Bathroom and balcony flooring become dangerous when water accumulates. For children and the elderly, this situation can increase the risk of slipping. Thankfully, anti-slip and non-slip treatments are the perfect solution to ensuring the safety of people walking in wet areas or rooms with slippery surfaces.

Despite their similarities, both anti-slip and non-slip treatment feature key differences that make them each useful in certain situations. 

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Why You Need Anti-Slip Or Non-Slip Treatments

While slippery floors may seem like just a nuisance, they can cause serious problems if not treated. This is especially true for commercial businesses obligated to prevent accidents caused by slippery floors. In the bathroom, leaking showers can result in slippery floors and increase the risk of a nasty fall. Beyond this, slippery floors are common occurrences across the home and outside due to weather conditions, spills, cleaning & more. 

Regardless of the cause, non-slip or anti-slip coatings for tiles & other floor surfaces are crucial to avoiding serious injuries. 

Anti-Slip Treatment

An anti-slip treatment refers to acid etching techniques. The process involves applying an acid that is often a hydrofluoric, phosphoric, or hydrochloric solution. The acid causes a chemical reaction that attacks the calcium in the flooring or the glaze and silica composition of tiles, breaking down microscopic amounts of the silica. The result is a rougher floor surface and increased grip and slip resistance. 

Effectiveness of anti-slip treatments

The effectiveness of anti-slip treatments is hard to measure accurately due to the number of acids used and the variations in strength. Moreover, the chemical etching of floor surfaces is often invisible to the naked eye, making it difficult to detect whether the treatment is still effective. As such, it’s best to hire professionals such as Megasealed, who provide an anti-slip chemical etchant that is CSIRO-certified for medium slip resistance.

Non-Slip Coatings

Non-slip treatment involves painting the floor surface with a coating. This gives the treatment a dual purpose, providing slip resistance and sealing the floor. This second purpose has the added benefit of giving the floor a protective layer, preventing dirt from sticking to the surface. Applying non-slip coatings, in comparison to anti-slip, doesn’t damage or change the surface’s chemical structure. Therefore, the treatment is perfect for various floor surfaces ranging from porcelain, granite, marble & more. Moreover, non-slip coatings can come in different colours, making this an aesthetic choice for the home and commercial areas. 

Effectiveness of non-slip coatings

Non-slip coatings come in different grades and effectiveness. The treatment process creates a consistent finish on surfaces, making it easier for institutions like the CSIRO to measure and certify the products. The agency will first measure the slip resistance of the coatings according to the Australian standard. They will then give the product a rating based on an established scale. It’s always best to check that the non-slip treatment can withstand wet conditions as the testing occurs in dry and wet situations.

Megasealed provides their trademark Megagrip anti-slip solution, available in Standard and Heavy-Duty variations. These products were tested by the CSIRO, giving a high and very-high anti-slip rating respectively. 

Non-Slip Coating or Anti-Slip Treatment?

When it comes to deciding on non-slip coating or anti-slip, there are two key factors. Non-slip coatings are often made from epoxy, meaning they’re most cost-effective when applied in specific high-risk areas such as stairs and ramps. On the other hand, anti-slip treatments are the most efficient spraying across large tiled areas and other slippery floor surfaces. 

Megasealed offers long-term safety solutions for residential and commercial areas. Get a free quote from our non-slip tile coating professionals today to reduce the risk of injury for your family or customers.