Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

Latham head office or local representation will be pleased to assist you with product selection, we also offer on our website our dynamic Product-Selection-Assistant which will guide you through the selection process.

Latham have a network of agent’s locally in Australia and internationally. For further details use the contact us page on our website.

Latham strives to use the best transport partners available, but sometimes things go wrong. Latham do offer transport insurance at a fee.

Lathams' offer credit accounts to pre-approved customers. New and non-account customers can make payment prior to manufacture, via electronic funds transfer, cheque, or credit car (processing fee may apply).

Latham conditions of sale are as provided in the linked Conditions of Sale PDF. These conditions of sale are Latham Australia Pty Ltd’s terms and conditions of sale. Latham’s regional and international agents will have their own conditions of sale and these should discussed with the relevant local distributor.

The standard manufactures warranty offered by Latham is detailed in our Standard Warranty Policy.

Latham head office or local representation will be pleased to assist you with product selection, we also offer on our website our dynamic Product-Selection-Assistant which will guide you through the selection process.

Yes, all Latham Supagrit™ and Suregrip™ Silicon Carbide Mineral Inserts have undergone fire testing in accordance with Australian Standard ASO 9239, Reaction to Fire Test for Flooring, Part 1: Determination of the burning behaviour using a radiant heat source, 2003. Further details can be found in our Standard Compliance Data for Stair Treads PDF.

Latham recommends the use of screws even when the treads are being adhesive fixed. Firstly the screws ensure that there is positive force between the extrusion, the adhesive and the surface while the glue is curing. Also the use of screws will mean that there will be warning if the nosings are coming lose rather than the tread underfoot which may be the case with adhesive alone.See Asbra Safety Stair Treads Nosings How To Install Fact Sheet.

Yes they can be used in all areas, internally and externally, including marine applications, ships and ferries, swimming pools and waterparks. Latham do offer our aluminium profiles will a nonstandard special clear anodised finish if required at additional charge.

Latham offer a choice of 13 colours in our Supagrit™ and Suregrip™ Silicon Carbide Mineral Insert range. We are not able to differ from these, although batch colours may vary slightly. For further details see our colour range information page.

Latham offer all of our Asbrabronz™ and Asbraloy™ Safety Stair Tread Nosings and inserts cut to site required lengths and with holes screws and plugs if required. This means the treads arrive at site ready for installation.

Latham’s publish luminance information for all of our tread and insert colours, in relation the requirement of AS-1428. However to obtain an exact contrast figure, a luminance figure needs to be obtained fromboth the nosings and the surrounding floor finishl under post instal site conditions. Further details are available in our Standard Compliance Data for Stair Treads PDF.

Latham recommends both screw and glue fixing for ensuring a secure fix and also with a view to prevent rattling, providing the tread is being installed on a hard floored surface. Obviously if the treads are being installed over the top of carpet or similar adhesive cannot be used.See Latham Tread Installation details for further information. See Asbra Safety Stair Treads Nosings How To Install Fact Sheet.

Latham provides special Asbra Protective Masking Tape on the top face of the nosing, to prevent the slurry leaking on to the surface when finishing the treads. When the treads are set, all you do is peel off the masking tape leaving the nosing in pristine form. However it is obvious that you will have to take extra precautions to keep the nosing clean and free from settling cement mix.

Absolutely! Latham recommend that whenever a recess is being cut to accommodate a Asbraloy or Asbrabronz Stair Tread Nosing or Insert, the installer requests a profile sample, in most cases a sample can be delivered the next working days. Product widths and depths indicated in Latham catalogues and on our website are designed as a guide only. Metal extrusions vary slightly in width and depth during the extrusion process.

The longest extrusion length that can be supplied for Asbraloy™ and Asbrabronz Stair Tread Nosings is 4600mm.

Latham's manufacture Abrasive Cutting Discs, designed for a drop saw with a maximum speed of 3,300 RPM. The blades are 350mm in diameter and have a bore size of 25.4mm. Drilling holes can be achieved using a 4mm tungsten carbide drill bit and this should be drilled through the silicon carbide. The drill should be on spin only, not hammer drill. Once the hole is made the top of the hole can be countersunk to suit your fixing requirement using a countersink drill. It is also possible to cut the treads by hand using a hacksaw. Latham's do not recommend the treads are cut with a tungsten cutting blades as the silicon carbide with wear these style of blades out in a few cuts.In our experience, having Latham's supply nosings cut to size including holes, screws and plugs achieves a far more professional finish and proves more economical.

