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Two founders, three serious accidents, and a plan to stop ripping out slippery floors

Stellmann Non Slip Coatings

Key Facts:

• Stellmann was founded in Melbourne in 2019 by Dano Estermann and Jelmer Stellingwerf, both of whom have personal experience with serious injuries caused by slippery floors.
• The company offers a clear anti-slip coating applied over existing tiles or other surfaces by certified installers, providing an alternative to costly floor replacements.
• In 2024–25, falls were the most common cause of injury-related hospital stays in Australia, accounting for 253,800 admissions — 43.4 per cent of all injury hospital stays, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.
• Bathrooms are a particular risk area, with falls in home bathrooms resulting in 8,560 hospital admissions for Australians aged 65 and over in 2019–20.
• Stellmann advises customers to describe their floor before proceeding, as not every tile is suitable for the coating, and the company commits to providing honest guidance if it is not the right solution.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MELBOURNE, 10 November 2026: Stellmann's founders have personal reasons for caring about slippery floors.

Co-founder Dano Estermann broke his C5 vertebra in a serious accident. Soon after, a close family friend suffered severe head trauma after slipping on a wet staircase. Co-founder Jelmer Stellingwerf's aunt was badly hurt in a fall at home.

In 2019 the two started Stellmann in Melbourne, with one idea: a slippery floor shouldn't have to be ripped out to get some grip back.

“I spent months in a halo after breaking my neck, and not long after, a close family friend had a bad head injury from slipping on wet stairs. You don’t forget that,” Estermann said. “Most people think a slippery floor leaves two options: live with it or rip it out. We started Stellmann to give them a third.”

In 2024-25, falls were the most common reason Australians ended up in hospital with an injury. They led to 253,800 hospital stays, 43.4 per cent of all injury hospital stays, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW).

Bathrooms are one of the places it happens. Falls in home bathrooms put Australians aged 65 and over in hospital 8,560 times in 2019-20. Of the specific places in the home that AIHW named, only outdoor areas came up more often.

Stellmann’s clear anti-slip coating goes over your existing tiles or any other surface and is applied by Stellmann Certified Installers, helping you avoid the high cost of replacing your tiles or flooring.

“Not every tile suits a coating, so tell us about your floor first,” Estermann said. “If it’s not right for your tiles, we’ll tell you straight.”

ENDS 

Notes to editors

• The 1,990 projects figure is Stellmann's own count, as at 27 October 2026.

• AIHW, Falls (updated 18 June 2026), for the 2024-25 figures: https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/injury/falls

• AIHW, Falls in older Australians 2019-20, Table 9 (hospital stays by place of fall, people 65 and over): https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/injury/falls-in-older-australians-2019-20-hospitalisation/contents/where-did-falls-occur. AIHW's "other and unspecified place in the home" group was bigger than bathrooms or outdoor areas.

• AIHW counts hospital stays, not people. The figures cover all falls, not only slips on wet floors.

About us:

About Stellmann

Stellmann supplies anti-slip coatings that go over the floor you already have, so a slippery floor doesn't have to be ripped out. The coatings are made in Europe and matched to the surface: tile, stone, concrete or timber. No acid is involved. Stellmann doesn't install the coatings itself. It trains and certifies the tradies and contractors who do. CSIRO has tested samples of two of its coatings, Non-Slip Clear PRO and Aqualine PU PRO, to Australian Standard AS 4586. Its coatings have been used in 1,990 commercial projects since 2019, the year Dano Estermann and Jelmer Stellingwerf started the company in Melbourne. https://stellmann.com.au

Contact details:

• Press kit, with company facts, slip test reports, founder profiles and story ideas: https://stellmann.com.au/pages/press-kit

• Logos and photos: email us and we'll send them.

• To talk to Dano Estermann or Jelmer Stellingwerf, email [email protected] with "Media enquiry" in the subject line, or call 1300 987 095.