Randy’s sudden illness left them with limited resources. If you can benefit from the use of the TileWise Cartoons, and if you can afford it, a donation to Randy's family would be very much appreciated. Please see form below to pledge whatever amount you would like to donate.

Right click the cartoon of your choice (Restricted to limited single use) and do a "Save Picture As..." to your hardrive.

(over 50 TileWise cartoons for your pleasure, and to use to educate your customers and employees)

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