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Creating Custom Shapes, Logos, and Designs with Life Floor Tiles

Creating Custom Shapes, Logos, and Designs with Life Floor Tiles

Splashaway Bay at CocoCay. Photo credit: Royal Caribbean

Did you know that despite being manufactured primarily as geometric tiles, Life Floor can be custom cut into any shape imaginable? From curvy designs to themed imagery and from games to giant logos, we’ve done it! Read more to learn about some of these popular design options that stray from our standard offerings to offer a more customized experience. 

Creating Custom Shapes, Logos, and Designs with Life Floor Tiles
Creating Custom Shapes, Logos, and Designs with Life Floor Tiles

For theming opportunities, we’ve cut anything from life-sized surfboards to giant paw prints and sandy islands into our floors. 

Captain Jill’s Galleon at CocoCay. Photo credit: Royal Caribbean

Captain Jill’s Galleon at CocoCay.
Photo credit: Royal Caribbean

ULTIQA Beach Haven Resort, Australia

Beach Haven, Australia

Curvy or circular designs are a popular choice for customers looking for a more organic look. 

Creating Custom Shapes, Logos, and Designs with Life Floor Tiles
Creating Custom Shapes, Logos, and Designs with Life Floor Tiles

For added play value at the surface level, we’ve created games to add to the guest experience for our customers as well. 

Creating Custom Shapes, Logos, and Designs with Life Floor Tiles
Creating Custom Shapes, Logos, and Designs with Life Floor Tiles

One of our most popular requests is to add elements of branding to surfaces - from giant logos to inlays that represent the facilities where they’re installed. 

As you can see, the opportunities and options are truly endless!


So how do we do it? 

The process varies by project. In some cases, like in the instance of giant circles, organic shapes can be hand cut on site by a skilled installation team. Large swooping curves can often be achieved this way as well.

Creating Custom Shapes, Logos, and Designs with Life Floor Tiles
Westfield Diagram

In other cases, projects come factory cut with labeled parts and diagrams to streamline the install process on site and to ensure design accuracy. 


Why don’t all customers take this approach? 

Creating Custom Shapes, Logos, and Designs with Life Floor Tiles

These designs are all amazing and we love that we’re able to create them! Unfortunately, some of these examples are out of budget for some customers. When dealing with curvy or custom designs, more material is needed to account for the amount of scrap created when trimming our square tiles to create these shapes. Installation costs are a bit higher as well due to the attention to detail needed to get the designs installed properly. 


Is there a more budget-friendly way to custom cut designs? 

Of course! In some cases, customers have opted for a repeatable inlay that can be cut from a single tile to help brand or theme their space. A great example of this is the maple leaf inlay we created for the Maple Grove Community Center

Creating Custom Shapes, Logos, and Designs with Life Floor Tiles

In other cases, a custom design only covers a small portion of a project while the rest of the design sticks with some of our more budget-friendly design options like our preferred colors or standard tile shapes. At the Courtyard by Marriott Anaheim, a few custom inlays and activities were interspersed throughout our simple pattern of square tiles in our High Tide theme

Creating Custom Shapes, Logos, and Designs with Life Floor Tiles

Another great way to incorporate a curved design is to limit the amount of tiles that need to be trimmed into a custom shape. At the splash pad at the Australia Zoo, only the perimeter of the “pond” needed to be cut while all other tiles could be installed as full square pieces.

Creating Custom Shapes, Logos, and Designs with Life Floor Tiles

While these projects all take a little extra effort during the design, manufacturing, and installation processes, we always love the results! Have an idea in mind that you’d like to explore with our team? Reach out to us and we’ll do our best to make it a reality!

Flooring Design Themes for Aquatic Facilities

When designing with Life Floor, clients are often looking to create or enhance an existing theme at a facility. Since our tiles are specifically engineered for use in aquatic environments, these spaces are often themed around water; however, sometimes new themes are imagined as well! We love the creativity that goes into envisioning these spaces. Check out some of our favorites that have been installed as well as some ideas for themed splash pads that haven’t been built yet! 


