A Safer, More Durable Landing Pad Solution

Here at Life Floor, every project we do that prevents even one guest’s injury or saves operational staff from a single headache is considered a success for our team. We know that even the smallest area can be a significant pain point for facilities and lead to numerous injury reports. Our mission has always been to reduce slip and falls, concussions, road rash, and all other injuries related to falls for the benefit of visitors and facility staff alike. That’s why we’ve improved our landing pads for water slides and are excited to announce a relaunch that makes ordering and installation easier than ever, with a product more budget-friendly, durable, and safer for everyone.

Traditional slide landing pads are made with an impervious shell that has a consistent flaw in design; the cushioning and the waterproofing are viewed as separate elements. After repeated impact as guests exit a slide, the protective shell often fails leaving the padding exposed to water. From there, traditional landing pads can grow mold, the sharp edges of the failed protective shell can cause injuries, and pieces of foam can leak into the pool during peak busy season. These traditional landing pads are also typically bolted down to the pool bottom, which can result in tripping hazards, injuries from cuts caused by the metal, or sprained toes during slide exits.

With Life Floor, our product’s inherent non-absorbent and impact cushioning qualities are built into our landing pads: no coatings, protective shells, or bolts required. Instead of bolts, Life Floor landing pads are adhered to the pool bottom with construction-grade, solvent-based contact cement, which can be found at a local hardware or flooring supply store.

We decided to simplify our landing pads that we’ve offered in the past by eliminating the need for transition strips at the edges. Instead, the outside edge of each landing pad is beveled to account for the transition needed for a safer exit. This new feature further increases overall durability and the ease of install for our landing pads.

Each Life Floor landing pad has a 4 ft (121.92 cm) critical fall height, 5-year material warranty, and non-abrasive slip-resistance for a safer exit every time. Our landing pads are created out of modular 2 ft (60.96 cm) square tiles so they can be customized to fit anywhere operators need to install them. In the event that any damage ever occurs, our modular design allows for only the compromised tiles to be replaced, which helps save on overall cost.

Our goal is to provide aquatic spaces with the most straightforward landing pad solutions possible. Regular wear or damage to landing pads and numerous injury reports shouldn’t be a burden on your facility—we’re here to simplify the process with a product committed to safety. 

Ease of Ordering to Reduce Downtime for your Facility

In an effort to reduce your facility downtime and minimize product lead times, we have created an online storefront that allows you to order the most common sizes of landing pads directly. Standard size offerings include 4’x4’, 4’x6’, 4’x8’, 6’x6’, and 6’x8’.* Lead times for these standard sizes are approximately 5-7 days once your order is received.

Looking for something outside the box? Our customized landing pads aren’t disappearing - if you need a custom landing pad, please contact us directly through our Request a Quote form and we will work with you to fulfill your request. 

In a further effort to save your facility time and cost, we have created Installation Manuals for our landing pads, which include instructions on installing your landing pad in-house and a guide to select the right adhesive. Adhesives we recommend can typically be found at your local hardware store or flooring store. 

* Metric dimensions of standard landing pads are 121.92 x 121.92 cm, 121.92 x 182.88 cm, 121.92 x 243.84 cm, 182.88 x 182.88 cm, and 182.88 x 243.84 cm.

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We look forward to working with you to find the right solution for your facility that provides greater safety and comfort for your guests.

The Adventures of Detective Lyle F. Floor: The Last Fall

It’s been a strange spring so far, with most of our favorite outdoor activities put on hold, cancelled, or otherwise changed to create safer spaces for the world at large. So it only makes sense as we spend time in the Great Indoors that we at Life Floor decided it was time to work on our Great American Injury Mystery Novel (an injury mystery is like a murder mystery except far less grim).

We’re flooring experts, not novelists, but we think we may have something here...

Our Cast of Criminals:

The Slippery Sir Amic, tiling on problems and never quite knowing what people are going on a-grout.

The Poor Ian Place, always falling apart at the last minute, a softer touch than most to be sure, but can’t handle the heat.

The abrasive con, Crete, has fallen on hard times. She’s a slippery character and tends to let her experiences stain her perspective, and it always seems like she’s everywhere.

