# Making concrete less slippery



## fishhead (Jul 19, 2006)

The guy that did the concrete in my garage about 30 years ago made it almost shiny. Any snow on the feet makes it extremely slippery.

Is there any durable finish I can put on it to rough it up a bit?

Or maybe give it a brushing with muratic acid to remove a bit of the surface layer?


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## The Paw (May 19, 2006)

A few years ago, the Tru Value Home Hardware chain here was featuring a paint with a textured, gritty kind of finish for just this kind of application. They said it was good for patios, pool areas, that kind of thing. There must be a comparable product down there.


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## fishhead (Jul 19, 2006)

Thanks. I thought there might be a paint but I didn't know if it would stand up to traffic. The floor paint we use in the airplane hangar doesn't seem to last more than a year before it peels loose.


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## CherieOH (Jun 10, 2005)

If your concrete floor is unpainted, you could overlay a thin layer of concrete and finish with a broom to make it less slippery. If the floor is painted, you may need to rent a concrete grinder to refinish the surface.


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## Troy (Oct 11, 2010)

25% Acid 75% water mop it on then scrub it with a stiff bristle deck brush. Keep working it until it stops foaming. Then pressure wash it out. Then scrub it again with clean water and pressure wash it again. Allow it to dry , then paint it with a floor paint. 

Tip #1 : Dont add the aggrigate to the paint. Paint a area of the floor then broadcast spread the aggrigate and repeat until entire floor is done. 

Tip #2 : If you don't buy a paint that resist "HOT TIRE PICKUP" you will be repainting the areas were your tires set about every year.

I've done thousands of floors and if you don't acid wash them first the paint WILL NOT STICK to the smooth concrete.


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## BackfourtyMI. (Sep 3, 2007)

Maybe it would be easier to put down those commercial big rubber mats used in resturaunt kitchen's, etc. in the main area's walked on. They also make rubber mats for garage floors too, not sure how well they'd hold up if you layed them where you drove on them all the time.


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## Country Lady (Oct 2, 2003)

Water doesn't drain off our back patio, therefore, it can get slimy and very slippery when wet. I've slipped down a couple of times and have learned to be very cautious when wet. Pressure washing it often is the best thing I've found to help.


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## fishhead (Jul 19, 2006)

Troy said:


> 25% Acid 75% water mop it on then scrub it with a stiff bristle deck brush. Keep working it until it stops foaming. Then pressure wash it out. Then scrub it again with clean water and pressure wash it again. Allow it to dry , then paint it with a floor paint.
> 
> Tip #1 : Dont add the aggrigate to the paint. Paint a area of the floor then broadcast spread the aggrigate and repeat until entire floor is done.
> 
> ...


Would the acid wash pit it enough to give it texture?


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## MushCreek (Jan 7, 2008)

Tip #3- Make sure there is nothing that will rust in there while you are acid etching it! I knew a guy that did that in his machine shop. The next day, all his precision equipment was orange with rust from the fumes.


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## littlebitfarm (Mar 21, 2005)

I went to the local farm store. They sell stall mats by the foot. I bought enough to do down the driver's side of the garage. Can safely get out of the car and into the house now.

Kathie


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## fishhead (Jul 19, 2006)

MushCreek said:


> Tip #3- Make sure there is nothing that will rust in there while you are acid etching it! I knew a guy that did that in his machine shop. The next day, all his precision equipment was orange with rust from the fumes.


I would hate to see what his lungs looked like if he didn't use a respirator.


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## T-Bone 369 (Jan 18, 2007)

fishhead said:


> Would the acid wash pit it enough to give it texture?


Mostly it is going to get the accumulation of oil and gas and general gunk plus whatever is left of the sealer off rather than etch the concrete. Paint will not stick to all that. We've used the epoxy paint on several floors (basement and garage) over the years - if well prepped it lasts well.


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## Gianni (Dec 9, 2009)

+1 to a quality concrete paint and adding some fine sand to the wet product on the floor.


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## Kmac15 (May 19, 2007)

In that case..if it is a new floor do we need to etch it first?


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## Windy in Kansas (Jun 16, 2002)

Some of the Behr paint additive should fix you right up if you paint it. 

http://goo.gl/listg


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## Wis Bang 2 (Jan 12, 2010)

littlebitfarm said:


> I went to the local farm store. They sell stall mats by the foot. I bought enough to do down the driver's side of the garage. Can safely get out of the car and into the house now.
> 
> Kathie


Sears sells squares of rubber garage floor mats that interlock. I'd think they would make a nice walk way, no need to put them under the car.


