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Adhesive-free floors

Altro award-winning, adhesive-free sustainable floors now feature new ranges offering you enhanced comfort under foot and greater impact sound reduction, together with a whole new range of benefits including more colour and wood design options, giving complete flexibility for your differing application areas. Our adhesive-free floors also feature our most advanced Altro Easyclean technology, while retaining the benefits of reduced installation time and 100% recyclability.

Solutions for your whole building - As you know, we love continually developing our solutions and have introduced a different underside emboss on two of our adhesive-free product ranges: Altro Wood adhesive-free and Altro Cantata. This new structure, coupled with exciting, aesthetic options, provides 14dB impact sound reduction and comfort underfoot, making them ideal options for your more public-facing areas, which will continue to make a great first impression and support the wellbeing of all users for the lifetime of the product. Where safety and toughness are the key drivers for your hard-working service areas, Altro XpressLay continues to deliver robust, good looks.

Time-saving, cost-saving, disruption-busting technology - With all Altro adhesive-free floors no DPM and no adhesive are required meaning your installation can be up and ready quickly, letting everyone get back to normal with minimal interruption. With adhesive-free floors there is no waiting time - just lay, weld and walk on the same day and they give you no fuss repair and maintenance, with ease of access to the subfloor allowing you to readily identify and fix problems.

Adhesive-free also means no tacky areas and trafficking glue through the building; so the build can be planned in stages without being held up by drying times. The specially formulated studded underside emboss allows flooring to sit off the subfloor, allowing the floor to breathe, resulting in any moisture dissipating. With reduced installation time and labour costs, less need for expensive equipment hire and the reduction in maintenance budgets adhesive-free flooring provides with you a cost-saving alternative.

When the flooring has come to the end of its long and useful life, taking it up and replacing it could not be easier, plus there is no costly and time-consuming “making good” of the subfloor to worry about.

No adhesive means there are no odours. Environments such as hospitals, residential care homes and universities have many people living and working in them; and shutting down shop or installing noisy extractor fans is not an option. Using Altro adhesive-free floors, you can halve installation time compared with a traditional adhered installation. And at the end of their life, adhesive-free floors can be re-used elsewhere or recycled.

Tried and tested for your peace of mind - Our adhesive-free flooring is durable and can tolerate medium to heavy-duty traffic. Altro adhesive-free floors hold as effectively as Altro floors installed using adhesive: no rucks, no movement. In fact, they have been tested with a 900kg drilling rig with caterpillar tracks, so a patient on a trolley will be no problem at all!

Our sustainable and movement-free floors have been tried and tested in some of the world’s most demanding locations including the Australian Parliament, listed buildings, global four-yearly sporting events and the Asian Games. We continue to work closely with architects, end customers, engineers, designers and contractors around the world; our insight and expertise help them transform everyday spaces into environments that can improve the wellbeing of everyone that uses them.

Innovative solutions for harmonised spaces - Altro invented safety flooring over 60 years ago and we have been leading the way with innovation and quality ever since. Our adhesive-free floors harmonise perfectly with other Altro floors, plus Altro Whiterock hygienic walls and Altro Fortis wall, door and corner protection system, meaning we can help you create the look and feel you want, throughout.

Our new Altro Wood adhesive-free floor brings you a safety wood-look product with easy cleanability; perfect for decorative, homely or biophilic areas. And with Altro Cantata providing a refreshed palette of colours and designs, with improved cleanability, we continue to provide you with floor solutions to meet the most wide-ranging of aesthetics.

Revolutionary, international award-winning Altro XpressLay was the world’s first ever adhesive-free safety floor and was introduced to the market place after 5 years of development and testing. In 2019 Altro XpressLay celebrated its 10th anniversary of providing safe flooring in diverse environments.

With our enhanced Altro Easyclean technology, the cleanability of our adhesive-free floors has been vastly improved. The floors are more resistant to dirt pick-up giving them a cleaner, aesthetic look and ease of cleaning is enhanced with less dirt residue to remove. The flooring is also more stain-resistant, ensuring that it keeps its good looks for longer. With a cleaner floor, it stays fresher for prolonged periods of time and improves wellbeing for staff, pupils and residents.


It's what's underneath that counts

Straight to slab, tiles, or vinyl

Altro adhesive-free flooring can be laid over existing sound substrates without applying adhesive. So you can weld and walk on the floor the same day. Altro adhesive-free flooring gives a quick fit without compromising on performance.

Its unique formulation allows the floor to lie flat and perform like a traditional adhered floor without the need for an adhesive.

