What slip resistance standards apply to aged care flooring in Australia?

Australian aged care flooring must comply with AS 4586:2013 for slip resistance classification and AS 4663:2013 for in-situ pendulum testing. Floors are rated using P-ratings (wet pendulum) and R-ratings (ramp test). Most aged care areas require P3-P5 ratings. These standards must be maintained over time, not just at installation, but after months of cleaning and use.

Can aged care flooring be replaced without relocating residents?

In most cases, yes. Specialist aged care flooring contractors like Premrest stage installations around facility operations: after-hours and weekend work, wing-by-wing rollouts, advance subfloor preparation, and coordination with care teams. Where a zone does need to be cleared during works, it is planned with the care team in advance so any move is short and happens once. The facility stays operational throughout the project.

Aged Care Flooring Contractor | Carpet Installs & Vinyl

Why Aged Care Is Different

A floor that passes at handover isn't the same as a floor that keeps passing.

Aged care flooring is not a generic commercial floor with a healthcare colourway. Nursing homes and retirement villages need carpet tiles and vinyl specified to AS 4586, set out to dementia-friendly guidance, and installed while residents are still in the building.

Most flooring problems in aged care don't show up on installation day. They show up twelve months later: the vinyl that met its slip rating on day one fails a pendulum test after a year of alkaline mopping, or a resident with dementia stops at a dark threshold strip because it reads as a step down.

An aged care floor has several jobs to do at once. It has to hold its AS 4586 slip rating under a real cleaning regime, not just in the product data sheet. It has to support infection control with seamless, coved, cleanable surfaces. It has to follow dementia-friendly design guidance so residents can navigate confidently. And it has to stand up to wheelchairs, walkers and meal trolleys every day for a decade.

Getting that right means specifying against AS 4586:2013, AS 4663:2013, the NSQHS Standards and the Aged Care Quality Standards on every project — and handing over the test reports and certifications your accreditation audits will ask for.

It also means planning around the reality that residents live in the building while the work happens. We stage installations wing by wing, work after hours where it helps, and agree the sequence with your care team before anyone lifts a tile.

What We Do

Carpet tiles, vinyl, and the cleaning that keeps them performing

Carpet Tiles

Interface and Shaw Contract carpet tiles purpose-built for aged care environments. Noise dampening, dementia-friendly palettes, and tile-level replacement when one gets stained or worn. We supply and install both ranges.

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Healthcare vinyl flooring in a clinical environment, showing seamless slip-resistant safety vinyl for aged care wet areas

Vinyl Planks & Safety Vinyl

Luxury vinyl planks for bedrooms and corridors, seamless heat-welded safety vinyl for wet areas, dining rooms and clinical spaces where infection control is critical. Polyflor, Forbo, Armstrong, Karndean, and Tarkett healthcare ranges, all AS 4586 slip-rated. Supplied and installed.

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Encap Carpet Cleaning

Specialist low-moisture encapsulation carpet cleaning for aged care. Completely odourless, healthcare-safe chemistry. Carpets dry in 15–30 minutes, so corridors and bedrooms come back online inside the same shift. Recommended by Interface and Shaw Contract for the carpets we install.

Encap Carpet Cleaning →

Low-Moisture Encap Carpet Cleaning

Odourless carpet cleaning with a 15–30 minute dry time

Most aged care carpets that look exhausted aren't worn out — they're just badly cleaned. We use the encapsulation (encap) system: a polymer detergent worked into the carpet with a counter-rotating brush. The polymer locks soil into brittle crystals that vacuum out next service. Less moisture, no odour, no wet floors blocking corridors during medication rounds. Carpet only — we don't do hard floor stripping, polishing or strip-and-seals.

Dry In 15–30 Minutes

Total moisture applied is a fraction of hot water extraction. Corridors, bedrooms and lounges back open to residents the same shift. No "stay out of this hallway" notices for hours.

Completely Odourless

Healthcare-safe, fragrance-free polymer chemistry. Nothing for residents with dementia-related sensory sensitivity, COPD or just a sharper nose to react to.

Two Service Models

Train your existing general cleaner on the encap method and supply the chemistry; or have Premrest crews run the full programme. Either way, the first site walk is on us.

Recommended By The Carpet Makers

Interface and Shaw Contract recommend encap (and recommend Premrest) for their healthcare carpet ranges. Less moisture, less heat, longer carpet life.

Our six-step aged care flooring process

We Start With Your Problem

Not a product catalogue. Every aged care facility has different pressure points. Maybe it's a wet area that keeps failing slip tests, corridors that are too noisy, or a dementia wing that needs a full rethink. We work out what's actually going wrong before we recommend anything.

Compliance Is Built In

AS 4586 slip resistance, AS 4663 in-situ testing, NSQHS infection control requirements, Aged Care Quality Standards. We specify to all of them. You get the documentation, testing reports, and product certifications your accreditation audits need. No chasing up paperwork after the fact.

We Supply and Install

One contractor, one point of accountability. No finger-pointing between the company that sold you the vinyl and the crew that laid it. If something's not right, it's ours to fix.

Your Facility Keeps Running

We stage the work around your operations: after-hours installs, wing-by-wing rollouts, coordination with your nursing and facilities team. If a zone does need to be cleared during works, we plan it with your care team in advance so any move is short and happens once.