Latham nosings are designed to comply with various Local and International Standards, and keeping in mind best global practises and safety in design practices, whilst offering a product fit for its intended application and use. Further compliance details are available in our Standard Compliance Data for Stair Treads PDF.

Reaction can occur between aluminium and wet cement. Latham's recommend the application of Tnemec PZ9 Protective Coating to those surfaces to be embedded in cement. Specify with "Tnemec PZ9 Protective Coating".

SAF-T™ is a suitable surface covering.The application method used will dictate the finish and the ultimate slip resistance of the product. The product would be best troweled in this style of application as it will provide the most aesthetically pleasing result. SAF-T™ is a very effective slip resistant compound and and is alsoeven suited to vehicular traffic. In extreme traffic locations when the coating wears out, it can be reapplied over itself.

Latham Asbra Mall Bars can be used in concrete or timber grooves, although we would recommend that Latham 2 Part Epoxy Resin Compound ST-1 be considered instead as this will produce a better finish. Mall Bars are manufactured in standard lengths of 1000mm and are designed for being installed in a concrete topping or in mortar between tiles perhaps in a ramp style application.

Yes they are effective for light partially wet conditions (not subject to hose or shower direct spray). The product is aggressive and may be uncomfortable under foot, but again they are temporary solutions. Flex-Tred™ tapes are designed for use in light duty, temporary applications and may have to be frequently replaced depending on the prevailing circumstances. In external or extremely wet situations Latham Flex-Tred™ Edge Sealer may prolong the adhesion life of this product.

Flex-Tred™ tapes are designed for use in light duty, temporary applications and may have to be frequently replaced depending on the prevailing circumstances. In external or extremely wet situations considering edge sealer may prolong the life of this product.

Latham's do not recommend the use of individual Tactiles on treads; these become trip hazards and are considered dangerous. We recommend the uses of stair tread nosings or tread inserts to provide slip resistance on stairs.

Selecting the colour of Tactile Indicators to comply with AS1428 is not a simple process, Latham's do offer luminance contrast figures for all of our Tactiles with our slip resistant silicon carbide mineral inserts. This can be found here Asbra Safety Stair Treads Luminance Testing Information. To fully comply with the standard you will require similar information from the floor finish supplier and have both luminances tested on site under post-install light conditions. Understandably this information is generally not available. It has been understood that basically on light floors dark Tactiles are best and vice versa.

There is a lot of requirement to comply with in this standard, including location of Tactiles, when they are required etc and you will need to have your access consultant confirm all information. Although in general Tactiles are required to be located at 50mm centres in most case in a band width of 600mm.

All Latham Brass and Zinc Loc Strips 31mm deep and deeper will accommodate some insitu grinding, although care should be taken to not over grind the strip and expose the neoprene rubber centre.

A control Strip is a Neoprene-X-Pansion Joint, they are designed to control thermal expansion and contraction in a hard flooring surface, it is not designed to control major movement that would occur in a structure and a structural or expansion joint. In these situations expansion joint covers should be considered.

Normally 6mm Neoprene-X-Pansion joints are used internally whilst 12mm are used externally in combination with reduced bay sizes, but Latham recommend the following.

Paving shall be divided with N-X-P strips into wholly separate bays to control and isolate movement stresses, in accord with the recommendations of AS 3958.1 - 1991 Ceramic Tiles - Part 1: Guide to the installation of Ceramic Tiles, Section 5 Clause 5.4.5.2. Maximum bay sizes shall take into account the dimensional stability and stiffness of the supporting structure, the location of the structural movement joints, the degree of exposure and response of the pavement to temperature and moisture variations and the overall expansion characteristics of tiling, paving and substrate materials.

Install N-X-P joints wherever tiles abut massive obstacles and fixed structural elements such as columns, stair and lift wells, steps and ramps, ie. wherever movement induced by expansion, contraction, deflection and settlement may be concentrated or impeded. Isolate tiles and under bedding from rigid and massive elements attached to or penetrating the structural base, for instance handrail and balustrade stanchions, light poles, street furniture supports and brackets, guy wire anchors, pipework and the like by installing N-X-P joints.