With Altro adhesive-free, double-sided, moisture-tolerant tape, the floor edges and joints are secured in place while being installed, coved and welded. With no adhesive, there is no drying time and no resulting odours.

Damp problem – not anymore!

The specially formulated studded underside emboss allows flooring to sit off the subfloor, allowing the floor to breathe, resulting in any moisture dissipating. It can be used with a new concrete floor at up to 97% relative humidity.

Allowing the subfloor to breathe, installations can be quicker and easier as no damp-proof membrane (DPM) is required. You can halve installation time compared with a traditional installation.

Lays flat – stays flat

Altro adhesive-free flooring lays flat without an adhesive to stick it in place. So you can roll away – without the floor rolling up.

Altro adhesive-free flooring has the same guarantees and performance you would expect from an Altro floor but with additional benefits. It can be installed over existing flooring or on fresh concrete. The floor can be removed easily, reused and is 100% recyclable at the end of its life.


The genius behind the technology

Our adhesive-free floors have been designed to give you a floor that is easy to install and maintain. Making these design ambitions a reality is a team of innovators and technical experts, continually looking for ways to give you performance-enhancing products.

How it works

With all Altro adhesive-free floors no DPM or adhesive are required. They have been designed to avoid the need for a moisture barrier to subfloors which are damp and to those which cannot be prepared by traditional methods, due to surface contamination. The nodes on the underside of the sheet create an airspace allowing the evaporation of water vapour from damp subfloors.

The water vapour evaporates in a controlled manner as part of the building’s regular breathing cycle over its lifetime. Giving moisture the ability to migrate through the building ensures that adhesive-free flooring is not at risk of the formation of water bubbles disturbing the performance or aesthetics of the floor.

This technology gives you a natural, organic and environmentally-friendly drying method for subfloors, which has been rigorously tested to ensure sufficient ventilation of the damp substrate.

Sustainable wellbeing

Our most advanced cleaning technology ensures ease of maintenance and enhanced infection control with the reduction of bacterial and mould growth through improved cleanability. Our new cleaning technology helps to reduce general dirt pick-up and staining and improves the floor’s scuff-resistance. These improvements aid the reduction in use of abrasive cleaning products in areas where hygiene is critical.

We have applied our new, patent-pending “chocolate bar” emboss on the underside of some of our adhesive-free products to provide impact sound reduction to 14dB; enabling you to extend use of adhesive-free ranges into quieter environments for education and reducing disturbance in health and care settings.

Comfort underfoot is a must for staff standing all day or young people needing to sit or play in education. Our backing is designed to give comfort under foot and helps to reduce the risk of musculoskeletal disorders.

Performance tested – what the results tell us

We know that our adhesive-free flooring won’t let you down. But don’t take our word for it. We’d like to share some key test results with you, so you can rest assured that it will perform as stated for its lifetime.

We know that our adhesive-free flooring won’t let you down. But don’t take our word for it. We’d like to share some key test results with you, so you can rest assured that it will perform as stated for its lifetime.



Moisture Vapour Transmission Rate

Test: In-house test, developed by Altro, to establish Moisture Vapour Transmission rate

Methodology: A piece of adhesive-free flooring is placed between a container of water and a lid in a humidity- and temperature-controlled chamber, which simulates the positioning of the floor over a damp substrate. The water can only escape through the embossed air channels on the product backing. The water loss is monitored continuously during testing and a rate of moisture vapour transmission obtained. The test was also carried out on a traditionally adhered flooring sample for comparison.

Result: After two weeks of testing, the results show that the moisture vapour transmission rate of the adhesive-free samples was more than twice as fast as that of the traditionally adhered flooring samples. Results also proved that water vapour escaped in a controlled manner through the embossed air channels on the product backing.

Benefit: The test proves that giving moisture the ability to evaporate through the building ensures that adhesive-free flooring is not at risk of the formation of water bubbles, which adversely affect the performance and / or aesthetics of the floor; visible proof that the escape of moisture vapour is controlled and efficiently executed.

Stud retention

Test: In-house test, developed by Altro, to check product performance and quality

Methodology: The test consists of two metal plates with a section of flooring placed on the bottom plate. The top plate presses down onto the bottom plate to simulate tread. The force is equivalent to the tread of an above-average weight person of 90kg.

Result: After 500k steps and 24 hours of recovery, the sample kept >75% of the stud height.

Benefit: The test proves the moisture vapour passage will function for the lifetime of the floor as the studs will not collapse.

Indentation

Test: EN 24343-1

Methodology: Using a digital micrometer, the residual indentation is measured between maximum indentation after 2.5 hours of point pressure and then after 2.5 hours of recovery.

