When people hear the term safety flooring, they often think it’s just another version of vinyl. In reality, Altro safety flooring is a completely different level of product — built specifically for areas that demand slip resistance, hygiene, and long-term durability. You’ll find it in commercial kitchens, hospitals, schools, care homes, and anywhere else where a simple spill could turn into a serious hazard.
This isn’t just flooring that looks the part — it’s flooring designed to perform under pressure, every single day.
What Exactly Is Altro Safety Flooring?
Altro safety flooring is a specialist type of vinyl sheet flooring engineered for performance and safety rather than just appearance. It’s made with small mineral aggregates — things like quartz or aluminium oxide — that are spread evenly throughout the whole layer of the material. These particles create tiny points of traction that don’t wear away, meaning the floor keeps its slip resistance for years, even in tough conditions.
Unlike standard vinyl, which can lose its grip when wet or worn, Altro’s composition means its anti-slip properties are permanent, not just surface-deep. That’s what sets it apart — the safety features are built right into the flooring itself.
How Altro Safety Flooring Works
The science behind Altro flooring is surprisingly clever. It’s not about rough texture or ridges — it’s about microscopic grip. Those mineral particles inside the flooring create friction at a small scale, giving consistent traction even when there’s water, oil, or cleaning product on the surface.
Every Altro product is tested under strict slip-resistance standards, including the Pendulum Test Value (PTV). A PTV of 36 or higher means a floor has a very low slip risk — and Altro floors regularly exceed that number. In practical terms, that means they’re built to keep people safe, even in places where spills or moisture are unavoidable.
Where Altro Flooring Is Used
Altro flooring is designed for high-risk, high-traffic, and hygiene-critical environments, and you’ll see it fitted in all sorts of settings:
- Commercial kitchens: where oil, grease, and water make the floor dangerous for staff. Altro provides grip under any condition.
- Hospitals, clinics, and care homes: where hygiene and safety are vital, and the floors must be easy to clean and disinfect.
- Schools and nurseries: offering safe movement for children and staff while handling constant foot traffic.
- Public toilets and changing rooms: areas prone to moisture, splashes, and spills.
- Factories and workshops: where heavy use, chemicals, or cleaning agents would quickly wear out ordinary flooring.
It’s even being used more often in domestic wet rooms, utility spaces, or home gyms — anywhere that needs waterproofing and durability over looks.
How It’s Installed
Altro safety flooring is typically glue-down sheet flooring, not click-fit or loose lay. It’s fitted directly to the subfloor with strong adhesive, and the joins between sheets are heat-welded. This creates a completely watertight and seamless surface, ideal for hygiene and cleaning.
In many cases, installers will also cap and cove the flooring — that means the material curves up the wall slightly and is sealed with a cap strip at the top. It stops water and dirt from getting trapped at the edges and makes the whole surface easier to clean and maintain.
It’s a skilled job — proper welding, sealing, and subfloor prep make all the difference. At Floors2U, these are standard parts of every professional installation, ensuring that the floor not only looks good but performs exactly how it’s supposed to.
How It Differs from Regular Vinyl or LVT
A lot of people confuse Altro with standard vinyl or LVT (Luxury Vinyl Tile). The truth is, while they might look similar from a distance, they serve completely different purposes.
Standard vinyl and LVT are built mainly for aesthetics and comfort — ideal for homes, offices, and shops. They’re smoother, more decorative, and available in a wider range of finishes. Altro, on the other hand, is built for safety and performance first.
Where regular vinyl or LVT might get slippery when wet, Altro maintains its grip. Where standard floors might lift or bubble under heavy use, Altro stays bonded and watertight. It’s simply not meant to compete with the luxury side of flooring — it’s the flooring that takes abuse, cleans easily, and just keeps working.
Maintenance and Longevity
Another big benefit of Altro flooring is how long it lasts when looked after properly. Because it’s dense and welded, it resists wear, dents, and scratches far better than lighter vinyls. Regular sweeping and mopping with the right cleaning products is usually all it needs.
Over time, that means less repair work, fewer replacements, and lower long-term costs. In commercial environments where downtime matters, that reliability is a big deal.
Keeping It Practical
Altro flooring isn’t the kind of thing people choose because it’s trendy or decorative — they choose it because it solves problems. It prevents slips, meets health and safety standards, and stands up to years of use. For commercial clients, it’s peace of mind in floor form. For domestic use, it’s a smart, functional choice for the parts of the home that get wet, messy, or need to stay spotless.
Why It’s Worth Getting Right
Altro safety flooring is one of those things that looks simple but works hard behind the scenes. It keeps people safe, it lasts for years, and it’s trusted everywhere from kitchens to hospitals for a reason.
When installed properly — with the right adhesives, welding, and finishing — it becomes a completely sealed, slip-resistant, low-maintenance surface that just works. It’s not glamorous, but it’s the backbone of a safe, reliable space.
That’s why professionals choose Altro — not just for what it looks like, but for what it does.
