An epoxy floor is a great addition to enhance the appeal and value of your garage. However, it can be equally dangerous with the non-porous qualities. Any liquid spill like oil or water can become a threatening floor that will make you slip. It can become a life hazard in a place like a garage, where you have so many tools and equipment. So, to eliminate this problem, here is the list of things you can do to make epoxy garage floor less slippery:
1. Use The Shark Grip
Shark grip is a ‘go-to’ solution for many people to make their flooring anti-slip. You will get a fine texture for your epoxy floor, but at the cost of reduced gloss. Shark grip easily mixes and blends with almost any painting or coating material, making it versatile.
Almost any expert will tell you to use a shark grip as it is smooth on bare feet, as well. The only problem is that it doesn’t work with thicker coatings as it will settle down.
2. The Aluminum Oxide Additive
This is an industrial-grade non-skid surface available for epoxy flooring in the garage. Aluminium oxide additive adds exceptional grip strength to the floor. If you have a thicker coating, this will work well for its toughness and durable coating.
The remarkable grip strength comes at a cost. For instance, it makes the surface rougher. If you have kids or pets, they might injure themselves if they fall on the floor. Bare feet, skin and other parts will receive bruises quickly from the grip of the floor. You can vacuum the floor, but mops and other equipment will just end up making things worse.
3. Use The Silica Sand
Silica sand works best with epoxy floorings that are coloured. It is applied right before the top coat to provide a bumpy and robust grip. The drawback of silica sand is that it compromises the integrity of the epoxy floor. In a way, silica is brittle and will form cracks faster if the garage receives heavy traffic.
On the other hand, if you use silica sand intensively, it can work the same as aluminium oxide in a grip and feel like sandpaper. Thus, it is not great for bare feet and such. But you can make it work.
The aluminium oxide additive and silica sand are better for commercial garages. These are the places where you work in the garage like a professional. However, if you’re sure that you can maintain it and there won’t be any harm in using it at home, you can go for it. There are some other tips that you can follow to keep the garage floor less slippery:
- Try to use containment mats on top of the epoxy flooring. This can keep the floors dry and skid-resistant. These work as temporary fixes.
- You can also go for carpet runners and use them in place of containment mats.
Remember that there’s no need for you to use anti-slip additives if you live in a dry area. But, if you’re in a place prone to moisture, fluid, and such, consider these options for concrete epoxy coating with Hychem.