Result: Pass

Benefit: The test proves stability with static objects including chair/ table legs; indicating the flooring’s suitability for use with laboratory stools, school / dining chairs etc where potential floor damage from point loading is to be avoided.

Tear Initiation

Test: ISO 34-1 Method A

Methodology: A machine tear measuring the average of machine direction (MD) and cross direction (XMD) indicates how much force is required to start a tear.

Result: Altro adhesive-free floors are as resistant to tears as adhered vinyl flooring.

Benefit: The test proves that our adhesive-free floors will not tear when dragging equipment / furniture or pushing heavy loads / trolleys over them and that they are suitably robust for high traffic and demanding areas or installations, where poor quality flooring may rip e.g. hospital corridors, universities, hotels, busy working areas etc.

Telegraphing

Test: EN 4918

Methodology: A castor chair test is carried out on a sample to demonstrate if there is any telegraphing of the pattern to the surface and any distortion of the surface when weight is dragged over it.

Result: Pass

Benefit: The test proves the durability and resilience of Altro adhesive-free flooring to castor chair / wheeled traffic and that the structure and aesthetics of the floor are maintained without any compromise to aesthetics.


Cost and time saving video

Altro adhesive-free floors not only halve installation time but can reduce cost cost by 35% - and we can prove it. Find out more


I'm designing an area

What does this mean for me when specifying products for a project?

Helping you meet your clients’ sustainability goals

Altro’s adhesive-free flooring excels in its environmental credentials. Sustainable and with 10% recycled content, meaning we use less of the earth’s valuable natural resources, Altro adhesive-free flooring is 100% recyclable post-consumer. Waste is minimal as you do not need to use a damp-proof membrane (DPM) or adhesive products; thereby, reducing unwanted landfill content. As it’s 100% recyclable, the floor can be uplifted quickly and easily and any leftover floor can be used elsewhere. At the end of its life the floor can be recycled via a Recofloor collection point and regenerated into useful traffic calming products such as traffic cones.

Helping you win project specifications

Installing adhesive-free floors means your customers’ installations can be up and ready quickly, letting everyone get back to normal with minimal interruption. With adhesive-free floors there is no waiting time - just lay, weld and walk on the same day; saving your customer time and money and minimising disruption. This combined with a wide range of design options gives your specification the advantage over a traditionally adhered proposal.

New colours and design choices to help you wow your clients

With our new woods, terrazzo and concrete designs giving you 59 colours and on trend designs to choose from, Altro adhesive-free flooring now provides inspirational and decorative solutions for all application areas. Using biophilic design our in demand, wood-look floor can help create a comfortable, or homely and calm feeling to promote wellbeing in health and care environments. With the concrete design option in our Altro Cantata range you can create a wow, urban chic look in contemporary buildings and terrazzo gives you an organic look with a metallic twist.

New design potential for adhesive-free across your building

Altro XpressLay is ideal for areas where safety is a priority, such as high traffic service corridors, requiring safety and toughness. Altro Cantata and Altro Wood adhesive-free give you design options for your more public-facing areas where aesthetics count and the ability to easily maintain the appearance of the areas is essential.

Sound reduction and comfort underfoot to improve every environment

Altro adhesive-free floors offer up to 14dB sound reduction, which is great for noisy environments such as kindergartens and schools reducing disruptive noise transfer as excited young children or thousands of older ones move around a building. Within a hospital or care environment reducing noise in a ward or public area can aid patient recovery and enhance residents’ wellbeing. Coupled with up to 2.4mm thick options, adhesive-free flooring is an ideal choice for areas that need to look good while helping to give comfort underfoot; much valued for carers, nurses and teachers, who spend many hours a day on their feet.

Built on heritage

Altro invented safety flooring over 60 years ago and we have been leading the way with innovation and quality ever since. Altro XpressLay was introduced in 2009 after five years of development and testing. We wanted to make sure that the product could deliver the quality and reliability associated with all Altro flooring. Before the product’s introduction many test areas, both on and off site on damp subfloors and on existing problem subfloors were installed and monitored to ensure that the product was fit for purpose. Since the launch over 2.2 million square metres have been successfully installed helping us deliver a more sustainable flooring product and leading the way in the future of flooring. Our heritage has been so valued that this revolutionary product has been trusted in some of the world’s most demanding locations including the Australian Parliament, historical and listed buildings, global four-yearly sporting events and the Asian Games. The next evolution saw the introduction of Altro Cantata in 2017 and now Altro Wood adhesive-free, bringing the range up-to-date with architects’ requests for wood-effect adhesive-free flooring.