Excerpts From Our Upcoming Mystery Novel

Something always happens after days like these. Folks go out into this whole soaked world and think that they can get away with anything. It’s all fun and games until someone, somewhere, slips up and takes the fall. 

That’s where a guy like me comes in. See, I’m a Private Investigator getting to the bottom of this city’s grittiest crimes and slipperiest criminals. Folks call me when they want somebody in their corner to help them get a grip in this crazy mixed up town. What can I say? I’m a softy, especially when somebody’s been dealt a tough break. 

After somebody gets hurt, folks like to call me and see if I can get to the bottom of it. I’ve done work all over this city, everything from the top of the tallest stair tower all the way to the full bottom of the slide. It’s dirty work, but a guy like me? I don’t let it get to me. When the world tries to grind me into the pavement, I always get right back up. 

Another day, another injury. Time to get to work.

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The first door I knocked on was one of the folks who seemed to be everywhere in this city. Crete was a con-woman to be sure, abrasive at her best, and able to slide right out from under anyone’s watchful gaze. But she’s been a good source to me before, so I swung by one of her old haunts. 

These days I was starting to see some cracks in her slick armor. She’d fallen on hard times before and again, and she had a habit of letting one or two bad spills stain her for good. Didn’t help she was hanging out with a new crowd. Some team over from across the pond, a lowlife calling himself Sir Amic, if you’d believe it. Seems like he never knew what people were going on a-grout, and boy he made a picture. 

”Look what square the cat dragged in, if we don’t have Lyle F. Floor. What sort of angle are you working at today?” She said, straight to the point like gravel in your shoe. So I did her the same favor and pulled a picture out of my pocket of the crime scene. “Do you know anything about this? Kid took a dive at the aquatic center over at 4th and 9th. Fell for the water in all the wrong ways if you catch my drift.”

She took a look at the photo with her grey eyes - a con like Crete had seen all kinds of things in her day. Bumps, bruises, abrasions like she was fixing to give sandpaper a run for its money. Sure enough she didn’t bat an eye and played hard ball, “Looks like an everyday accident, Detective. I would let this one slip you by, you wouldn’t want your agency to hit a rough patch.”

Now, I’m not the kind of guy who takes a dive for anybody, and anybody who knows me can say I stick to something like glue when I get a lead on it. I took a look at the photo and saw some telltale signs of rubber pellets around the corners. An unintentional calling card from another old rogue. Chances are if he’s leaving a mess, he’s down on his luck again. Looks like poor Ian Place is probably up to his old tricks again and falling apart on the job. I’d have to take a turn around the city and see where he’d gotten caught up this time. He wasn’t that bad of a guy in the right situations, but when he got in over his head you’d see the breakdown for years.

“I’ll be seeing you around, Crete.” I said. 

“Oh, I’m set on that.” She said, closing the door, “I’m everywhere.”

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This was fun, but we should probably just stick to making safety surfaces for aquatic facilities… Happy April Fool’s Day!

Anaheim Courtyard by Marriott: Families Focused on Fun

“Before, it used to be concrete so there wasn’t a day that we wouldn’t get an injury. So when we’d get injuries we’d give our injury reports every day even if it’s a band-aid or something like that… ever since we had Life Floor we haven’t had one.”

— Ari Padila Waterpark Supervisor

Excited vacationers looking to experience the best of Southern California look to the Anaheim Courtyard by Marriott whether it’s an annual seasonal visit, or a once-in-a-lifetime trip. 

In addition to spacious accommodations and wonderful staff, the hotel is proud to offer guests their Surfside Waterpark, a 20,000 sq ft waterpark for families to bond and kids to play off a day of excited energy. They first approached Life Floor in 2017 for their kiddie pool and stairs, and after two years of reduced injuries, they came back with ideas to expand the surfacing. 

This 4,300 sq ft concrete splash park that sat underneath a WhiteWater West multi-level play structure had been a significant pain point and continued to stain and deteriorate. The splash park’s concrete surfacing got extremely hot in the Southern California sun and the kids would be so excited to play and get off the slides that they would slip and fall on the abrasive surface.