Under the Sea 

Our blue tones and sea creature inlays are most often featured in spaces that have an underwater theme. Some spaces are more whimsical with octopus tentacles and others are more abstract using a triangle gradient or randomized squares. Curvy waves are also a popular choice for clients looking to emulate an under the sea look. 


Into the Wild 

Several facilities with Life Floor installations have a woodsy or wilderness theme. These spaces typically feature earth tones of tans, browns, and greens as well as thematic paw print inlays. The designs that we’ve proposed for these spaces have used a combination of our available shapes including triangles, rectangles, and hexagons.

Wilderness Resort Splash Pad
Concept for a Forest-Themed Splash Pad

Concept for a Forest-Themed Splash Pad

Concept for a Hexagon River Design

Concept for a Hexagon River Design

Lilypad Landing Pad at Great Wolf Lodge

Lilypad Landing Pad at Great Wolf Lodge


Sunny Beachscapes

Adding a beach element to a water-themed splash pad increases visual interest and the opportunity to feature different inlays across the sand and sea. One of our largest beach designs, pictured below at Atlantis the Palm Dubai, features a triangle gradient and a clear progression from land to water and back to land. Other projects with this theme feature a body of water surrounded by sand or, the opposite, an island surrounded by water. Some customers have even opted to add pirate treasure hunt themes to their tropical islands! 

Splash Pad at Atlantis the Palm Dubai
Pirate-Themed Splash Pad at Wyndham Bonnet Creek

Pirate-Themed Splash Pad at Wyndham Bonnet Creek

The Beach Splash Pad in Dubai

The Beach Splash Pad in Dubai


Winter Wonderland 

While these wintery concepts have yet to be installed on a project, we love the idea of a unique frosty theme, especially on a hot summer day! 

Concept for a Winter-Themed Splash Pad

Concept for a Winter-Themed Splash Pad

Concept for a Snowflake Splash Pad

Concept for a Snowflake Splash Pad


Lily Pads 

Some customers have opted for lily pad inspired ideas. These curvy features add visual interest to the splash pads where they’re featured. At a smaller scale, they can inspire children to hop across individual lily pads in a game of leapfrog. 

Florida Aquarium Splash Pad

Florida Aquarium Splash Pad

Lake George RV Park Splash Pad. Image Credit: Martin Aquatic

Lake George RV Park Splash Pad. Image Credit: Martin Aquatic


Bright & Tropical 

Several aquatic facilities have requested vibrant, tropics-inspired themes. Bright pops of color on a surface can dramatically enliven a space and complement surrounding designs and imagery! 

Vidanta Riviera Maya Splash Pad. Photo Credit: WhiteWater West

Vidanta Riviera Maya Splash Pad. Photo Credit: WhiteWater West

Concept for a Bright, Triangle Pattern on a Splash Pad

Concept for a Bright, Triangle Pattern on a Splash Pad

Splashaway Bay at CocoCay. Photo Credit: Royal Caribbean

Splashaway Bay at CocoCay. Photo Credit: Royal Caribbean

Moon Palace Jamaica Splash Pad

Moon Palace Jamaica Splash Pad


Our in-house Studio Team and our design partners loved dreaming up ideas for these designs and themes featured in locations around the world. We welcome all the concepts and ideas our customers want - unique and familiar alike.

What new themes would you like to see featured at aquatic facilities that are surfaced with Life Floor? Let us know in the comments section below! 

5 Reasons Why Aquatic Facilities Choose Life Floor’s Predefined Themes and Patterns

While Life Floor can be used to create virtually any pattern or design on a flooring surface, we’ve created a catalog of Themes and Patterns as a starting point for customers looking for design inspiration. These options can match or complement a facility’s overall look while also providing the standard benefits that come with any Life Floor installation. Pairing the safety, comfort, and durability of our tiles with these aesthetically interesting designs has added play value and theming to aquatic facilities across the country and around the world. Here are some of the top reasons why customers have chosen to explore our Themes or Patterns for their projects!    