Giving reassurance and expertise

With over 10 years’ experience of working with our adhesive-free floors and having invented our international award-winning Altro XpressLay, we are confident in our products’ durability. But don’t just take our word for it. Our case studies are testament to customer satisfaction, and with a 15-year life expectancy and 10-year guarantee on all our adhesive-free products you needn’t fear that an adhesive-free product will let you down.

Don’t just take our word for it

Altro adhesive-free floors have been endorsed by architects and main contractors for your peace of mind. Take a look at our case studies and testimonials.

"We needed a flooring that would allow us to meet the tight deadlines we had to work on. In addition, we needed it to respond well to the humidity of the environment. It was easy to clean, durable, resistant to stains and, of course, it was slip-resistant.

Altro XpressLay does not use adhesive so it can also be used again."

  • 1. Due to the fact that the product is not stuck down using traditional wet adhesives, when the product is uplifted the material is not contaminated with the usual subfloor residue. As there is also no damage to the subfloor and adjoining walls, there are no repairs required, with associated further resources. Time is also saved as the need to re-screed the floor or use a liquid DPM are removed

  • 2. With an adhesive-free floor your client’s installation will not suffer from any adhesive odours, which is vital in a hospital, or any occupied building with areas which cannot be closed; therefore, you can keep disruption and distress to users to a minimum

  • 3. With no odours from adhesive and no liquid DPMs, there is no need to provide costly ventilation equipment for affected areas

  • 4. As a DPM is not required the floor can be laid over a damp substrate up to 97% RH, removing the need to wait for the substrate to dry and saving labour and materials costs for your client

  • 5. Adhesive-free flooring contributes to reducing the environmental impact of customer specifications - A+ BRE Generic Green Guide Rating for Safety Flooring, full details available at www.thegreenguide.org.uk
  • 6. Altro floors have undergone rigorous external VOC testing. VOCs are volatile organic compounds that are released into the atmosphere by some substances and products. It is thought that exposure to VOCs can cause problems like sick building syndrome, diminished learning in schools, and reduced productivity in offices. VOCs are typically five times more concentrated indoors than outdoors.
  • Our floors are compliant with national and international indoor air quality schemes including Swedish Building Product Declarations (BPD) and FloorScore, the indoor air quality scheme used with Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) in North America.

  • 7. Possesses M1 rating - M1 classification is part of the Finnish voluntary indoor climate classification system. Seal M1 indicates the lowest emission class of the voluntary Finnish emission classification of building materials. The classification is intended to be used by the construction and building design sector and in associated contracting, as well as by the building material industry, when building healthier and more comfortable buildings.

  • 8. 100% recyclable pre- and post-installation via the Recofloor take back scheme saving your clients’ valuable time and money by being able to reuse the floor and reducing waste disposal costs

  • 9. Contains up to 10% recycled content helping to preserve the world’s natural resources

  • 10. Contains a bioplasticiser from a renewable resource and for this reason also considered as green products, helping to reduce your carbon footprint

  • 11. The inclusion of the Altro Easyclean technology means that Altro adhesive-free floors use fewer cleaning chemicals and water throughout their lifetime; therefore, reducing their environmental impact during the in-use phase of the product’s lifecycle

I'm an end user

What does this mean for me if I manage building facilities?

Altro adhesive-free floors can save you time, money and disruption

With reduced installation time and the ability to walk on the floor the same day, you can have your busiest areas back to normal use faster. An adhesive-free flooring installation typically reduces installation time by up to 50% compared with an installation using adhesive.

For example (depending on substrate condition): a 200m² corridor would be laid in two days compared with 4 days with an adhered floor covering, with an approximate 20% cost saving to you.

Reduce disruption

Altro adhesive-free technology means you can install over existing sound and secure surfaces such as tiles and even flaky paint, without having to wait for any adhesive to ‘cure’. Lack of adhesive means no tacky areas and trafficking glue through a building plus the reassurance that without adhesives your subfloor or coving will not be damaged when the floor needs to be lifted or removed at end of life. With an adhesive-free floor your installation will not suffer from any associated odours, which is vital in a hospital (or any other occupied building), for example, with areas which cannot be closed; therefore, keeping disruption and distress to users to a minimum.

Save time

With speed of installation from using an adhesive-free floor you can easily return your business to normal service within 24 hours; disruption and any anxiety to residents, patients and customers are dramatically reduced. A corridor within a hospital or care home is in constant use by foot and wheeled traffic. Closing down the corridor for a lengthy period of time is not an option, so by installing an adhesive-free floor the work can be completed quickly, even overnight, so that the traffic flow is uninterrupted and when you come to replace the floor covering after many years of use there is no floor preparation needed.

