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Q. - Hello, We live in MN and have a stained and sealed patio that is VERY slippery. With 3 little grandchildren it has become a major concern for me. Even if the patio is dry and they run across it with wet feet after playing in the pool or sprinkler they will go flying. How can we roughen this up to make it safe? Thanks!
Hello Sue,
A. - You could of course strip the sealer off, which may be the best in this case. The manufacturer of the sealer used could tell you how best to strip it off, but basically you can use a citrus stripper and straw scrub brush and/or a power washer. Also, you could rent a sandblaster and blast it.
You could also put a new coat of sealer on that has a traction additive mixed in it. Our Clear Grip traction additive has a sandpaper finish but sealed concrete is still slippery regardless. You should do a test area before doing the entire project.
Another thing to think about is this: if you used a solvent base sealer then it will be much more slippery than a water base sealer because you put solvents on as thick as you can which totally covers over the texture on the surface of the concrete and completely smoothes it off, as to where a water base sealer is put on as thin as you can which allows the the texture in the concrete to still come through, thereby being less slippery.
Again, any sealed concrete can be slippery, especially when wet, so do a test area of whatever you decide to do.
I hope this helps
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