Slip, Slip, Slipping Away: Friction and slip resistance of travertine tiles

What you will learn: factors affecting slip resistance on any surface; the meaning of static co-efficient of friction (SCOF) and what the ratings mean; SCOF scores for various travertine tiles surfaces; wetness and slip-resistance on travertine tiles

A common question asked by those interested in buying travertine tiles is "how slippery are the travertine tiles"? This question is open to interpretation and opinion, and may be affected by any number of factors. There are some general rules that can be applied to how slippery different travertine finishes are in relation to each other. To start with, let’s look at a number of factors that should help explain the nature of "static co-efficient of friction" (SCOF) , which in layman’s terms is a description of the force required to move a stationary object in relation to the condition of the surface on which that object stands. This will go along way in answering the question of the slipperiness of travertine tile

Imagine a scene before the start of a game at a hockey arena; with exactly 20 lbs of force one person propels another person along the ice who is wearing skates. Now, the person being pushed is asked to change into their shoes and step back on to the ice. Once again, the same amount of force is applied in the same experiment. Intuition tells us that the person will have gone further on the skates. But, there is another factor to consider. At the end of the game, the amount of force and the footwear worn may be the same in a similar experiment, but the ice is no longer as smooth as it was before the game. As you can see, the factors of force, footwear, and surface conditions are all equally important in measuring the static co-efficient of friction (SCOF) level. Whether the surface is ice or the finished surface of travertine tiles, these factors may be important to think about when choosing what kind of travertine tiles is most appropriate for the area in which they are to be installed.

Judging a surface for slip potential

For architects, contractors, builders, nd anyone else that may need to specify a certain level of friction of building materials for legal reasons, there are a number of scientific tests to determine a Static Co-efficient of Friction number. A minimum value of .50 is generally considered to be the minimum safety requirement for slip resistance and is the recognized minimum standard for slip resistant tiles in courts of law in the United States. General rules for travertine tiles can therefore be understood with regard to co-efficients of friction. For instance, polished travertine tiles have the most slippery finish, providing the lowest SCOF generally in the .40 to .50 range. Honed travertine tiles are less slippery then polished, offering the next highest SCOF rating in a range of .40 to .60, although a fine honed finish will approach the SCOF of polished travertine tiles. Textured finishes are the least slippery of the choice of finishes for travertine tiles, the tumbled and brushed varieties being in the .50 to .70 range.

These are general rules, and should only to be treated as guidelines. Currently, SCOF measurement is not an exact science: the same test methods on the same tiles often does not produce the exact same numbers. Also, different testing methods on the same tiles can often produce different co-efficient of friction numbers. Despite all of this, progress is being made in refining and inventing better ways of measuring the co-efficients of friction for different flooring tiles.

Slippery when wet

The SCOF tests have been traditionally done on dry surfaces because it was assumed that all flooring surfaces, when wet, would be significantly below the minimum suggested SCOF of .50. But, one of the environmental factors that can influence SCOF is wetness, the most common source of this being water. Travertine tiles are slippery when wet, just as most glazed ceramic tiles, porcelain tiles, marble tiles, and granite tiles are. Just as a source of wetness can decrease an SCOF rating, some sealers can increase the SCOF rating of tile flooring. There are many "non-slip" coatings which can be applied to natural stone tiles that will increase its SCOF rating. Applying a "Non-slip" coating or sealer can raise the SCOF by .10 to .30 depending on the product. Consult your local retailer to help you judge which types of sealers are most appropriate to your choice of travertine tiles

Trusty travertine tiles

When considering travertine tiles for your project, keep in mind that many hotels, casinos, and shopping malls successfully use travertine and marble tiles in many different types of finishes. Given that the safety of their customers is of great concern to the owners and planners of these locations, their choice of travertine tiles these high traffic areas is a testament to how trustworthy travertine tiles are.

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