With an adhesive-free floor you can keep your building warm and comfortable as underfloor heating can be kept on; this reduces impact from the work needed to be done, removing the need to hire expensive de-humidifiers or temporary heaters. And keeping the heating on will help dry out freshly plastered walls reducing the time needed to decorate and install surface fixings, giving a quicker return to service.

Save money

As you won’t be using adhesives and DPMs in the installation, you will not need to hire noisy air extraction equipment; or make alternative arrangements to move or re-house occupants, this will in turn reduce disruption, costs for materials and labour overheads, thereby keeping your accountant happy. You can also save costs on disposal by diverting your waste from landfill or by partnering with Recofloor (insert link to Recofloor page), or recycling the floor and reusing it in another area of your building.

Due to the fact that the product is not stuck down using traditional wet adhesives, when the product is uplifted the material is not contaminated with the usual subfloor residue. As there is also no damage to the subfloor and adjoining walls, there are no repairs required, with associated further resources needed.

By planning to use an adhesive-free floor at the inception of your project means you can keep your budget on track without having to compromise on finishes — putting yourself under pressure — or having to rush the finish on an adhered floor, which as one of the last finishing items can be subjected to mounting time pressures; thereby, running the risk of errors.

Sustainability and air quality

Adhesive-free safety flooring contributes to reducing the environmental impact of customer specifications - A+ BRE Generic Green Guide Rating for Safety Flooring, full details available at www.thegreenguide.org.uk

Altro floors have undergone rigorous external VOC testing. VOCs are volatile organic compounds that are released into the atmosphere by some substances and products. It is thought that exposure to VOCs can cause problems like sick building syndrome, diminished learning in schools, and reduced productivity in offices. VOCs are typically five times more concentrated indoors than outdoors. Our floors are compliant with national and international indoor air quality schemes including Swedish Building Product Declarations (BPD) and FloorScore, the indoor air quality scheme used with Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) in North America.

Cleanability

The inclusion of the Altro Easyclean technology means that Altro adhesive-free floors use fewer cleaning chemicals and water throughout their lifetime; therefore, reducing their environmental impact during the in-use phase of the product’s lifecycle.

No fuss/repair/maintenance and snagging

Adhered flooring uses contact adhesive, so to remove it you could damage not just the subfloor but adjoining walls too. An adhesive-free floor gives you no fuss repair and maintenance, with ease of access to the subfloor allowing you to readily identify and fix problems. In the case of an adhered floor, if you have a leaking pipe you would need to repair both subfloor and wall, the bonded floor would need to be re-screeded and possibly have a surface DPM re-instated; this would not be required with an adhesive-free installation.

No odours

With an Altro adhesive-free floor installation there are no adhesive-related odours and therefore no need to close a critical area such as a busy hospital corridor or provide costly ventilation equipment for affected areas in an occupied property.

Sound reduction and comfort underfoot to improve your working environment

Altro adhesive-free floors offer up to 14dB sound reduction, which is great for noisy environments such as kindergartens and schools reducing disruptive in-room sound and noise transfer as excited young children or thousands of older ones move around a building. Within a hospital or care environment reducing noise in a ward can aid patient recovery and enhance residents’ wellbeing. Coupled with up to 2.4mm thick options adhesive-free flooring is an ideal choice for areas that need to look good while helping to give comfort underfoot; much valued for carers, nurses and teachers, who spend many hours a day on their feet.

Range of design options and colours

With 59 colours and designs to choose from Altro adhesive-free flooring now provides you with inspirational and decorative solutions for all application areas coupled with a more functional design palette for your harder working areas requiring safety; whether you need a welcoming space for public-facing areas, a homely feel for a patient room or tough, slip-resistant floor for service corridors, there are options for all.

Using biophilic design our new, in demand, wood-look floor can help create a comfortable feel or sense of calm and wellbeing for health and care environments. With the concrete design option in our Altro Cantata range you can create an urban chic look in contemporary buildings and terrazzo gives you an organic feel with a metallic twist.

Giving reassurance and expertise

With over 10 years’ experience of working with our adhesive-free floors and having invented our international, award-winning Altro XpressLay, we are confident in our products’ durability. But don’t just take our word for it. Our case studies are testament to customer satisfaction, and with a 15-year life expectancy and 10-year guarantee on all our adhesive-free products you needn’t fear that an adhesive-free product will let you down.

Don’t just take our word for it

Altro adhesive-free floors have been endorsed by facilities managers, architects and main contractors for your peace of mind. Take a look at our case studies and testimonials.

