Most types of hard flooring, including ceramic tiles are slippery when wet, or when contaminated with various liquids such as oils grease and cooking fats.
Many of the slippery floor treatments available to increase slip resistance, involve etching the tile with some kind of acid based treatment.
The problem with etching is that the appearance of the floor suffers markedly, either initially or as time progresses. Ultimately you shorten the life of the tile by removing material.
Etching
What happens is that acid based treatments eat into the surface of the flooring so that they become perforated with microscopic pits.
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Often there are odors associated with the treatment and this etching also destroys the sealer layer removing the sheen from the tile finish.
The floor tile is now dull and more likely to take on stains. Any initial improvement in slip resistance deteriorates with normal soiling by dirt grease and mineral deposits.
Users have found the flooring becomes difficult to clean and that the treatment must be repeated, which leads to further weakening of the floor tile.
Surface solution
A more sustainable and effective way dealing with a slippery floor is to surface coat the ceramic tile.
Glaze Guard anti-slip floor coating is designed to give coefficient of friction (grip, or traction) levels that are safer in wet or dry conditions.
Glaze Guard is classified as a High Traction, High Slip Resistance floor finish, exceeding traditional wax and acrylic finishes (wet or dry) and meeting and exceeding ADA standards.
The product has been independently tested by the Nation Floor Safety Institute (NFSI) and has a Wet SCOF of > 0.60 for wet walkway surfaces.
When it comes to ceramic tile, Glaze Guard has proven to be a very a cost effective solution for dealing with slippery floor tiles in many areas such as bathrooms, restrooms, kitchens, entrance ways and reception areas.
Glaze guard
The whole process of dealing with slippery floor tile is much more environmentally friendly than etching with virtual zero odors.
The product is highly durable and provides a water clear protective coating to the floor. The product is UV stable and can be used to make an interior or exterior slippery floor anti-slip without yellowing.
Coating the tile surface with Glaze Guard makes the floor resistant to abrasion and a wide range of chemicals including acid, bleach, solvents and oils. Because Glaze Guard is stain resistant coated floors are much easier to clean.
Glaze Guard can be used on to Ceramic, Porcelain and Marble tile and is available in high gloss, satin and matte finishes.