TUFF-GRIP ANTI-SLIP FLOOR TREATMENT

More about Tuff-Grip and Frequently Asked Questions

Tuff Grip Floor Treatment is a substance treatment which changes the way that the floor surface reacts with water or similar other liquids.

All stone surfaces have a natural pore structure. Tuff-Grip Floor Treatment takes advantage of this and enlarges the microscopic pore structure so that the pores are large enough to accommodate a water molecule but still much smaller than a dirt particle.

As a result, the thin layer of water between a person’s shoe and the floor which normally results in hydra-plaining is now dispersed into the pore structure. The shoe now makes direct contact with the floor.

As Tuff-Grip Floor Treatment is a subsurface treatment it is very long lasting and will not wear away, mar, peal or blister like other surface coating products. In fact, the manufacturer warranties each floor for a minimum of two years. Years down the road, heavy traffic will wear the top surface of the floor away. These worn traffic areas can easily be treated.

Ongoing floor care and maintenance is unaffected by Tuff-Grip Floor Treatment and is as easy as regular washing with a neutral cleaner and periodic degreasing as required.

Tuff Grip floor Treatment does not alter the appearance of wet or dry, the treated floors traction improves. The increase is particularly significant where it counts, with leather shoes and on wet floors. The floor is actually safer wet than dry!

Both wet and dry, a Tuff-Grip treated floor exceeds all Occupational Health & Safety, A.D.A and Building Code regulations and guidelines for slip-resistance.

Safe Floors are Not an Accident

• Reduces Workers Compensation Insurance Costs
• Reduces General Liability Insurance Costs
• Increase Employee Productivity
• Lessens the Likelihood of Negligent Lawsuit

Reduces Workers Compensation Insurance Costs

A reduction in employee slip and fall accidents will provide substantial reductions in workers’ compensation costs. If an organization is self insured, the reduction in accidents will result in a 100% net gain. (That is a dollar saved is a dollar on the bottom line.) With third party insurance, savings can come in the form of reduced premiums and/or rebates. Even though slip and falls are the number one employee accident in most industries, it is important to note that many other accidents such as cuts, burns and back injuries are often a result of a slip.

Reduces General Liability Insurance Costs

The cost of general liability insurance is increasing at such a rate that it may soon be cost-prohibitive for large and small companies alike to be adequately covered.

As with workers’ compensation, savings can come from three areas. If an organization is self-insured, the reduction in accidents will result in a 100% net gain. With third party insurance, savings can come in the form of reduced premiums and/or rebates, but additional savings result from a reduction in deductible payouts. Because general liability premiums are often experience driven, most clients can anticipate even larger savings in the out years.

Increases Employee Production

Using Tuff-Grip Floor Treatment will increase overall productivity in several important ways:

• By creating a less hazardous walking surface, the rate of which employees can move around the workplace safely is increased. This is particularly important to the fast paced hospitality industry.
• Preventing slip and fall accidents precludes the loss of key, skilled individuals. This prevents the need to ”fill” a position vacated by the accident with a less skilled employee and does not require a drain on the supervisor’s time to provide additional training to bring the new employee “up to speed”
• The elimination of any accident eliminates “down times” during which the business grinds to a halt immediately following the incident.
• Lessens the Likelihood of Negligent Lawsuits
• Although any accident victim will almost automatically be entitled to compensation for medical costs, the major expense of lawsuits form injured workers and patrons comes from the punitive damage awards and out of court settlement.
• By proactively engaging in a loss control program to prevent slip and falls, a company can demonstrate “reasonable care” of workers, guests and patrons. The result is the ability to protect the company and individual employees from large, potentially damaging claims of negligence by providing a safe working and public environment.
• In the near future it is likely that the failure to implement preventative measures such as a Tuff-Grip Floor Treatment safety program will in and of itself, be grounds for negligence judgments.

FAQ’S regarding Tuff-Grip:

Q. What is Tuff-Grip Slip Resistive Safety Floor Formula?
A. Tuff-Grip Floor Formula is a chemical process which increased the coefficient of friction on hard mineral surfaces. It alters the mineral structure of the floor which in turn increases the slip resistive properties and makes the floor safer when wet. As it works into the surface, it removes soft particles and leaves the hard particles.

Q. Will Tuff-Grip damages the floor?
A. The definition of a micron is 1/247,000 of an inch. The Tuff Grip process goes into the surface approximately 3000 microns, so small it can’t be seen with the naked eye and therefore will not change the overall appearance. Normal foot traffic will remove this many microns within a three year period in high traffic areas.

Q. How much of an increase in friction will it create?
A. It depends on the coefficient of friction before treatment. But the increase on wet surface will increase anywhere fro 100% to 500%. The objective is to increase by a good margin the minimum threshold for a safe walkway, which is 0.50 coefficient of friction on a wet surface.

Q. How many types of floor surfaces can Tuff Grip treat?
A. Tuff Grip can treat any hard mineral surface. Some surfaces like polished marble can be treated but require some consultation before attempting an installation.

Q. Is the installation difficult?
A. The easiest installation is Quarry Tile. Other surfaces including ceramic require a small test in a small, out of the way area, to determine how long the product should remain on the floor before application.

Q. Will the grout lines be affected?
A. No. Tuff Grip formula contains property chemicals which protect grout lines from damage, the formula also protects stainless steel from muting if some product comes in contact with stainless steel.

Q. How long will Tuff Grip remain effective?
A. It depends on the foot traffic in the typical commercial kitchen the normal life is about two years. It will only wear out as the tile itself wears out. In applications around swimming pools the life could be longer because bare feet will not wear the surface down as fast. In a commercial bathtub, the normal life is about two years because the tubs are scrubbed out each time a tenant checks out. In a shopping center entrance the way of life may be only 3 months, depending on a hardness of the tile.

Q. Is Tuff Grip safe to handle?
A. Tuff Grip is a combination of acids which have a low Ph very much like oven cleaner or bleach. All chemicals should be treated with respect and kept away from children's reach. However in over 1000’s of installations not once have we been alerted to a mishap in handling the product.

Q. How long does it take to install?
A. One person can install one gallon (500 sq.ft) in about an hour and a half.  A porcelain bathtub requires about ten minutes. Either installation can be used immediately, no down time involved.  A precise estimate may vary, which can be discussed with you for your particular need.

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