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Rubber flooring or mat for bathroom

1569 Views 8 Replies 6 Participants Last post by  CharmainPhilips
Hi;
I need a rubber floor mat or tiles for the bathroom to prevent slipping when getting out of the tub. The current floor is ceramic tile, which is very slippery in bare feet when wet. I am looking for a rubber mat that would cover the floor next to the tub, but concerned that this mat itself might slip on the ceramic tile.
If necessary, I will install rubber floor tiles over the ceramic, or even remove the ceramic floor if that is what must be done.

Something similar to the bathtub mat with its suction cup grip could work, but this one needs to be much larger.

any thoughts

Thanks

FW
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If the tile is that slippery then what about just replacing it? Yeah, it's a messy job but if the tile is "that bad" then it's probably better to just get rid of it and replace it with something less problematic.

Otherwise most stores with a housewares department are going to have rubber-backed mats suitable for bathrooms. Get one of those first, it'd certainly be a lot cheaper than a tile job. But then again, a tile job is probably a lot cheaper than a busted hip from falling down...
Watched the YouTube video for Johnny Grip. It looks too good to be true, but the demo in the video looked authentic enough.
Anyone know how long the Johnny Grip will last before it needs to be re-applied?

Thanks

FW
If the tile is that slippery then what about just replacing it? Yeah, it's a messy job but if the tile is "that bad" then it's probably better to just get rid of it and replace it with something less problematic.

Otherwise most stores with a housewares department are going to have rubber-backed mats suitable for bathrooms. Get one of those first, it'd certainly be a lot cheaper than a tile job. But then again, a tile job is probably a lot cheaper than a busted hip from falling down...
I don't know if the floor is so slippery, or that the mat outside the tub slips when it is stepped on. The mat that was on the floor when my dad slipped is just a heavy towel. I'm thinking of trying a rubber bathtub mat on the floor. I have one that I can test. Only issue with that is it might not be large enough to be effective.

FW

Edit: tested the rubber bathtub mat, and found it to be unacceptable. It seems to hold at first, but slips right out from under when the foot applies pressure at an angle other than straight down. I'm afraid that any rubber mat is going to slip if "pushed" on while getting out of the tub.
I am going to install another grab-bar in addition to whatever I do with the floor. There is one grab-bar on the side wall of the tub, but I think another properly positioned will help.
Right, bath tub mats are designed for use INSIDE the tub, where you're not going to have much other than vertical pressure on them. I've never liked them for the mold that grows under them. Better to use some non-skid stickers than those.

But now that you mention it's your Dad doing the slipping, and that he used a towel, you have a bigger problem. And that's going to be getting him to STOP using a towel for the purpose. Don't overlook the hassle of repeated behavior. As the saying goes regarding old dogs and new tricks.

Yes, a better positioned grab bar would certainly help, just make sure you anchor it properly. The injuries might be even worse if a bar mounting failed just as it was really being put to use.

Aging in place is a whole area of specialty. Perhaps you might find some good resources searching on that?
I would suggest you try a rubber backed bath rug, not a bath tub mat that is used inside the tub. Two different animals.
It will look like a small piece of shag carpet, and will have rubber backing. Look for them at Wal-mart or where ever you shop for towels.
They are relatively inexpensive (a lot less expensive than tearing up your floor), and may just may meet your needs. They will slip a heck of a lot less than the non-backed mat you are currently using (I've used both).

However, they don't last forever. I throw mine in the washing machine and replace it when necessary. It's easy to tell when its time.

Edited to add: This one says latex backed. Same thing.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Mainstays-Basic-Nylon-Bath-Rug/21105528
How about some of those adhesive things that go in the bathtub?
Maybe a rubber mat is not the solution to your problem maybe it will require a change of tiles which is not slippery...
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