Impact of multiple coating layers on finished floor slip resistance

Abstract: Slip, trip and fall (ST&F) events are a cause of significant mortality, hospitalisations and financial expense. Floor conditions are a factor in some portion of ST&F events and thus important to monitor. In commercial buildings, flooring surfaces are often coated with a removable floor finish to protect the floor and provide a consistent walking surface. The relationship between the number of coating layers of a floor finish and the slip resistance, i.e. coefficient of friction, is poorly reported in the literature. In this study, vinyl composite floor tiles were coated with four different floor finishes, varying from 2 to 10 coating layers. The static coefficient of friction (SCOF) was tested using the James Machine and ASTM D2047 to determine whether there was a change in the SCOF/slip resistance and thus the ST&F risk, associated with different numbers of coating layers of finish. The number of coating layers of floor finish did not negatively impact the SCOF/slip resistance of the tiles. This study suggests that maintaining an appropriate layer of floor finish, typically recommended by manufacturers to be four coating layers, provides a slip-resistant walking surface that is not negatively affected by additional coating layers of finish.