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## T-Bone 369 (Jan 18, 2007)

Kmac15 said:


> In that case..if it is a new floor do we need to etch it first?


I would. Any concrete man worth his salt will put a sealer on the new floor unless you specifiy not to. Add to that there is going to be some traffic on the floor when they finish and stripping to track on it. Frankly, I am not sure how long the manufacturers of the floor coverings suggest letting the crete cure before applying but assume it is going to be atleast a couple days. It does not take much oil to keep the paint from sticking - consider it cheap insurance.


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## Troy (Oct 11, 2010)

Kmac15 , You need to allow the "New Concrete" cure for a minimum of 90 days before doing anything to it. It has alkali in new concrete that needs to leach out (Efforvessant , Sp?) or you are waisting your time. 120 days would be better. 

Fishhead , It will remove alot of the oil , grease , grim , sealant. It will also remove the top layer of portland cement that is in the concrete and expose the sand and tops of rocks , if done in a strong enough solution or left on to long. 

If you have metal touching the floor or near the floor yes it will rust if not treated. As the Acid is very caustic. A way to take care of this is after the etch and before you pressure wash it , spray it down with a baking soda and water mixture from a garden sprayer. The Baking Soda will nutralize the acid. 

Yes the Epoxy coating is the best way to go on the floor. However be fair warned Epoxy is not cheap in price by any means. I've seen it go as high as over $100/gal. for the better material. Rust Oleum makes a product called "Epoxy Shield" that comes in a kit. It's made for Garage floors , The last time I bought it I paid about $120 for the kit. Kit contains 2 gals. of Epoxy and floor chips to sprinkle over coating while wet. Kit is available at Lowe's. I did a 2 car garage floor and it took 2 kits.


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## silverbackMP (Dec 4, 2005)

I highly recommend good epoxy (100% solids) if go that directions--you get what you pay for--and DO not skimp on prep work. You can ad several kinds of slip resistant material to the last coat.


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## RedneckPete (Aug 23, 2004)

Huge amounts of misinformation on this thread.

If you are overall happy with the concrete then just seal it with any decent sealant mixed with sand. Sandblasting (silica) sand is easily available at any decent builders supply and works great. Mix some into the sealant and roll it onto the floor with a paint roller. The more sand you add, the greater the grip. You can make the floor look like a new sheet of sandpaper if that what you really want.

Save the acid for cleaning your still. Save the epoxy for your factory floor. If you don't own a factory, save the epoxy forever.

Pete


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## paintboy (Apr 25, 2010)

I agree with pete and those who suggested floor mats. 

Painting a garage floor can be a nightmare. Epoxy is the way to go but it will be really smooth and slick unless you add some sand. When I paint them I use a floor grinder to prep them. Acid works sometimes and sometimes it doesn't and when you have several hundred invested in paint "sometimes" doesn't cut it. I will double or triple my hourly rate to do a garage floor. Then I hide the extra money away as insurance for when that perfectly prepared floor fails for no reason.


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## fishhead (Jul 19, 2006)

Is there some kind of floor sander or grinder that would put a rougher surface on the floor?


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## ||Downhome|| (Jan 12, 2009)

T-Bone 369 said:


> Mostly it is going to get the accumulation of oil and gas and general gunk plus whatever is left of the sealer off rather than etch the concrete. Paint will not stick to all that. We've used the epoxy paint on several floors (basement and garage) over the years - if well prepped it lasts well.



T-Bone acid will not do that, a lot of sealers are resistant to acid. if there's oil and grease that's a different step using a degreaser prior to the etch. 

the etch is to open the pores and give the concrete a profile.


troy is spot on with his info! as is mush creek. 

fish if you want to give the floor a heavier profile then what the acid etch will do then the company's that do floor coatings use a shot blaster rather then acid etching avoids the rust and corrosive issue as well as less steps in prep.

its not cheap but if you can find someone that has one they can come in and give your floor a blast 

dont know how far these guys are but has to be cheaper then having a company come out, you can google shot blasting and floor coatings in your area see what else you can find.

http://www.rentcharlie.com/rental/1056855/Blastrac_Walk_Behind_Shot_Blaster_Rogers_MN_United_Rentals


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## Shrek (May 1, 2002)

When I had the garage floor here painted I had them mix construction sand into the paint to ensure a nonskid surface. Its worked for me for 14 years and whenever I do a floor paint touch up I add a couple of handfuls of sand to the paint bucket before putting it into the roller tray.