"We love the new floor because it’s easy to clean, reduces the noise of the place, but mostly because it’s welcoming, it’s homely."

"The look of the product is fantastic. We have not got harsh adhesives causing problems with people with breathing difficulties. The installation is a lot quicker and the acoustic value is absolutely brilliant.”


"This new flooring looks superb, colourful and modern, and it’s a proven safety flooring that can stand up to the rigours of busy school life."

"There has been no rucking or movement at all. It’s as firm and reliable as any flooring fitted with adhesive. So for a school it’s a great product, because we have the flexibility to repair or reuse the flooring in the future if required."

"Altro XpressLay is not a short-term solution, it is proven, ground-breaking flooring that holds as effectively as an Altro safety flooring installed using adhesive, and there are no rucks, no movement at all. It also offers the same guarantees and lifetime slip resistance of other Altro safety flooring."

"We needed a flooring that would allow us to meet the tight deadlines we had to work on. In addition, we needed it to respond well to the humidity of the environment. It was easy to clean, durable, resistant to stains and, of course, it was slip-resistant.

Altro XpressLay does not use adhesive so it can also be used again."

For busy, demanding service areas Altro adhesive-free floors provide you with a tough, durable, decorative and non-ruck floor which has been tried and tested in many challenging environments.

Watch our case study video filmed at The Lawns Care Home to see how Altro Wood adhesive-free floor made the installation stress and worry free.


I'm a main contractor

What does this offer me if I am managing a project?

Increase your bottom line and tender more competitively

Including Altro adhesive-free flooring in your tender process will ensure your clients’ installation costs are reduced. Removing the need to wait for the subfloor to dry, and with no DPM required, installation is quick and easy giving your client the ability to have installation areas back in use the same day.

At the end of a project there is a lot of pressure to hand the building back in the given timeframe. By using an adhesive-free floor you can ensure that this pressure is reduced as the risk of errors and the likelihood of the finish being rushed are avoided.

"Altro Cantata enabled us to do the refurbishment over just a few nights, not impacting any of the hospital operations, where other traditional options meant the corridor would need to be closed for one to two weeks which would not be an option."

"Altro Cantata has delivered a massive saving in cost, and the corridor was back in full use the next morning.

It is standing up to the demands well with no signs of movement, bubbli or rippling, which proves it truly is a long-term solution and not just a temporary fix. Very impressive."

Fix snagging easily and keep budgets to a minimum

Snagging issues are made easier and you can keep a firm hand on your project budget by including Altro adhesive-free flooring in your tender process. This will ensure your customer’s maintenance snagging issues have been considered up front as an adhesive-free floor is a great problem-solver in that it facilitates easy fixing of any snagging issues and promotes ease of maintenance. Having a floor that can be uplifted easily ensures that snagging such as a broken pipe with water seeping, uneven substrate that wasn’t levelled properly or under floor heating that hasn’t been installed correctly can be quickly rectified.

Making adhesive-free flooring your first choice every time ensures both cost and time savings. Subfloors will stay clean from adhesive; meaning less damage to floors and walls during removal and maintenance is less problematic with ease of access to subfloor for repairs.

Adhered flooring uses adhesives, so to remove it requires re-screeding, increasing the risk of damage not just to the subfloor but adjoining walls too. An adhesive-free floor gives you no fuss repair and maintenance, with ease of access to the subfloor allowing you to readily identify and fix problems. In the case of an adhered floor, if you have a leaking pipe, for example, you could need to repair both subfloor and wall, the bonded floor would need to be re-screeded and possibly have a surface DPM re-instated; this would not be required with an adhesive-free installation.

Reduce disposal costs and waste to landfill

Our sustainable flooring helps you and your client eradicate disposal costs and keeps waste from landfill when you partner with Recofloor or use the discarded floor elsewhere. It also means funding incentives linked to sustainable buildings are more achievable.

Reduce installation timescales and increase project flexibility

Altro adhesive-free flooring can save you time and provide your project with flexibility over already tight deadlines. With reduced installation time and the ability to walk on the floor the same day, your client can have their busiest areas back to normal use faster. An adhesive-free flooring installation typically reduces installation time by up to 50% compared with an installation using adhesive. For example (depending on substrate condition): a 200m² corridor would be laid in two days compared with four days with an adhered floor covering, with an approximate 20% cost saving. This can also help if your project is running behind schedule and you need to beat the clock by saving on installation time.