Multi-Color Designs

All of our Themes, or color palettes, are designed with three or more colors to optimize how Life Floor installations look over time. Our reason for favoring a multi-colored design approach is that monochromatic surfaces, much like single-color carpets, show regular wear or debris much more quickly. Since many of our projects are located outdoors where it’s not uncommon for occasional leaves, twigs, dirt, or grass to make their way onto splash pads, we’ve found that breaking up the field of color makes these surfaces look best for an extended period of time. As an added benefit, installations that use Life Floor Themes often enliven and complement surrounding parks and aquatic spaces with a visually interesting palette and design.

High Tide Theme and 301 Pattern at Synderville Basin Rec Center - Park City, UT

High Tide Theme and 301 Pattern at Synderville Basin Rec Center - Park City, UT

Considerable Cost Savings 

Our Themes showcase combinations of some of our most popular colors. Customers looking to add safety and design often opt to use these color families as starting points for their designs. 

High Tide: Ocean, Bluebird, Aviator

High Tide: Ocean, Bluebird, Aviator [Note: Updated in 2021. See Update Here]

Montauk: Mojave, Gobi, Sandbar

Montauk: Mojave, Gobi, Sandstone

Boulder: Boulevard, River Rock, Foghorn

Boulder: Boulevard, River Rock, Foghorn

Since Life Floor is manufactured as standard 24”x24” tiles, our Square Patterns (301, 401, 501) offer the greatest cost savings by maximizing the full use of the material. Installation time is lowest for these options as well. Our Triangle (302, 402, 502) and Rectangle (305, 405, 505) Patterns offer a combination of full and half tiles, providing an efficient use of material that minimizes waste. Installation time is slightly longer since these Patterns are a bit more complex; however, many of our budget-conscious customers still opt for these designs given the added visual interest they provide. 

Square Pattern (401)

Square Pattern (401)

Triangle Pattern (302)

Triangle Pattern (302)

Rectangle Pattern (505)

Rectangle Pattern (505)

Overall, we’ve found that when municipalities are interested in adding a safety solution to their aquatic facilities or want to upgrade to meet the NSF/ANSI 50 standard for aquatic surfacing, they most commonly opt for the Theme and Pattern options described above. These designs provide all of the benefits of Life Floor at the best prices. 

Reduced Time to Receive a Quote 

Because our Themes and Patterns are pre-established, creating a rendering that fits within the boundaries of a specific project area is a fairly quick process. When compared to the time required to create fully custom designs, this approach fast-tracks the quoting process for customers looking to receive budgetary numbers in a shorter amount of time.

301 Pattern in tan tones (similar to Montauk or Zuma Themes) at Shoreview Community Center - Shoreview, MN

301 Pattern in tan tones (similar to Montauk Theme) at Shoreview Community Center - Shoreview, MN

Design Options that Eliminate the Guesswork 

For customers looking for a basic surfacing solution or who don’t have a specific design in mind, our pre-set Themes and Patterns have been created based on established best practices and provide a variety of looks to accommodate a range of facilities. These designs feature sets of colors that are proven to work well together and layouts that have been historically favored by our customers over time. Having the ability to pick and choose from this catalog of options eliminates most guesswork for many of our customers, especially those that are primarily focused on providing a safety solution at their facilities. 

Boulder Theme in rectangles at Pleasant Glade Pool & Locker Rooms - Grapevine, TX

Boulder Theme in rectangles at Pleasant Glade Pool & Locker Rooms - Grapevine, TX

An Affordable Starting Point for Custom Options

Many of our customers have asked for designs that begin with a Theme and/or Pattern, but are modified in some way to better suit their specific facility’s needs. For instance, some might swap out a color or two from a Theme to shift the color palette in a slightly different direction. Others might choose a preset Pattern, but pair it with a completely custom color palette. Some customers have opted to add inlays, like the ones shown below, to contribute to the play value and theming of their facilities. We’ve also found that some people go with an affordable Theme and Pattern to better balance the cost of a project that requires the addition of a specialty logo or play feature in the surface design. Anything can be customized as needed and our Themes and Patterns serve as a perfect starting point for the conversation! 

High Tide Theme and 302 Pattern with fish inlays at Cootamundra Splash Park - Cootamundra, Australia

High Tide Theme and 302 Pattern with fish inlays at Cootamundra Splash Park - Cootamundra, Australia


Interested in specifying Life Floor on your next project? Check out our standard Themes and Patterns and reach out to us if you’d like to explore a custom design or to get started on your project. Our design services are complementary right now, so we’re happy to help meet the needs of your facility however we can. Thank you for considering Life Floor!