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## Troy (Oct 11, 2010)

RNPete , I'm not sure what your reffering to as misinformation. As I have went back and reread this thread and I can't find anywhere that fishhead was given any misinformation on here from anyone. I'm not sure what type of sealer you are talking about useing as every type of sealer that I have tried to use on a floor does not provide sufficiant film thickness to be able to add sand (Silica) to give it enough anti slip properties to justify it's use. If the floor does not get some kind of etching , grinding or blasting NOTHING and I mean NOTHING will stick to it. The sealer that most concrete companies use to seal the concrete during power trowleing is at least a 5% Silicone Sealer which penatrates deeply into the concrete and if it is not removed by Grinding or Blasting then the pours of the concrete have to be opened by Etching to give the coating something to bite onto or you have just wasted your time and money.

Paintboy , I agree that epoxy is absolutally the way to go and adding the sand (Silica is a must or it will be really slippery thats why I told him to put it on the epoxy while still wet. The reason I say put it on and not in the epoxy is , when mixed into the epoxy the problems I've had were that with use as the Epoxy film that covers the Silica wears off the Sand particulat pop out of the coating , then it will allow moisture to get under the film surface and cause the film to pop loose from the substrate (Concrete). I agree that grinding the floor will also work great however most people don't have access to a floor grinder. I have never however had a problem with useing acid to etch the concrete if done how I explained it to fishhead to do it. The problem most people have with failure is they don't clean the floor well enough after useing the acid to etch it. Just a quick hitting with a pressure washer WILL NOT do the job and failure will then result in the paint film. I have painted liturally 1,000's of floors (Garage , Shop , Basements , Ect.) and when prep is done correctly failure has never been a problem.

Downhome , You are very correct in the fact that having a company come in and grind or blast a concrete floor is anything but cheap. It does however give a really good heavy profile to apply a coating to.


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## ||Downhome|| (Jan 12, 2009)

Troy said:


> RNPete , I'm not sure what your reffering to as misinformation. As I have went back and reread this thread and I can't find anywhere that fishhead was given any misinformation on here from anyone. I'm not sure what type of sealer you are talking about useing as every type of sealer that I have tried to use on a floor does not provide sufficiant film thickness to be able to add sand (Silica) to give it enough anti slip properties to justify it's use. If the floor does not get some kind of etching , grinding or blasting NOTHING and I mean NOTHING will stick to it. The sealer that most concrete companies use to seal the concrete during power trowleing is at least a 5% Silicone Sealer which penatrates deeply into the concrete and if it is not removed by Grinding or Blasting then the pours of the concrete have to be opened by Etching to give the coating something to bite onto or you have just wasted your time and money.
> 
> Paintboy , I agree that epoxy is absolutally the way to go and adding the sand (Silica is a must or it will be really slippery thats why I told him to put it on the epoxy while still wet. The reason I say put it on and not in the epoxy is , when mixed into the epoxy the problems I've had were that with use as the Epoxy film that covers the Silica wears off the Sand particulat pop out of the coating , then it will allow moisture to get under the film surface and cause the film to pop loose from the substrate (Concrete). I agree that grinding the floor will also work great however most people don't have access to a floor grinder. I have never however had a problem with useing acid to etch the concrete if done how I explained it to fishhead to do it. The problem most people have with failure is they don't clean the floor well enough after useing the acid to etch it. Just a quick hitting with a pressure washer WILL NOT do the job and failure will then result in the paint film. I have painted liturally 1,000's of floors (Garage , Shop , Basements , Ect.) and when prep is done correctly failure has never been a problem.
> 
> Downhome , You are very correct in the fact that having a company come in and grind or blast a concrete floor is anything but cheap. It does however give a really good heavy profile to apply a coating to.



Troy I was a Sherwin Williams "product specialist" once upon a time so I know you know what your talking about. My job was to recommend and sell the correct product as well as spec the prep down to the last detail. 

only had one company that did shot blasting so Im sure it was more expensive then where there is competition. they where really the only local 
floor company to speak of. 

my issue recommending epoxy is most of the non pros out there always have issue even a lot of pro painters do to, they dont let the product sweat in the correct time, or try mixing two different batch's , or just plain screw up the ratio! really believe me when I say this there is no such thing as a one part epoxy! and when you use a true two part epoxy follow the recommendation to the letter, always with any coating but more so on floors (they are the most hostile environment for coatings!) prep is 90% of the job! 

those are a few of the reason I would not sell a epoxy job to just anyone, as a supplier the company some times had to eat those jobs or a fraction of them. as troy stated earlier epoxy isn't cheap neither is labor. another is when a epoxy job fails
more times then not it is recommended to remove the coating and re prep the floor! you can get by by abrading the epoxy but anywhere it peeled is a ugly spot.

but I concur on the broad casting of the aggregate when doing a nonslip additive and with any coating. H and C has a very fine nonslip called shark grip, the finer the nonslip additive the less chance for it to come loose. 
every thing will wear with use of course but its relative.


