Life Floor is proud to celebrate our 15th anniversary in 2026! As we look back at the progress our company has made throughout the years, it’s been incredible to see the joy our tiles have brought to more than 3800 facilities worldwide. Since our founding, advancements in our product offerings have enabled us to offer the most durable, slip-resistant aquatic safety surfacing on the market, with the most diverse design options. Our team’s unwavering commitment to innovation and excellence has made these enhancements possible. As we look back at all we’ve achieved since 2011, the Life Floor team has never been more honored to shape better aquatic spaces, improving the safety and design while pushing the boundaries of what’s possible.
Safety
Our company was founded with a singular mission: to make aquatic spaces safer by reducing slip-and-fall injuries. We recognized a need for something more impact-absorbing than concrete and more durable than rubber aggregate products designed for dry playgrounds. Our slip-resistant, cushioned tiles have always been engineered specifically for wet, barefoot traffic. Reports from our customers have shown that they virtually eliminate incidents wherever they’re installed.
Beyond our commitment to safer surfacing, our team has been actively engaged in improving safety standards for the greater aquatics industry. Recognizing that, unlike playgrounds, surfacing standards hadn’t previously existed for aquatic play areas, our team has been heavily involved on NSF and ASTM committees, leading to new standards and testing guidance for aquatic flooring solutions. Our tiles are recognized by these organizations, as well as TÜV, IBCCES, and IMO, for the ways they improve guest experience through combined safety, accessibility, and durability.
This year, as part of our mission to keep improving our product, we’re proud to announce that our tiles are more slip-resistant than ever. With a slight improvement to the Ripple texture our customers have relied on for years, our tiles are now built with even greater definition and durability to prevent slips and falls in aquatic environments.
Design
With so many showcase installations featuring detailed designs, it might be hard to imagine that Life Floor once only sold square tiles in a limited color palette. In fact, the vast majority of installations when we began were monochromatic!
Since then, expansions in our color, shape, Inlay, and custom cutting offerings have enabled endless creative possibilities. Our tiles make even the most complex designs possible in a way that’s never been achieved in aquatic environments before. From our first large-scale triangle gradient floors in 2018 to our inaugural Murals installation in 2023, our team has continuously innovated to make even more beautiful, intricate imagery a reality. Just last year, eight new colors, planks, and Destination Tiles debuted to add more breadth to our product portfolio.
To celebrate the success of our design evolution over the last 15 years, we look forward to launching even more features this year. Keep an eye out for new offerings that will inspire play, enhance theming, shape luxury floorscapes, and transport guests who visit Life Floor splash pads and pool decks.
Durability
Life Floor has always been engineered to perform well in aquatic environments. Because our solutions provide slip resistance, cushioning, and lasting durability in harsh UV and chemical environments, even when other products may degrade or fail, Life Floor continues to be the only surfacing certified to NSF’s aquatic play area standard.
Over the years, we’ve incrementally improved the durability of our tiles to increase their lifespan, providing long-lasting safety and cushioning wherever they’re installed. For example, our tiles once only lasted about 1000 hours in an extreme UV tester, but more recent tests show our tiles performing for more than 9000 hours. Formulation and process improvements in 2015, 2017, 2020, 2023, 2025, and 2026 have all extended the lifespan of both our foam and its colorfastness under UV exposure.
We’re proud to provide solutions that stand the test of time - just as our company has thrived for the last 15 years. Long-lasting innovations have been key as we continue on our mission to make all aquatic spaces safe and beautiful.
INCLUSIVITY
As Life Floor has grown, we’ve recognized how our tactile safety surfacing makes aquatic spaces more accessible to everyone. From splash pads to pool decks and waterparks to cruise ships, guests of all ages and abilities enjoy aquatic recreation with confidence when our tiles provide sure-footing, comfort, and cushioning. We love seeing the youngest of guests crawl across Life Floor as they gain their earliest water play experiences and watching older generations enjoy community swim time without fear of slipping and falling.
Increasingly, our safety surfacing has been a key component for facilities that cater to guests with special needs. We’re a proud Certified Autism Resource through IBCCES and it’s been an honor to surface splash pads at facilities like Morgan’s Inspiration Island and Give Kids the World Village. These projects are core to what makes our team so dedicated to what we do. We firmly believe that when spaces are designed with needs of all guests in mind, that they provide a better experience for everyone.
Beyond making aquatics more accessible to all people, we’ve made our surfaces more financially feasible for communities in need. In 2020, we launched our Make a SPLASH! Grant Contest resulting in a free splash pad surface for our inaugural winner, the city of Dothan, Alabama. Since then, we’ve expanded the annual contest to feature both a needs-based award as well as an award focused on inclusivity and accessibility. We also provide ongoing opportunities through our Matching Funds Grant Program. These initiatives ensure that all communities have access to Life Floor surfacing to improve safety, fun, inclusivity, and design for their residents. Expanding our impact to bring smiles and memorable experiences to guests and communities that may not have had access in the past drives our team on a daily basis.
Sustainability
Our sustainability journey began in 2015 when we brought most of our manufacturing from overseas to the U.S. With proximity to our North American installations, our tiles no longer needed to be shipped long distances around the globe. While our local factory serves customers in this part of the world, we also produce internationally to reduce our carbon footprint within the Asia-Pacific region. We also pride ourselves on our vast global network of installation partners who can serve customers regionally without requiring significant mobilization.
When we began manufacturing locally, we also opened the door to quickly iterate on research and development projects, which have since led to countless improvements and new product offerings. Today, the yields from our factory in South Dakota are greater than ever, maximizing material and resulting in significant scrap reduction. While we’ve made great strides over the last 15 years, Life Floor is always looking for ways to be even more environmentally friendly.
This year, we are working on our plan to pursue ISO 14001 certification and a method to recycle our tiles. Our team can’t wait to share more about our 5-year sustainability initiative as we embrace new ways to make Life Floor greener than ever.
Looking Forward
While we’ve already made quite an impact on the aquatics industry and continue to innovate in our product offerings, there is still so much uncharted territory we look forward to covering as Life Floor continues to grow. With new markets, further global reach, and even more tile enhancements in mind, we look forward to continuing along this journey alongside all of our valued partners and customers in the years to come.