By Nick Dancer and Abigail Reuille
Polished concrete flooring looks beautiful in interior settings, is extremely durable, and is fully customizable. Although there are obvious benefits of polished concrete, a common concern about the flooring solution is the slip resistance – or perceived lack thereof. It is important to remember that while polished concrete is shiny, shine does not always constitute slipperiness.
Any hard surface flooring may be slippery when wet. While polished concrete is shiny, it is much less slippery than it seems to appear. Even when polished to a 1600-grit finish (super sheen and reflectivity), polished concrete flooring still can meet the ADA and OSHA slip coefficient recommendations.
A draw to polished concrete is that there is no topical surface on the finished floor – the sealers penetrate into the pores of the concrete, making the surface extremely durable. However, there are also options to add to the surface of the concrete to increase slip resistance. These options include urethane and epoxies where anti-slip grit can be added to ensure maximum traction when working in wet environments.
Here is an article that delves deeper into the slip resistance of polished concrete.
