Laying Down the Pavement

How Anti-Slip Concrete Sealer Works And Why It's The Best Option To Make A Concrete Surface Safer To Walk On When Wet

8 August 2022 by Clifton Sullivan

If you have a concrete driveway, patio, or pool deck that becomes dangerously slippery when it gets wet, you can make it safer by applying an anti-slip concrete sealer to it. Sealing concrete creates a protective layer of acrylic on the surface, which helps prevent the concrete underneath from being damaged by water. The acrylic layer also helps repel stains. One of the biggest benefits of sealing concrete, however, is that you can make it much less slippery by picking the right concrete sealer. To learn how an anti-slip concrete sealer works and why it's the best option to make a concrete surface less slippery, read on.

How Does Anti-Slip Concrete Sealer Work?

Anti-slip concrete sealer contains sand, aluminum, or plastic beads that improve traction on a concrete surface. When you apply a sealer to a concrete surface, it will bond to the top of the concrete as it dries. Adding grit to the sealer will make it less slippery by making the surface rougher and more textured, and it still makes the surface less slippery even when it's wet.

When you're picking an anti-slip concrete sealer, it's best to choose one that contains plastic beads. The plastic beads are rounded, which makes them more comfortable to walk on compared to sand or aluminum — this is important if you're sealing a surface that you expect to walk on barefoot, such as a patio or pool deck. The plastic beads are also transparent, so they won't change the appearance of the concrete. Sand and aluminum will make the concrete look lighter, and they will also make the concrete look shinier since they reflect light.

Does Anti-Slip Concrete Sealer Wear Off?

You'll have to periodically reapply the anti-slip concrete sealer to the surface that you're trying to make less slippery. The grit in the sealer will eventually wear away, and your surface will become slippery again. How often you'll need to reapply the sealer depends on the amount of traffic that the surface gets. For example, a driveway will need to be sealed more often because a vehicle's tires will quickly wear away the grit on the surface. Whenever you notice your concrete surface start to become slippery again, you'll need to apply more anti-slip sealer.

Is Using Anti-Slip Concrete Sealer the Only Way to Make a Concrete Surface Less Slippery?

Anti-slip concrete sealer isn't the only way to improve traction on a concrete surface, but it's almost always the best option. Another way to improve traction is to have the surface sandblasted. Sandblasting the surface opens up pores in the concrete, making it rougher. Unfortunately, opening up pores in the surface of the concrete makes it more susceptible to becoming stained, since oil and other liquids can seep into the concrete more easily. For the same reason, it also becomes more susceptible to being damaged by water. Sealing your concrete surface, on the other hand, will help protect it instead of making it less resilient.

If you have a concrete surface that becomes too slippery when it's wet, call a concrete sealing company and have them seal it with an anti-slip concrete sealer. It's an inexpensive way to make concrete driveways, patios, and pool decks safer to walk on when they're wet, and it will also help protect the concrete from water and stains.

For more information, contact a concrete sealing company near you.

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