Ensure that all movement joints in paving and flooring penetrate the full depth of tiling and under bedding to the slip sheet, waterproofing membrane or structural deck, whichever directly contacts the under bedding. Ensure that N-X-P joints are accurately and continuously aligned above expansion, contraction and untied construction joints. Locate N-X-P joints at all changes of direction in large tiled areas. Locate joints so as to subdivide geometrically complex areas into bays of simple shape and to avoid acute angle junctions in joint strips. Continue joints along walls and extend through coving where indicated in the drawings by installing matching N-X-P coving sections.

Joint depth, and therefore selection of the appropriate size of N-X-P control joint, shall be set by the level of the top of the wire anchor when fixed in its anchoring loop, plus the thickness of the paving and a reasonable allowance for tolerances and variations in workmanship. Strips shall be an overall height of ..... mm by 6mm <12m > neoprene control section width (refer to design charts for dimensions), cut to length so that anchors fixed to loops occur within 50mm of the ends of each section of jointing. Combinations of joint lengths shall be selected and configured to ensure that each section contains at least three pairs of symmetrically opposed anchors. Butt joints in control joint strips shall be located to avoid intersection of three or more ends. Where N-X-P joints separate bays of rough surfaced tiles, exfoliated natural stone, textured reconstituted stone, porphyry paving sets and the like, set the top of metal edges flush with or slightly below the level of low points in the paving material to prevent mechanical damage to projecting joint strips.

Control joint strips shall be installed in the locations and configurations shown in the drawings while the bounding sand/cement mortar under bed is in a plastic workable state. Strips shall be fixed directly and consistently over previously formed, intact and unfilled trowel-cut gaps or over compressible closed-cell foam filler strips and rods. Strips shall be securely fixed by inserting the specified and supplied wire anchors through corresponding loops and into the adjacent under bedding. The sand/cement under bedding bounding the control joint assembly shall be trowelled to ensure firm anchorage in dense compacted material, taking care not to dislodge filler strips or collapse the sides of trowel-cut grooves.

When you have pavers and concrete beds going as deep as 100mm or more, you may consider using Through Bed Loc Strips – having Metal at the top and Closed tail polyethylene strip going right through the depth of the joint. This guarantees a void in is maintained under the strip, ensuring the expansion joint cover is free to move. This is used as a cost saving measure and is cost effective only when the quantities are larger enough and the variation in the depth of the stone and bed is large enough to warrant the use.

Latham Grates in both Brass and Aluminium have 6.25mm spacings between the serrated Tee’s, whilst the Lathamgrid Grid Mats, Lathamgrid have 3mm gaps between larger 9mm Tee’s, still at the 12.5mm centres.

All Latham Grids and Grates have been independently tested by a NATA approved laboratory in accordance with AS/NZS 4586:2004 Slip Resistance Classifications of New Pedestrian Surface Material. Under this testing Criteria from the information contained in appendix A and B all Latham Grids and Grates achieve a wet dry classification of VF. For further details and full test results follow this link.

The Latham range of Brass and Aluminium floor grates have been used in a vast variety of applications, these have included AC gratings in wall and under floor heating applications.

Yes. Latham Trench Grate are specifically designed for pedestrian applications. We can however manufacture these for regular area and light commercial traffic, for applications like domestic driveways. Contact your Latham Australia Representative for further details.

Yes, Latham Trench Grates are suitable for internal or external applications. In the past the grates have been custom made a shallower depth for bathroom applications and the have even on occasion been chromed. Discuss your application with your Latham Australia Representative.

Latham do custom manufacture and design grates to individual requirements where possible. Contact your Latham Australia Representative for further details.

Latham Australia can custom manufacture grates to a curve, subject to the grate profile selected and the radius required. Contact your Latham Australia Representative for further details.

These system are designed for pedestrian applications only, although if they are fully supported on a continuous cement bed in the bottom of the well they will tolerate very occasional vehicular traffic at slow speed. You must also ensure that the car steering is not turned whilst the vehicles tyres are in contact with the Grid Mat or Entry Mat.

Latham Grates, in general have an open span of 50% of the grate width, the Tee’s are at 12.5mm centres and the Tee’s are 6.25mm wide. Actual flow will depend on the width of the grate.

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