Slippery floors are a lot of fun if you’re a child. Simply take your shoes off and slide across the floor in your socks. It’s fun until they fall or crash into something and then you need to deal with the resulting injuries.
In other words, you need to get rid of slippery floors and add non-slip floors. This is a good approach at home and an essential approach in the workplace. The question is, what’s the best way to get rid of slippery floors?
Paint Them
You can paint a concrete floor with specialist with specialist polyurethane floor paints. These are non-slip and can transform a battered floor into a stunning-looking one. It’s not generally considered an option at home although there has been an increase in popularity in recent years.
It’s worth noting that this type of floor paint can be applied to a new floor. Simply rip up your existing floor, repair or create a concrete subfloor, and add epoxy or polyurethane paint. You can choose your preferred colour and you’ll have a durable floor that fits with almost any room design.
Wood Flooring
Another option is to simply cover the existing floor with a new one. Hardwood flooring is considered a popular option as it looks great, is durable, naturally non-slip, and is surprisingly easy to look after. It is one of the more expensive options. But, its durability makes it cost-effective in the long term.
However, while this is a practical choice for homes and offices, it won’t work in warehouses and other commercial sites with lots of traffic and spills. Wood flooring doesn’t react well to liquid spills.
Use Mats
If you’re adding mats to the key areas where people are most likely to slip then you need the right ones. That means getting rubber-backed mats that won’t move when traffic goes back and forth over it.
These mats instantly make the floor non-slip and safer. But, they will need regular cleaning and you’ll need to position them in all the slippery areas. It may be easier to simply carpet the space, if that is a practical option.
Keep Them Clean
Whatever your existing floor it is possible to make it less slippery or even non-slip by keeping it clean. While you may think that a build-up of debris will make the floor sticker and therefore gripper, the opposite is actually true. This is especially true if you’ve been using the wrong cleaning products and they have made the floor more slippery.
This is a particular problem in places where you’ll finds grease on the floors. To avoid this issue and make your floors non-slip, use vinegar when cleaning your floors. This cuts through the grease and grime and takes you back to the original flooring. You can then add a non-slip polish to help maintain the safety of anyone passing over them.
Just remember to fully dry the floor before anyone walks on it, this helps to ensure it’s not slippery.
