Slip test the new floor before handover
Practical completion, occupancy or handover is a poor moment to discover the foyer does not meet the specified P rating. Sliptest pendulum-tests the installed floor to AS 4663:2013 and issues a written slip test report you can put in the pack.
Why a new floor still needs an on-site test
A tile’s catalogue classification is a product result under AS 4586:2013. Grout height, sealer, site dust, a polish the layer left behind and the first clean after laying all change what a shoe feels. The only rating that describes the floor the client is about to accept is a test of that floor, on that slab, as it sits.
Builders book this visit when a superintendent asks for a slip resistance certificate, when a certifier wants evidence against the specified P class, or when a tenant will not take occupation without a current slip test report. The instrument is the same wet pendulum used on floors that have been in service for years. The difference is timing: you want the reading before the defects walk, not after the keys go across.
The slip test report, and what people call a certificate
People ask for a slip test certificate, a slip resistance certificate or a slip test report. What Sliptest issues is a written report: a photograph and notes per location, the readings, the P or D class, the HB 198:2014 comparison for that location type, and the method and instrument details. That is the document principals, certifiers, clients and insurers file. We do not issue a separate legal certificate, and the report does not make legal findings. See what the report contains.
- On-site pendulum test of the new floor to AS 4663:2013
- P class or D class for every listed location
- Comparison with the HB 198:2014 location target
- PDF report by email after the results are reviewed
- Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane; Perth and WA by arrangement
Still pricing the job?
If the slip test is still a prelims item, start with slip testing for tenders so the line covers areas, methods, the report and a retest allowance.
Pendulum test a new floor
The wet pendulum is the usual tool on a newly laid hard floor that can get wet in service: entries, wet rooms, kitchens, ramps, stairs and external paths. We wet a small patch, take the swings and report a mean British Pendulum Number and a P class. Areas that stay dry can be tested with the dry floor friction method and reported as D0 or D1. How the pendulum works is on the wet pendulum page.
The visit only needs the test spot clear, about a square metre, while the instrument is in use. Book it after the floor is finished and cleaned, and early enough that a shortfall can be dealt with before you need the pack. Call 1300 207 915 or request a quote. We confirm a time within one business day of a booking request. Most metropolitan visits are scheduled within a couple of weeks, sooner where the matter is urgent.
When this visit is booked
- Before practical completion or a defects walk
- Before occupancy or a tenant taking the keys
- When a certifier asks for a current slip test report
- At developer handover of common property to a body corporate. See the strata guide.
If the new floor fails
A shortfall against the specified class is not a verdict on the whole contract. The report states the gap for that location and a recommended next step. The usual paths are a proper clean and a retest, an anti-slip treatment of tile or stone, a coating on vinyl, resin or painted surfaces, or, less often, replacement because the specified finish was wrong for the location.
Premrest can quote rectification from the report. You can take the same recommendation to another contractor. Sliptest retests after the work so the file shows a dated before and after. None of that is a promise that a given floor will reach a class. Some surfaces will not hold the target, and the honest answer is to say so. Options are set out on rectification by Premrest.
We measure the floor as it is on the day. Treatment and coating are quoted from that measurement. A retest records whatever class the surface then achieves. If you are still at tender stage, allow a retest in the prelims rather than assuming the first visit closes the item.
Handover, report and certificate questions
Do you issue a slip test certificate?
Sliptest issues a written slip test report. That is the document most handover packs mean when they ask for a slip test certificate or a slip resistance certificate. It records the method, readings, P or D class and the comparison with HB 198:2014 for each location. It does not make legal findings.
Can you pendulum test a newly laid floor?
Yes. A new installed floor is tested on site to AS 4663:2013 with the wet pendulum where the surface can get wet in service, and with dry floor friction where it stays dry. Sliptest does not classify uninstalled product in a laboratory.
What happens if the floor fails before handover?
The report states the gap and a recommended next step: a clean and retest, an anti-slip treatment or coating, or, less often, replacement. Premrest can quote the work from the report, or you can take the recommendation to another contractor. Sliptest retests after the work. No outcome is promised.
When should we book the test relative to practical completion?
After the floor is finished and cleaned, and early enough that a shortfall can be dealt with before you need the handover pack. Call 1300 207 915 or request a quote. We confirm a time within one business day of a booking request.
Get the new floor tested before the pack is due
Call 1300 207 915, or price a single metropolitan site online once you know the areas.