What products are the safest surfaces around pools?
The ability of a wet surface to provide a good safe, non-slip environment for traffic, especially children, around swimming pools is of critical importance. Natural stone products are ideally suited to swimming pool surrounds because of their coarse and slightly uneven surfaces. The texture and surface finish of the stone is the key to it’s safety. Providing the surface is not polished the vast majority of stone surfaces are far safer when wet than the man-made article – especially for exuberant children who love playing around pools and who tend to run rather walk! Sandstone, quartzite, travertine and limestone all provide good non-slip surfaces around pools, as do slates with irregular finishes. Natural split, tumbled, antique and flamed surfaces are most popular and provide good “grippy” surfaces. The best guide to the potential slip resistance of a stone are the wet pendulum test results that are published on this website under the relevant material.