Reduce disruption and win more tenders

Altro adhesive-free floors give you a hassle-free and quieter installation with the requirement to use and/or scrape glue, hire noisy de-humidifiers or air quality equipment removed. Without adhesive, associated odours are eliminated and underfloor heating can remain active allowing you to increase drying conditions throughout, without the added expense of temporary heaters; so that any fresh plaster on the walls will dry faster, reducing time and cost to the overall project. As underfloor heating can remain on, unlike with a ceramic tiles installation, you can save up to three weeks’ installation time, as you do not need to wait to reinstate the heating. Timing is also saved as the need to re-screed the floor is often eliminated, no liquid DPM is needed, the mixing of epoxies and adhesives has been removed and there is no need to wait for adhesive to cure. All these advantages mean that your project tenders are more likely to be won.

Keeping you and your accountant happy

All of these benefits ensure that your project will stay within projected timeframes and with the quality finishes your client expects, so you remove the risk of facing unwelcome penalties or unwanted additional costs. Switching from equal or similar approved (adhered or not adhered) specifications with our enhanced adhesive-free ranges gives your client the added benefits of comfort underfoot and sound reduction without having to invest in a separate acoustic underlay, keeping you, your architect, client and accountant happy.

Sound reduction and comfort underfoot to improve your client’s working environment

Altro adhesive-free floors offer up to 14dB sound reduction, which is great for noisy environments such as kindergartens and schools reducing both in-room sound and disruptive noise transfer as excited young children or thousands of older ones move around a building. Within a hospital or care environment reducing noise in a ward can aid patient recovery and enhance resident’s wellbeing. Coupled with up to 2.4mm thick options they are an ideal choice for areas that need to look good while helping to give comfort underfoot; much valued for carers, nurses and teachers, who spend many hours a day on their feet.

Tried and tested for your peace of mind

Our adhesive-free flooring is durable and can tolerate medium to heavy-duty traffic. Altro adhesive-free floors hold as effectively as Altro floors installed using adhesive: no rucks, no movement. In fact, our award-winning Altro XpressLay has been tested with a 900kg drilling rig with caterpillar tracks, so a patient on a trolley will be no problem at all!

Our sustainable and movement-free floors have been tried and tested in some of the world’s most demanding locations including the Australian Parliament, listed buildings, global four-yearly sporting events and the Asian Games. We continue to work closely with architects, end customers, engineers, designers and contractors around the world; our insight and expertise help them transform everyday spaces into environments that can improve the wellbeing of everyone that uses them.

Giving reassurance and expertise

With over 10 years’ experience of working with our adhesive-free floors and having invented our international, award-winning Altro XpressLay, we are confident in our products’ durability. But don’t just take our word for it. Our case studies are testament to customer satisfaction, and with a 15-year life expectancy and 10-year guarantee on all our adhesive-free products you needn’t fear that an adhesive-free product will let you down.

Help when you need it

Helping you get it right first time - With Altro technical support you can be assured of experienced help, wherever you are. The Technical Services team can offer you solutions and information on installation techniques helping you get the solution you need, as quickly as possible.

Sustainability and air quality

Altro floors have undergone rigorous external VOC testing. VOCs are volatile organic compounds that are released into the atmosphere by some substances and products. It is thought that exposure to VOCs can cause problems like sick building syndrome, diminished learning in schools, and reduced productivity in offices. VOCs are typically five times more concentrated indoors than outdoors. Our floors are compliant with national and international indoor air quality schemes including Swedish Building Product Declarations (BPD) and FloorScore, the indoor air quality scheme used with Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) in North America.

Adhesive-free safety flooring contributes to reducing the environmental impact of customer specifications - A+ BRE Generic Green Guide Rating for Safety Flooring, full details available at www.thegreenguide.org.uk


I'm an installer

What's in it for me?

Win more business

With Altro adhesive-free flooring you can improve your chances of winning contracts, increase repeat business and complete more jobs in the same time making your business more competitive.

Including Altro adhesive-free flooring in your tender process will make sure your installation costs are less, saving your client money.

Removing the wait for subfloors to dry, and with no DPM required, installation is quick and easy giving your client their installation areas back the same day – a big plus for them and a big selling point for you!

And with a competitively priced roll of flooring representing economic good value to both you and your customer, you can stay ahead of the competition.

Managing time and budgets easily

By planning to use an adhesive-free floor at the start of your project, you can keep it on track. It removes the pressure of unforeseen installation issues and gives you reassurance that snagging problems are kept to a minimum.

At the end of a project there is a lot of pressure to hand the building back in the given timeframe. By using an adhesive-free floor you can make sure that this pressure is reduced, as the risk of errors and the likelihood of the finish being rushed are avoided.