The WhiteWater design team wanted to create a surface that combined safety, comfort, and play elements, like hopscotch, surfboards, a Twister-like game, and inlaid sea creatures, in order to enhance the guest experience with both passive and active play value.

Going from daily injuries to injury-free days was a huge relief for the Courtyard by Marriott staff, and the guests immediately enjoyed the more comfortable flooring. While we were filming the splash pad, one guest remarked, “The colors are really vibrant. It’s not slippery at all. We’ve actually been to this hotel before, so it’s nice to see sort of the new, updated look and feel. And the kids really enjoyed it and had a lot of fun, and no one fell and everyone seemed to have a blast.”

The difference between concrete and Life Floor is more than just a reduction of injuries. The way families and kids played completely changed with the new surface. Parents started sitting down on the splash park with their kids, and toddlers flocked to this open and free play area without worry about bumps, bruises, or hot concrete.  

“The kids love it. The kids play differently out here with Life Floor. It’s a really funny thing - parents are out here sitting down with their kids. It’s hard to explain, but they play differently and they have more fun and it looks beautiful.”

— Brian Schinski, Operations Manager

A Message from Life Floor During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Dear valued customers, partners, and suppliers,

During this difficult and unprecedented time, I wanted to reach out and update you on how Life Floor is responding to COVID-19. While the coronavirus pandemic has swept the globe with fear and uncertainty, I want to share a message of encouragement and hope. This situation has brought rapid change to our communities, businesses, families and way of life. As our team at Life Floor follows the CDC guidelines of social distancing and working remotely, we have started settling into a new pace of work, play, and rest. Collectively, we are practicing gratitude and meeting with empathy and compassion the needs of those in our community that can benefit from our abundance. We continue to be encouraged by the acts of kindness and empathy around us, as the world unites to overcome this tragic pandemic.

As a company founded on the mission of safety, we are taking every measure to ensure the health and wellbeing of our team, customers, and vendors. Our team remains fully operationally, working remotely as of March 12th. We have also paused all non-essential travel at this time. Our factories in South Dakota and China are both operating with the ability to produce orders already in process and to fulfill new orders for the spring and summer season. In the US, our partners at Inside Edge continue to deliver outstanding installation service where it is safe to do so and stand ready to help with planning installations for the spring and summer season. We and our partners will continue to adhere to local and federal government mandates and monitor all recommendations released by the CDC. 

As always, our team is here to help you as you navigate your current surfacing projects and future surfacing needs whenever they may be. We look forward to continuing to serve you and provide you with industry-leading safety and design solutions.

From everyone at Life Floor, wishing you health and peace-

Jonathan Keller,
CEO, Life Floor

Shaping Up Design at Grapevine: Our Answer to a Burning Question

The City of Grapevine, Texas is home to an aquatics program carefully curated to engage the community throughout the hot summer season. Between the waterpark, indoor recreation center, outdoor family pool, and splash pads, the award-winning facilities keep 54,000 citizens cool and active. The city’s morning and evening swim lessons, lap pool, and obstacle course are especially well known and loved by community members. However, with the Texas sun heating up the concrete deck to dangerous temperatures, the city knew it had to resurface the entryway.  

“In our entryway, we had no shade protection, so by 4 pm that concrete was 130-140 degrees at least.”

— Hunter Hardeman, Aquatic Supervisor of the Pleasant Glade Pool

Grapevine chose Life Floor because of the tile’s unique ability to dissipate heat underfoot. Unlike concrete, Life Floor tiles do not absorb heat, which is why the tiles feel comfortable to walk on in the summer sun.

Choosing a modern design in rectangles, the entryway now simulates a river flowing into the pool entrance, without the added cost of cutting curves into the tiles. With this affordable design solution, the floor is now a feature instead of a hot problem.

“We have really enjoyed Life Floor. It has definitely made our deck that used to be so hot much better to walk on. It’s great.”

— Hardeman

Parr Park Sprayground has experienced similar heat issues on its concrete splash pad. Using Cool Deck, the City of Grapevine tried to mitigate the hot surface, which ultimately lead to a slippery surface. The city approached Life Floor to solve the slippery, hot surfacing problems in combination with creating a completely new and unique design. It was the perfect timing. The Life Floor Studio had just finalized our newest Hexagon shape. 