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.


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

 

Designing Tropical Getaways in the North: Bamboo Bay

The build-out for Bamboo Bay, the multi-level spray structure expansion, was completed a few months after in early 2019. The city again chose Life Floor to cover the entire surrounding deck of the structure and the nearby locker rooms. In a recent interview, Buck expressed that she couldn’t be more thrilled with Life Floor as a solution to safer walkways and more comfortable standing areas for kids and her staff.

Designing A Memorable Family Vacation: Lake George RV Park

Up in the Adirondack Mountains, Lake George RV Park creates a vacation experience for the entire family, with 120-acres for campers to enjoy. Last summer, the park expanded their offerings with Cascade Cove: an outdoor pool complex designed by Aquatic Design & Engineering. Cascade Cove features a resort pool, spa pool, and a unique lily pad splash park and play structure.

10 Things You Won’t BELIEVE You Can Do With Life Floor

2019 is all about the Product Hack: How can you use everyday items in astonishing and unexpected ways. If you’re anything like us then you probably have RACKS on RACKS of impervious, slip-resistant, impact cushioned pool tile just covering every inch of your office. We’re here to help with some Hot Tips for your cool floor:

Inside Edge Safety Surfaces: The Preferred Installation Provider of Life Floor in North America

Life Floor is pleased to announce a new partnership with North America’s leading commercial flooring installation experts, Inside Edge. The two companies have partnered together to provide an all-inclusive installation service for Life Floor customers with premier warranty coverage. As part of the new partnership, Inside Edge will develop their Safety Surfaces Division as the Preferred Installation Provider for Life Floor in North America.

LIFE FLOOR + WHITEWATER PARTNERSHIP

 

Bringing non-slip cushioned surfaces to the world WhiteWater is very pleased to have entered an exclusive distribution agreement with Life Floor for the global water park market. Life Floor’s patented foam-rubber flooring system significantly reduces slips and falls, the #1 cause of water park injuries. However, with Life Floor, when a fall does occur, bumps and bruises are minimized. This is a game-changing product for the water park industry because as every owner and operator knows, the majority of water park injuries occur in this category.

The partnership further confirms WhiteWater’s designs and product offerings as the safest in the industry,
— Geoff Chutter, WhiteWater’s President and CEO

DELIVERING FUN - SAFELY

Jonathan Keller, Life Floor’s CEO, sums up the announcement of this new partnership, “Working with WhiteWater, the market leader, was an obvious choice to access a wider market, but we’ve also found that the missions which drive our companies are very aligned. Both companies are single-minded about delivering fun safely with the highest quality products available. I think I can speak for all of us when I say that we are excited by the opportunities that this agreement represents.”

 

Chris Biancofiore, the Product Manager for WhiteWater’s wide range of interactive water play products and attractions, commented, “On Life Floor, kids feel safer and freer to push their boundaries without the fear of getting hurt…simply put, they play differently.  The forgiving surface isn’t abrasive, so it’s soft on bare feet and won’t skin knees.  As a result, the only tears will come from when they’re told it’s time to leave the park.”

MORE THAN JUST SAFETY

Life Floor is longer-lasting and stays cleaner. While Life Floor’s non-slip ‘soft fall’ is its biggest benefit, its quality manufacturing also makes it incredibly durable. The completely waterproof tiles will not absorb water or other liquids and last as long underwater as they do above water. Its closed-cell construction does not support the growth of microbes.

Virtually impossible to stain, its more resistant to chlorine and UV exposure than other rubber composite products on the market, making Life Floor not just a safety choice, but an economical one as well.


About WhiteWater

WhiteWater, The Water Parks and Attractions Company, is the leading global designer and manufacturer of innovative water park products and active family attractions for world-class clients. We specialize in water slides, multi-level water play structures, wave-generating equipment, FlowRider® stationary surfing machines, harnessed attractions, interactive play, and water rides. WhiteWater is dedicated to providing the ultimate WOW experiences to our clients and their guests by delivering projects on time, on budget, and to the industry’s highest quality and safety standards. Our industry-leading innovation is driven by a team of 600 extremely talented employees in eight offices around the world working together to complete over 5,000 projects since 1980. Recently, WhiteWater was awarded Canada’s Best Managed Companies designation for its excellence in management and business practices.

