Non-skid floor treament ideas?

I’m trying to help make my slippery tile floors less dangerous without having to place rugs all over the house. Does anyone know of a sort of non-skid floor treatment that helps to give tile floors more traction?

 

I used a product on my floors and I'm king of half and half with how I feel about it. I was on google searching for ideas. I typed in "slippery tile", and I just went with the first option. On the negative side, the shipping took way longer than I expected, and it was very tricky to apply. The directions were very vague to me and it seemed way more difficult than it needed to be. But on the positive side, it was pretty affordable and they even offered free shipping. As far as the product actually working, I think it does it's job. So if you want to try it out yourself you should, but proceed with caution! LOL

 

What kind of tile do you have? Most floor tile has a little "stuff" that keeps them from becoming too slick. Marble, on the other hand, is really slick.

 

Chandler-Yes, I'm stuck with marble in my bathroom and laundry room!
meyers1957-Thanks for the warning!

 

Ugh. I hate marble floors. My in-laws put them in the bathrooms in their lake place and they looked really cool for about a week. Then reality set in....

 

I doubt you will find a product that will make marble any less slippery without damaging the surface or discoloring it. I feel for you. I had a client with a full bath and walk in closet with marble which she hated. It all came out and a nice ceramic went in. Her marble had foot traffic marks from the door to the toilet and to the closet plainly visible all the time. Yucky.

 

Any janitorial supply house will have treatments you can put on your floors to make them less slippery. Also they have waxes and buffing materials. marble requires more maintenence. Ive installed marble and granite in many commercial buildings that still look new even after 25-30 years. Granted, they were reground and polished a few times.

 

I don't consider myself an expert on this subject but........

The anti-slip treatments I've seen work by etching the floor which gives it a little texture and a gloss reduction of about 15-20%. The theory is that this does not change the appearance enough for anyone to mind.

Well, if my floor all of a sudden had even a slight texture and was duller, I would mind alot. But for commercial applications where someone made a big mistake this would be much better than having people fall because the floor was too smooth and slippery.

But you may not have to go the etching route. Years ago I learned that Miracle Sealant's 511 Impregnator is not only an excellent sealer but also makes the ceramic, marble or just about any stone tile less slippery. I don't know if it'll cure everyone's problem, but it will help without ruining the tiles.

Check it out. Miracle Sealants Company

Jaz

 

Jaz, thanks for the tip on Miracle's 511.

mci772, Jaz is right about the possibility of the stone dulling. Some companies claim that they dont dull but I dont know how that is possible, although I have never used their products. The slipping is akin to your car tires hydroplaning on a wet roadway. I'll give you two companies that advertise in the National Tile Contractors Association "Tile Letter". Not saying they are what the doctor ordered, just a point of reference. One is SLIPGUARD.COM and the other is Fix Slippery Tile - Slip Guard Systems Inc.