The All-in-One Flooring Experts

Norcros SA manufactures and supplies innovative quality products to the construction industry, focusing on tiles, tile adhesives, bathroom ware, taps, accessories and construction chemicals. The company comprises TAL, Johnson Tiles and Tile Africa. As such, they have a wealth of experience in all aspects of shopping mall flooring. Here they discuss flooring trends in malls, and the importance of correct specifications.

Specifying products that are fit for purpose is key. For tiled floors, this means selecting a tile that is well suited to high traffic and cleaning frequency, with superior strength and scratch resistance, conforming to a PEI 4 or 5. Consideration should be given to wearability and if the finish is fit for purpose in terms of the installation area, i.e. covered or exterior, wet areas such as bathrooms, or back of house. Floor tiles are given an anti-slip or slip-resistance rating, shown as ‘R’ value (ramp test). This ‘R’ value ranges from R9, which has a small degree of slip resistance, right up to R13, which is the highest slip resistance. A higher R-rating is required for sloped walkways, access ramps, and exterior areas that are exposed to the elements.

Clients are generally concerned with having a good aesthetic appeal which is long-lasting and at a good price. Additional concerns are centred on ease of maintenance, cleaning requirements and acoustics.

Tiles remain a popular choice as they are extremely durable and available in a variety of colours and patterns.

In terms of colour, although black is a growing trend, darker tiles are not advised for high traffic areas as the colour tends to wear more than lighter colours, shortening the aesthetic longevity of the floor.

A trend to watch is combining glossy and matt finishes to create interest or to use matt tiles with a textured finish. Coming out of Europe, the look is semi-polished but with an R-10 rating, making them suitable for use in uncovered, outdoor areas.

The terrazzo look is evergreen, either as tiles or as customised decorative flooring systems which are installed in-situ, then ground and polished to expose the coloured aggregates.

In terms of installation, a growing trend is to tile over the existing tiles. This type of project is costeffective as there is no removal of rubble, less mess and is a faster installation overall. A tile-over-tile installation is therefore ideal for trading concerns. It must be noted that the existing floors need to be in good condition and firmly bonded to the surface, and careful attention must be paid to doorways and interfaces with other floor coverings.

Using products that are loyal to one another, from a single source, ensures that the flooring system is compatible across all levels for best results. TAL provides a 10-year warranty on projects that have used their multi-level systems of fully compatible products, subject to some conditions relating to specification and workmanship.