If you have tile floors in your home, you definitely must be aware of both their benefits and hazards. Tile floors resist damage better than many materials, but they can become dangerously slippery, especially when wet or freshly cleaned.
If your tiles are too slippery, try mopping them with plain water or a mix of water and vinegar. This will remove any remaining soap residue from previous cleans that can create very slippery tiles. If tiles are still slippery when dry, try an anti-slip treatment, install treads, or place rugs or runners for safety.
How do you treat slippery tiles?
As mentioned above, first check whether your tiles are slippery because of the cleaning products you’re using on the surface. Soap residue when left on the floor can create extremely slippery tiles. So you need to make sure that you remove all the soap residue from your floor. Then in future cleaning, consider using less soap, or alternatively, choose to do a second mop with just plain water. If that still doesn’t fix your slippery floor, then you may like to consider bigger changes such as:
- Cover the tile floor with non-slip mats
- Add anti-slip stickers and treads
- Try an antislip floor treatment
- Switch to non-slip floor tiles
Cover Your Tile with Non-Slip Rugs
Using non-slip rugs is the quickest and most often the most convenient way to make your tile floor non-slippery. Not only can rugs, runners and mats prevent slips and falls. They can brighten a room, add softness and warmth underfoot, and make the entire space feel more comfortable and inviting.
But not all mats are made equivalent with regards to safety. Unstable rugs or those with curled edges can become tripping hazards, potentially making the area more dangerous instead of safer. The best type of rugs are those with non-slip backing. There’s an enormous choice of non-slip floor rugs in both online as well as offline stores. If you already have a rug that isn’t non-slip, you can place a non-slip floor underlay beneath it for safety.
Use Anti-Slip Treads
Though not ideal for home aesthetics, anti-slip tread stickers are an affordable, effective way to make commercial tile floors safer.
Non-slip treads (or stickers) can be a very smart choice. They can be used on indoor smooth surfaces, similar to rest room ceramic tiles or stairs.
The main benefit of anti-slip treads is their effectiveness and affordability without altering the original appearance of your tile surface.
They are removable, so if you change your mind later, you can easily remove them without causing damage to surfaces.
The downside is anti-slip treads usually don’t last as long as tile treatments and may eventually start to look unattractive. They also change the aesthetics of the room and some people may not like what they look like.
Anti-slip treads are widely available, but many low-quality options don’t stick well and often peel off within a few weeks.
Use an Anti-Slippery floor coating
If rugs aren’t your preference or you want less cleaning, consider using an anti-slip floor coating to make tiles safer.
An anti-slip floor treatment is usual a product that you apply to the surface of your tile. It the changes the properties of your tile resulting in a less slippery surface. Various treatments can reduce floor slipperiness, so it’s important to research and choose the one that best suits your needs.
Follow the user manual provided with your particular product when performing anti slip floor treatment or anti slip coating. But most items will work best on the off chance that you start with a neat surface. Clean your coated ceramic tiles with cleanser and high temp water to remove any oil deposits. After this, let them dry for a few hours, prior to utilizing your product. A few products work best on a surface that is delicately sanded first, so check with your headings. Also, consistently follow the provided safety instructions in the manual, such as wearing gloves and a face mask, when utilizing your picked formula.
Another thing to consider is whether the anti-slip treatment will change the appearance of your flooring. As it is changing the texture of your surface, your flooring is going to look less shiny and glossy as it looks now. You need to ensure that you will be happy with any changes so no unpleasant surprises are experienced!
Lastly, you want to make sure you get a quality product. Once such a treatment is applied a change of mind can be disastrous. Also a low quality product that produces a substandard or flakey final result or wears prematurely could be a great disappointment. If you are going to do it, research properly and get a quality product as it will likely be more expensive up front, but cheaper in the long run.
Replace Old Tiles with Non-Slip Ones
One of the most drastic and expensive options is to replace your existing tiles. Replacing floor tile could be a sensible decision if your tiles are old, damaged, or if you want to replace them at anyway.
While this is a pretty costly and tedious method of making your floors safer, it can give you truly great outcomes. If you pick a quality product, you can be sure that your results will be non-slip for the whole time they are there!
Why is my tile floor so slippery?
There are numerous reasons due to which floors can get slippery, but the most common ones are:
- Dampness
- Oil
- Dust or Powder
- An excessive amount of floor cleaner or wax
- Soap Foam
- Cleaning Chemicals that are not suitable for your type of floor
How Do I Make My Bathroom Floor Tiles Less Slippery?
Sometimes, bathroom floors can be highly slippery. As mentioned above, the first thing to check is that all soap residue is removed from the floor. In the bathroom you have other considerations like shampoo and soap, they can all contribute to a slippery environment.
An anti slip tile treatment can also be used to make them a lot less slippery, but if you need a truly basic alternative, get a plastic safety rug. They are easy to clean, whereas a grippy tile in the bathroom can require a lot of work to keep clean. Fortunately, there are various items accessible that you can use to make your tiles non-slip without changing the presence of your tiles.
What Can I Put On Slippery Outdoor Tiles?
With regards to outdoor projects, a definitive solution is to select natural stone tiles. They have numerous benefits yet most outstandingly they are solid, lovely and versatile. Since there is an extraordinary assortment of natural stones you have lots of choice when choice the style that is best for your outdoor area.
Stone tiles can be used for pretty much every project both outside and inside and they have the benefit of creating a timeless look. Natural stone tiles are ideal where you want to create consistency between your internal house décor layout and your garden areas. Since most stones additionally come in numerous different shades, it means you can get your favorite stone and play with its subtleties or various completions to accomplish a mélange outlook.
Practical Insight from the Trade
Slippery tiles aren’t just a domestic concern — they’re a major safety risk on commercial sites, especially in high-traffic entryways and outdoor areas exposed to rain. The team at Rednax Recruitment notes that many businesses and facility managers only address the issue after someone’s had a near miss. “We’ve had workers come back from jobs where a simple anti-slip treatment could have prevented falls — especially in places like cafes, aged care homes, or public amenities,” one site coordinator explained. Whether it’s applying an anti-slip coating or laying down textured mats in the short term, Rednax recommends tackling the issue early to avoid injury and liability.
How do you stop tiles from being slippery?
As you see, you can make your slippery tile floor safe effectively, regardless of whether you’re on a short budget. If you need to utilize rugs, ensure you choose the non-slip ones. As another option, you can put non-slip pads under your old rugs or use a hot glue gun to make them anti-slip. Using mats that are appropriately secured to the floor is the quickest and most effortless approach to make your restroom and kitchen tile floor less dangerous.