Flooring design for Dementia care
Dementia-Friendly Flooring
Dementia-Friendly Flooring (DSDC Accreditation)
Discover Forbo’s, DSDC-accredited flooring solutions designed to support safety, independence, and well-being in dementia-care environments. All developed to minimise confusion, prevent falls, and enhance navigation for residents with cognitive impairment.
Forbo collaborates with the Dementia Services Development Centre DSDC to develop flooring solutions tailored for dementia care environments. These products support resident safety, orientation, and independence. More than 1,000 of our floor finishes and products have been accredited by the leading research centre.
Design Do’s & Don’ts
- Do use tonal contrast: ensure floors and walls differ by at least 30 points LRV to help residents distinguish space boundaries.
- Don't use high contrast adjoining floors: keep transitions within a 10 LRV difference to avoid misperception as steps or obstacles.
- Avoid glossy finishes: reflections may be seen as water, causing hesitation.
- Skip patterned or speckled floors: busy visuals can induce confusion or appear like obstacles.
What is LRV (light reflectance value)?
LRV measures how much visible light a surface reflects, expressed as a percentage from 0% (pure black) to 100% (pure white).
A higher LRV = lighter/brighter surface.
A lower LRV = darker/deeper surface.
For people living with dementia, vision and depth perception are often affected. Subtle changes in flooring or wall colours can be misinterpreted as steps, holes, or obstacles. LRV helps designers create clear, safe, and calming environments by controlling contrast.
Our dementia floor covering selection
For the application in dementia environments, we have selected the following floor coverings that are DSDC accredited. Under the 'Dementia DSDC' special charactisics filter. You'll find additonal 3 filters. 1a, 1b, and 2. Below table explains what each rating mean:
DSDC Dementia friendly flooring rating system
Class | Description | Where to use | Key considerations |
| 1a – Plain | Completely plain, no patterns | Safe for all areas | Ensure ≥30 LRV contrast with walls, skirtings, doors, furniture, sanitaryware |
| 1b – Semi-plain | Subtle fleck, minimal texture, or wood | Suitable in most areas | Natural looks (timber/stone) are familiar and safe; keep ≥30 LRV contrast |
| 2 – Patterned | Stronger patterns or variations (e.g., figured timber, patinated stone) | Use with caution | Patterns may confuse residents; always maintain ≥30 LRV contrast |
