Materials to promote hygiene

• The Altro total hygienic system overview
• The Altro system compared with carpet tiles / carpets
• The Altro system compared with painted walls
• The Altro system compared with tiles
• Materials to promote hygiene

We specialise in hygienic, seamless and easy-to-clean / disinfect solutions, which are designed to work together as an integrated system comprising flooring, wall cladding and doorsets.

Walls

Altro walls are CE marked, 2.5mm in thickness and 100% watertight and impervious.

Altro Whiterock is Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) approved and is made from a high-quality, virgin-grade, food-safe PVCu polymer that can handle temperatures up to 60°C. It meets all current European Union (EU) Directives on health and hygiene. This makes it particularly suitable for use in commercial kitchens and areas of critical hygiene.

The Altro walls system is designed to be fully bonded to the substrate to ensure you always get the best hygienic, robust, long-term solution. Inferior systems may use gunned or ‘dot and dab’ adhesive. This practice can leave a gap which traps bacteria between the sheet and the wall, undermining hygiene performance and also giving bugs somewhere to hide! Be aware that when temperatures change, the wall sheet can expand and contract. If sheets are applied using gunned or dot and dab adhesive the sheet can show surface rippling or even de-bond.

Our walls are designed to be thermoformed for optimum hygiene.
Top tip - This benefits you most at your vulnerable touch points: around window reveals, wall-mounted equipment, doorframes / doors.

Top tip - a specific hygienic alternative you may never have considered…
Hospital corridors - Designing a more hygienic alternative to bump rails
Beds, wheelchairs and trolleys can bump into walls, damaging painted surfaces. You may currently have bump rails installed. These present hygiene challenges of their own: with more edges, ridges, nooks and crannies they are harder to clean and maintain.
A more hygienic solution is to install an Altro Fortis wall cladding sheet, horizontally, across that part of the wall which receives the most knocks, enabling you to protect the whole wall with a floor to ceiling installation.

• Altro Fortis Titanium - dense, impervious wall protection. Resistant to bumps. Lightly textured yet easily cleanable surface, camouflages scuffs, keeping the wall area looking better for longer. Available in a choice of colours to blend in with existing decor

Top tip - For a quick fix, in areas such as education, restaurants, hotels, care homes and offices, you can overclad tiles with our hygienic wall cladding sheets; they are fully bonded for no gaps and voids, providing optimum hygiene. As the sheets are fully bonded, they provide impact resistance, which is of particular value in areas which may include hoists to help with bathing or other equipment.

• Altro Whiterock Digiclad - print your own serene image as a feature wall to enhance wellbeing or use to communicate instructions. Available with hard coat protection
• Altro Whiterock wall designs – Altro Whiterock wall designs –natural wood, metal, stone and linen designs on an Altro Whiterock hygienic wall sheet, creating a biophilic focal point, without compromising on durability. Now weldable for complete hygienic solution
• Altro Whiterock Satins – vast choice of shades in satin finish to choose from, ideal product to complement Altro Whiterock wall designs
• Altro Fortis – wall protection with a textured finish, in shades to complement Altro Whiterock Satins

Floors

Vinyl is naturally hygienic. Vinyl is inert and does not encourage the growth of bacteria in the way some natural materials do. It is used as a standard for the medical industry because of its inherent hygienic properties; 25% of all medical products containing plastic are made with vinyl.

Used in our floors, vinyl is highly durable, non-porous, non-shedding and has very high impact resistance; preventing the cracks and chipping that can trap bacteria.

Top tip - a specific hygienic alternative you may never have considered… As hand sanitisers are being installed across buildings in their thousands, there’s one thing to remember: they are not kind on carpets. They are problem-free with our flooring: hand sanitiser can be left on our flooring and not cause erosion. Vinyl is resistant to alcohol as well as 1,213 chemicals. The same is not true of carpet tiles or even linoleum. Select a slip-resistant vinyl to go under hand sanitiser stations for optimum safety.

We offer vinyl floor solutions for your whole building. Here are just a few highlights…

• Altro Wood adhesive-free – biophilic designs, ideal in areas where people spend several hours working, living or learning, 14dB impact sound reduction and comfort underfoot, adhesive-free installation for minimum downtime and cost savings. Slip-resistant floor
• Altro Cantata – refreshed range. 14dB impact sound reduction, adhesive-free installation for minimum downtime and cost savings. Smooth floor
• Altro Stronghold 30 – safety and comfort underfoot in kitchens
• Altro Aquarius and Altro Pisces– keep all users safe in wet environments in bare feet and in shoes
• Altro Orchestra with 15dB – designer options, perfect where you need to make a great first impression in reception areas and public spaces