For a short period of time, we sold a water-based anti-slip floor coating from a shady company in Florida that filed bankruptcy several times (unbeknownst to us), that has now changed its name and moved to New Mexico, claiming to specialize in “protective coatings”. Selling a water-based floor safety coating turned out to be a very bad idea, indeed!
First, we tried installing it in 300 bathtubs at a resort/hotel in Florida. Although the housekeeping staff were told that this gritty anti-slip floor coating was being applied and to not scrub it off the bottom of the tub, it only took a few weeks before each tub had been scrubbed clean of the anti-slip tub coating with abrasive pads and other cleaning techniques. It was just habit for the maids at this beach resort to scrub sand off the bottom of the tubs, and this gritty coating felt just like sand, so their instinct kicked in and they easily were able to scrub the water-based anti-slip floor coating down the drain. After all, it’s just water, some plastic beads to provide some minimal grip, and a couple other ingredients to hold the water-based floor coating to the tub. Not durable at all.
Before we realized what a bad idea water-based anti-slip floor coatings were, we installed it in a very upscale spa in a resort in Laguna Beach, California. They had heavy wooden chairs and chaise lounge chairs on the pool decks of this fancy spa (that had pools, a cold-plunge pool, and hot tubs), and every time a client dragged one of these chairs across the pool deck to get in and out of the sun, or join a friend, the coating scraped right up and off the floor, leaving an ugly mess to be cleaned up by staff right away. This started the coating peeling up EVERYWHERE. We had to grind that water-based anti-slip coating off with a polishing pad only days after spending all night applying it.
We also applied it to our bathtub at home and noticed it didn’t provide much grip. It was better than the super slippery tub, but even after applying several coats, the tub was still pretty slippery. You get what you pay for!
These water-based tub and floor coatings are usually tested with bogus tile-industry-created tests like ANSI A326.3 to say slippery floors aren’t slippery, or ASTM D2047, both of which are not international science-backed safety assessments. For that, you need the pendulum tester, shown below, which has a published test method in over 50 nations and a pendulum test value (PTV) over 36. In the USA, the pendulum DCOF test method is called ASTM E303-22. If someone is trying to sell an anti-slip floor coating without a PTV rating, and saying it’s “above a DCOF 0f 0.42” or “above an SCOF of 0.50” or some other nonsense, their scamming you.
If you’re looking for a slippery and short-lasting anti-slip floor floor or tub coating, then buy some water and some plastic beads in a bottle with a couple other chemicals. But be forewarned, you may need to prep the floor with another chemical for this water-based nonsense to stick to your floor. The project may take SEVERAL trips to the hardware store before you’re done!
But if you’re looking for real anti-slip floor protection that will endure for a decade or two, then there are low VOC and very safe solutions available these days. The technology has come a long way lately and big international companies and government agencies are buying up SparkleTuff™ Anti-Slip Floor Coating by the gallons and gallons for their ramps, pool decks, tubs, manufacturing facilities, bathrooms, and high-risk flooring areas.
The most popular no-skid floor coating is SparkleTuff™ Anti-Slip Floor Coating, available exclusively through Safety Direct America. It’s safe to apply, very slip resistant, and very durable. It’s not some water and some plastic beads. Don’t get conned by slick adds and fake awards for water-based anti-slip floor products – you’ll just end up applying them again and again week after week until your bottle is gone, then you’ll eventually learn what we learned: you get what you pay for! Don’t pay for water and plastic beads when your safety is on the line!
If you’re looking to save yourself from a life-changing slip and fall injury, don’t pay for a cheap water-based non-skid floor coating. It could cost you a serious injury, or in the case of slippery tubs and pool decks, it may cost you your life!
