How slippery the polished concrete is?
Slip resistance is a concern with many floor systems, but particularly with as hard a floor as concrete. Risk of injury is one of the biggest drawbacks to concrete. Intuitively, one might suspect that a highly polished concrete floor would become highly slippery-and thus more of a problem. It turns out that’s not the case. You have to put your feet on it to believe it. SCOF (Static Coefficient of Friction) test indicates finer grit levels and higher gloss actually provide a very safe floor for foot traffic, with SCOF increasing (i.e. becoming more slip-resistant) with higher gloss levels. The National Floor Safety Institute (NFSI) is an independent tester of floors including polished concrete. Its method, NFSI 101-A, Standard for Evaluating High-traction Flooring Materials, Coatings, and Finishes, tests treated surfaces twice: – Once, soon after a floor is polished and densified; and – 30 days later to evaluate the effects of normal facility traffic of the original reading. Surfaces mu
Slip resistance is a concern with many floor systems, but particularly for concrete floors. Risk of injury is one of the biggest drawbacks to concrete. Intuitively, one might suspect that a highly polished concrete floor would become highly slippery-and thus more of a problem. It turns out that’s not the case. Contrary to a common perception, the degree of polish or shine is not directly related to slip resistance. A 400-grit finish can and usually is less slip-resistant than a higher 1500 or 3000-grit final finish. It helps to think of it in this way: when a floor is wet and a person walks on it, the peaks and valleys in the landscape of the surface create a tendency for the person to hydroplane. On a completely flat surface such as that produced by 1500 or 3000 grit, the water is pressed out from under the shoe, putting the sole directly in contact with the concrete surface actually making the shoe stick to the surface. A true grinding and polishing system with the highest levels of