Una de Boer | Director of Marketing
+1.604.249.3432 | una.deboer@whitewaterwest.com
whitewaterwest.com

About Life Floor

Life Floor manufactures Life Floor tiles, a foam-rubber flooring system designed for use in wet areas with barefoot traffic. Created as an alternative to concrete and other conventional materials, Life Floor is the only safety surface specifically designed and engineered to perform in aquatic environments. Life Floor combines award-winning safety with unparalleled design capabilities, delivered by an expert team committed to a world-class experience for everyone who interacts with our products. All over the world, people trust Life Floor to make their aquatic environments look and feel extraordinary. Life Floor was founded in 2011, and has served the biggest names in water parks, including Carnival Cruise Line, LEGOLAND, Cedar Fair, and Great Wolf Lodge. In 2016, Life Floor became the only surfacing company ever to win the World Waterpark Association's prestigious Kelly Ogle Memorial Safety Award.

Gwen Ruehle | Vice President, Business Development
+1.612.405.2718 | gwen.ruehle@lifefloor.com
lifefloor.com


FAQS

Who is WhiteWater West Industries (WWI)?

The Original Waterpark Company! Founded in 1980, WWI helped start the World Waterpark Association and are the oldest manufacturer of fiberglass water slides. They are also the largest supplier of equipment (slides, wave pools, surfing machines, play structures) in the entire world, in fact their business is as large as all of their competitors combined. They have done over 6000 projects in the 38 years they have been in business. To get a sense of scale, if they were to install Life Floor around all of their previous projects, that would require more than 60 million square feet of Life Floor.

At this point, WWI does everything from designing, specifying, planning, supplying, managing projects, and helping maintain waterparks and theme parks all over the world. Their largest markets are China, the United States, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East, and they complete from 170-220 projects per year.

What does this partnership mean for Life Floor?

Life Floor is now WWI’s recommended safety surface. Soon, Life Floor will be included in all designs for water park Multi-Level Play Structure (MLP) equipment, as well as on applications such as slide towers, wave pools, and around FlowRiders and slide pads.

How did this partnership happen?

WWI and Life Floor both value safety, and the partnership is focused on safety first and foremost. We believe that bringing the leader in aquatic safety surfacing design and manufacture in partnership with the leader in water park design and manufacture will create safer aquatic recreation experiences for potentially millions of people.

How will this partnership work for customers?

New water park customers interested in purchasing and installing MLPs can obtain Life Floor for their facility by working exclusively through WWI.

If you are a water park customer with a preexisting relationship with Life Floor, you may contact either Life Floor or WWI directly for MLPs and other projects.

If your park does not have WhiteWater equipment, you can still buy from Life Floor directly.

What about splash pads?

Given our commitment to splash pad safety via our work with NSF-50, Life Floor will still be selling splash pad surfacing directly to clients.

Has WWI purchased Life Floor?

WWI has not purchased Life Floor. Life Floor remains an independent company, and we look forward to seeing how this partnership will serve the waterpark industry going forward. 


If you have any questions about how this partnership affects you, or how to best obtain Life Floor for a project, please contact solutions@lifefloor.com.

Leading the Way To Safer Play

It’s hard to overstate just how much winning this award means to us. You can see by the grins on the faces of the people who accepted the plaque on stage that we were thrilled to be recognized by the board for the work we have done over the past five years helping to keep guests at waterparks safer while they play.

10 Tips and Tricks to Help You Design the Best Pool For Your Space

Choose a pool that fits your personality and lifestyle: Perhaps you’d rather have a winding, lazy river in which to relax, or perhaps you'd rather spend your pool-time swimming laps. Infinity pools are especially beautiful and can compliment waterfront views, while adding slides or diving boards make your pool more entertaining and kid-friendly. In general, think about how you would like to use your pool and how you will realistically use it the most, and try to combine the two to fit your lifestyle.