Our sustainable flooring also helps you and your client remove disposal costs and keep waste from landfill when you partner with Recofloor.

Fix snagging easily

An adhesive-free floor is a great problem-solver as it makes fixing snagging issues easy and also makes ongoing maintenance simpler. Subfloors will stay clean from adhesive; and easy access to the subfloors for maintenance or repairs means less damage to floors and walls in the process.

Including Altro adhesive-free flooring in your tender process will ensure your client knows that you have considered their maintenance and snagging issues up front to help reduce the lifecycle cost.

Saving your valuable time

With reduced installation time and being able to walk on the floor the same day, your client can have their busiest areas back to normal use faster. An adhesive-free flooring installation can reduce installation time by up to 50% compared with an installation using adhesive. For example (depending on substrate condition): a 200m² corridor would be laid in two days compared with four days with an adhered floor covering, with an approximate 20% cost saving. Time is saved on floor preparation as the need to re-screed the floor or use a liquid DPM, the mixing of epoxies and adhesives have been removed and you don’t need to wait for adhesive to cure before welding joints. By cutting installation time this gives you more availability to complete client jobs and saves you and your client time, money and hassle – making you more competitive in a demanding marketplace.

Hassle-free installation and maintenance

Altro adhesive-free flooring gives you a hassle-free and quieter installation; you won’t need to use and/or scrape glue, hire noisy de-humidifiers or air quality equipment. You can keep underfloor heating on, which you can’t do with ceramic tiles, where you need to leave three weeks from install before turning heating back on. As you have no smells from adhesive and you can keep underfloor heating on, you can improve and speed up drying conditions throughout without the added cost of hiring temporary heaters; this means any fresh plaster on the walls will dry faster reducing time and cost to the overall project. The hassle of needing to re-screed the floor is often removed. You will also not have to use a liquid DPM, mix epoxies and adhesives, or wait for adhesive to cure.

Using adhesive means subfloors and adjoining walls can be damaged when the flooring is removed and adhesive smells can be an issue in properties where people live such as care homes. An adhesive-free floor gives you no fuss repair and maintenance, with easy access to the subfloor allowing you to find and fix problems quickly. Think of the work that could be caused by a leaking pipe with an adhered floor for example: you could need to repair both the subfloor and wall, the bonded floor might need to be re-screeded and possibly a surface DPM reinstated too - you could avoid all this by installing an adhesive-free floor!

Sound reduction and comfort underfoot to improve your client’s workplace

Altro adhesive-free flooring offers up to 14dB sound reduction, which is great for noisy surroundings such as kindergartens and schools reducing in-room sound and noise transfer as excited young children or thousands of older ones move around a building. Within a hospital or care home reducing noise in a ward can help patient recovery and improve residents’ wellbeing. At 2.4mm thick it’s a great choice for areas that need to look good while helping to give comfort underfoot; much appreciated by carers, nurses and teachers, who spend many hours a day on their feet.

Built on heritage

Altro invented safety flooring over 60 years ago and we have been leading the way with innovation and quality ever since. Altro XpressLay was introduced in 2009 after 5 years of development and testing. We wanted to make sure that the product could deliver the quality and reliability associated with all Altro flooring. Before the product’s introduction many test areas, both on and off site on damp subfloors and on existing problem subfloors were installed and monitored to ensure that the product was fit for purpose. Since the launch over 2.2 million square metres of this award-winning product have been successfully installed helping to solve a variety of subfloor issues quickly and efficiently throughout the world. Altro Cantata was introduced in 2017 and now we are launching Altro Wood adhesive-free, bringing the range up-to-date with architects’ requests for wood-effect adhesive-free flooring.

Giving reassurance and expertise

With over 10 years’ experience of working with our adhesive-free flooring, we are confident in our products’ strength. But don’t just take our word for it. Our case studies are proof of our customers’ satisfaction, and with a 15-year life expectancy and 10-year guarantee, you needn’t fear that an adhesive-free product will let you down.

Helping you get it right first time

With Altro technical support you can be sure to receive experienced help, wherever you are. The Technical Services team can offer you clarification and information on installation techniques helping you get the solution you need, as quickly as possible.

Don't just take our word for it

“The product’s installation was really quick, it went in really quickly, we are not waiting for glues to cure before laying. We have not got harsh adhesives causing problems with people with breathing difficulties.”

Roo Williams, C&C Flooring

“We had a space which had an existing floor. The space had no ventilation, thus using a product which is adhesive-free was imperative. The product was down in four hours and the space was ready to be used immediately”.

Marty Nezval, Volunteer Manager, St Vincent De Paul - Matthew Talbot Hostel