Slip Testing & Rectification

Floors change over time. Cleaning chemicals, foot traffic, and wear all affect slip resistance. We test existing floors to AS 4663:2013 and if they fail, we fix them: anti-slip treatments, surface refinishing, or replacement. Most companies only test. We test and solve.

Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane

Local teams in all three cities. Same standards, same approach, whether it's a retirement village in Frankston or a nursing home in Parramatta.

Aged Care Flooring Knowledge

Deep-dive guides for facility managers

These guides cover the questions facility managers ask us most often, in the detail the topic deserves.

Slip Resistance in Aged Care

AS 4586, pendulum testing, P-ratings, wet vs dry slip resistance. What it all means and why your floor needs to pass after six months of cleaning, not just on day one.

Read the Guide →

Dementia-Friendly Flooring

Why certain patterns cause falls. How colour contrast aids wayfinding. What HB 198:2014 actually recommends. Practical design principles that make a real difference.

Read the Guide →

Articles & Insights

Niche deep dives on everything from cleaning chemical compatibility to lifecycle costing for carpet tiles vs vinyl in high-traffic aged care corridors.

Browse Articles →

Standards & Compliance

The standards we specify against

Five frameworks shape aged care flooring in Australia. We specify against all of them on every project, and hand over the documentation with the job.

AS 4586:2013

Slip resistance classification for pedestrian surfaces. The standard that determines whether your floor is compliant. We specify products with verified P-ratings for every area type.

AS 4663:2013

In-situ slip testing using the wet pendulum method. We test installed floors to confirm they actually perform, not just what the product data sheet says, but what your floor does in the real world.

HB 198:2014

The guide to slip resistance that covers wayfinding, contrast, and design for vulnerable populations. Essential reading for dementia-friendly environments.

NSQHS Standards

National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards require infection control through seamless, cleanable surfaces. This drives our vinyl specification approach.

Aged Care Quality Standards

The standards that govern safety, quality of life, and care outcomes in aged care. Appropriate flooring directly supports physical safety and cognitive comfort.

Full Documentation

Testing reports, material certifications, product data sheets. Everything your accreditation audit needs, provided upfront. More on slip resistance →

Common Questions

Questions facility managers ask us

Who supplies and installs aged care flooring in Australia?

Premrest is a specialist aged care flooring contractor. We supply and install carpet tiles (Interface, Shaw Contract) and vinyl (Polyflor, Forbo, Armstrong, Karndean, Tarkett) in nursing homes and retirement villages across Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and regional Australia. Work is specified to AS 4586, staged around live operations, and quoted from a free site assessment.

Do you do aged care carpet installs?

Yes. Aged care carpet installs are a core part of our aged care flooring work: Interface and Shaw Contract carpet tiles in bedrooms, corridors and common areas, including tile-level replacement when a single tile is stained or worn, staged around live operations so the facility stays open. We also install vinyl in wet areas, dining rooms and clinical spaces. Both are specified to AS 4586. Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane.

How do I get a quote for supply and install of carpet tiles or vinyl planks?

Use the form below. We start with a free site assessment — measuring the areas, checking subfloor condition, and confirming slip ratings and dementia-design requirements for each space. You get an itemised supply-and-install quote covering product, prep, staged installation and the compliance documentation your audits need.

Do you supply and install vinyl planks as well as sheet vinyl?

Yes. Luxury vinyl planks (Karndean, Armstrong, Tarkett) for bedrooms, lounges and corridors where a warm timber look matters; heat-welded sheet safety vinyl for bathrooms, kitchens and clinical areas where infection control requires a seamless, coved finish. Both specified to AS 4586.

What flooring is best for aged care facilities?

It depends on the area. Carpet tiles (Interface, Shaw Contract) work best in bedrooms, corridors and common areas — quiet, dementia-friendly, and replaceable tile by tile. Vinyl is ideal for wet areas, dining rooms and clinical spaces where infection control and slip resistance are critical.

What slip resistance standards apply in Australia?

AS 4586:2013 for slip resistance classification and AS 4663:2013 for in-situ pendulum testing. Most aged care areas require P3–P5 ratings — and they must hold up after months of cleaning and use, not just at handover. We test and rectify, not just install.

Can flooring be replaced without relocating residents?

In most cases, yes. We stage installations around your operations: after-hours and weekend work, wing-by-wing rollouts, advance subfloor preparation, and coordination with your care team. Where a zone does need to be cleared during works, we plan it together in advance so any move is short and happens once. The facility stays operational throughout.

What is dementia-friendly flooring?

Flooring that follows HB 198:2014 and dementia care research: calm matte colours with appropriate contrast for wayfinding, no bold patterns or dark strips that read as holes or obstacles, and consistent tones that reduce anxiety. Read our dementia design guide →

Talk to a Specialist

Tell us what's going on with your floor

New build, replacement project, or a floor that's failing slip tests — describe the situation and we'll come back with practical options, starting with a free site assessment.

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Call 1300 207 915 or use the form. We reply within one business day.

Service Areas

Melbourne · Sydney · Brisbane

We're Premrest, a specialist commercial flooring, cleaning, and restoration contractor that focuses on environments where the floor actually matters. Aged care is one of those environments.

Aged Care Flooring: Carpet Installs and Vinyl