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## Troy (Oct 11, 2010)

Downhome , Yes you are very correct on prep work being the biggest failure problem.

My Dad was a Gen. Cont. and Stucco , Drywall , Paint was my crews jobs. Then Dad sold the business and I ended up working for a little local paint mfg. company that was started by a gentalman that retired from Buckman Labs in the Coating Div. Really pushed the Barium Metaborate (Busan B-11-M1 , B1192D), Then about 12 yrs ago went to work for a Ben Moore dealer as a Product Specialist. 

Most would be suprised at how many floors have had to be redone do to prep and not product. As you know "It's always the products fault though. LOL Especially when the "Pro Painter" has 20-30 yrs. painting experiance. I'll give you 1 guess who ended up having to redo alot of those floors. (Some more of that "Company eating the cost of a job.")

You are also correct on the sweat time and how most won't do it. Even when you tell them they absolutly have to or the paint film will fail. It always amazed me how someone could mess up an epoxy mixture that all they had to do was dump the Qt. can into the Short filled Gal. can and mix , but it can be done. And yes there is no such thing as a 1 part epoxy coating I don't care what the can says.


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## fishhead (Jul 19, 2006)

How long do those 2 part epoxys last if they aren't mixed? I've got a set of cans sitting unopened that must be 4-5 years old.


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## jlrbhjmnc (May 2, 2010)

Backfourty said:


> Maybe it would be easier to put down those commercial big rubber mats used in resturaunt kitchen's, etc. in the main area's walked on. They also make rubber mats for garage floors too, not sure how well they'd hold up if you layed them where you drove on them all the time.


That's what I was thinking. Food service mats (lots of used restaurant stores would have them) or horse stall mats. And I think Northern Tool's catalog had rolls of garage floor covering pretty cheap - looked like it could be cut to fit. Not pretty, but it might work.


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## ||Downhome|| (Jan 12, 2009)

fishhead said:


> How long do those 2 part epoxys last if they aren't mixed? I've got a set of cans sitting unopened that must be 4-5 years old.


fish I would say they are past prime, you could use them maybe for a non mission critical job, something if it failed would not be a big issue. 

when I was in the paint store anything as old as 3 years was off the shelve, 
though product is supposed to be rotated so it that did not happen often. 

you may have had them for 4-5 years but they may have been warehoused and shelved a few years longer, paint and coatings should have a batch date some where, usually on the lid. it should be the day and year of manufacture

24502, 245th day of 2002 or may be 2452 there are also other numbers sometimes like plant and shift , you should be able to decode it though.


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## fishhead (Jul 19, 2006)

Thanks.


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## Marc zzzzzzzz (Oct 15, 2020)

fishhead said:


> The guy that did the concrete in my garage about 30 years ago made it almost shiny. Any snow on the feet makes it extremely slippery.
> 
> Is there any durable finish I can put on it to rough it up a bit?
> 
> Or maybe give it a brushing with muratic acid to remove a bit of the surface layer?


If you're in south Florida Miamifloorsafety.com is a great company with amazing and affordable solutions for your slippery pool decks, patios, bathrooms.


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## Marc zzzzzzzz (Oct 15, 2020)

If you're in south Florida Miamifloorsafety.com is a great company with amazing and affordable solutions for your slippery pool decks, patios, bathrooms.


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## Fishindude (May 19, 2015)

I like a really smooth slick slab because they sweep and clean up much easier and dry quicker, and you can squeegee the water off to drains. You could certainly apply any of the coatings mentioned above to get a little traction, but all of that stuff will wear and require upkeep, it will also hold more dirt and make the floor harder to clean.

Taking the surface off with acid would be dumb as you are doing permanent damage to the concrete. 
Just keep your floors clean and dry, and put down some good rubber mats to stomp your feet off on, when you get out of the car.


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## Seth (Dec 3, 2012)

Floor paint with sand mixed in. Yes, really. Seth


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