“We’ve been really excited about adding hexagon tiles to our product line-up because they offer a completely different visual effect than what we’ve been getting from our square, rectangle, and triangle patterns. The hexagon can be seen as more modern or even more visually interesting to a lot of people. It also interlocks in a more radial way than our other shapes have. When arranged with enough variety of color, hexagons can create a really interesting mottled effect across a surface. For this reason, we think this shape has the potential to really enhance municipal splash pads without adding additional cost for custom-cut designs. Parr Park had a pre-existing splash pad with a swooping shape so I thought it would be fun to create a design that followed those curves. I really liked that the mix of cool tones could create a vibrant, futuristic feel that departs from so many of our other designs that often have nature-based or beach themes.”

— Kelsi Goss, Studio Director for Life Floor

A big thank you to the City of Grapevine for being our Hexagon pioneer! 

Installation by Preferred Installation Partner, Inside Edge.

NSF/ANSI 50 Passes Surfacing Standard for Interactive Waterplay Areas

This summer, after years of research, testing and careful evaluation, the Standard for Safety Surfacing in Interactive Water Play Areas has been added to NSF-50. And Life Floor is proud to be the first aquatic safety surface in the world certified to this standard. 

Looking Back Through History: Playground Safety Surfacing 

On October 17th, 1903 the first permanent municipal-built playground, Seward Park, was opened to a crowd of 20,000 children [x]). The adoption of these public play spaces was rapid. By 1907 there were 90 municipalities with playgrounds. In just three years that number grew to 531.[x] 

With this rapid growth of playgrounds, so too did the injury reports, emergency room visits, and critical head injuries. Parents and experts across the country recognized the growing injury trend, and worked to eliminate the largest and most prevalent hazards. 

In 1981, the Consumer Product Safety Commission published the Handbook for Public Playground Safety and parks were retrofitted to eliminate hard surfaces and high falls.

Splash Pads = Playgrounds + Water

Splash pads, like playgrounds, also have had a monumental and rapid adoption across the world. Splash pads were developed in response to providing kids with a play area to cool off without the drowning risk of pools or the sanitation problems associated with public fountains. In the rush to meet the demand, the role of finding safety solutions has been left to each individual operator, with mixed and inconsistent results. Every year, splash pads all over North America have closed to replace or retrofit their surfacing due to complaints, injuries and maintenance.  

Operators have especially struggled with surfacing options due to the playful and interactive nature of splash pads. Kids interact with each other by jumping and running from spray feature to spray feature without the protection of clothing or shoes. The combination of bare feet and concrete has left users with burned feet, bumps, bruises, broken bones and head injuries.  

To try to solve these issues, operators have been using playground safety surfaces like poured-in-place rubber. These surfaces, while great for dry applications, are simply not developed to interact with treated water. When the adhesive inevitably breaks down, particles clog filtration systems, patchy floors create tripping hazards and microbes grow inside trapped water.

For a lack of a functional surfacing system, many cities have resorted to hiring splash pad attendants to remind kids not to run. 

Unfortunately, these individual stop-gaps have not solved the world-wide problem facing splash pad operators. According to the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System database, in 2014 alone, there were an estimated 20,000 injuries on pool decks, splash pads and water parks resulting in an emergency room visit.  

The safety revolution that transformed dry playgrounds is long overdue for splash pads. With the new NSF/ANSI 50 standard in place, operators will be able to reduce injuries and keep splash pads open, providing fun for their communities all summer long. 

After nearly a decade of designing, testing, and building aquatic surfaces, we have been proud to contribute to the process of creating these new safety requirements. The surface is an indispensable part of the play value, and overall experience of the splash pad. And that’s why we’re committed to designing the safest, most beautiful splash pad surfaces using only products engineered exclusively for aquatic play. We believe the best surface allows kids to play just as they should. Together, we’re creating a safer future for aquatic recreation, for our families, and for our communities.

Our tiles meet six unique performance based standards to meet certification: slip-resistance, impact attenuation, chemical resistance, UV resistance, cleanability, and impermeability. To learn more about our tile’s performance results, visit our NSF/ANSI 50 page.