Do you have to use anti-slip tiles in wetrooms?

[SJRSJR]

Would appreciate some advice please.

I have a small en suite and initially planned to put in a shower tray but decided a wetroom would look and work better.

Unfortunately the floor tiles I would like to have aren't antislip. (They have a matt finish and they feel much 'grippier' than others I've looked at.)
Mezzo Fantasia

From what I've read Building Regs doesn't specifically require antislip tiles but safety is an important factor. The tiles themselves are 20x20cm so would the grout lines help with the slippiness? Am I taking a big risk by using them? The alternative is to put in the tray I first bought but by comparison that looks even slippier!

Thanks

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

Every box of tiles has the slip resistance stated on it, what do your tiles say?

 

[SJRSJR]

They don’t have an R rating. I haven’t bought them yet but the supplier says they use their own rating -M24- which is medium to high slippage.

This from online

 

[SJRSJR]

This is their guidance so I know the tiles aren't recommended for the shower area. I'm just wondered if using them is a complete no-no or whether grouting would help mitigate it. As I said, the polished shower tray looks like more dangerous than the tiles!

 

[mattylad]

wet one and try it.
having slippy tiles in a wet room is a recipe for disaster.

 

[SJRSJR]

I have and it seems fine. That’s what’s thrown me (pardon the pun). I was reading about R ratings and thought I’d check with the supplier, just to make sure. So I was surprised it’s so poorly rated.

I was just about to order the wetroom former so I’m really in a quandary now!

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

Well it's how it behaves with shower gel, water, condensation etc, it's not really you put you hand on it and push it and it feels ok. You got to wonder why they bother rating them!

 

[robinbanks]

Well, you are supposed to clean things from time to time freddy..

@SJRSJR manufacturer says clearly only suitable for use as a wet floor if the passing humans are wearing shoes (what that means, given that I have shoes that are less grippy than my feet..) but consider carefully whether you'll think the tiles are still so amazing if you, or someone you care about, falls and breaks a bone - for an elderly person such an event can hasten the end of their life..

 

[SJRSJR]

Yes, that's my concern. What I still can't reconcile is why the shower tray looks more of a death trap than the tiles. You'd think they'd require a slip rating too. At least the tiles would have grout lines.

 

[SJRSJR]

There's always these. I'm definitely old to even consider them!

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

Well you can buy shower trays with all manner of floor design anything from completely smooth up to ones like sandpaper but there are plenty that offer a bit of grip without looking daft, question is why would you buy one that's completely smooth.