Can an anti-slip additive be used on a sealed pool deck?

Anti-slip additives for a sealed paver surface exist as named products, not one category. W. R. Meadows sells SURE-STEP, a finely ground polymer material added to concrete sealers for slip resistance, usable in most film-forming water- and solvent-based sealers.

Techniseal sells Surefoot Anti-Slip Grit as the product its own Natural Look (NS) Protector data sheet points to when slipping is a concern, added to the Protector before application. SEK-Surebond recommends an anti-slip additive for its SB-1300 sealer specifically for traction on inclines and around consistently wet areas such as pool deck surrounds, adding that some surfaces may require one.

An additive adds grip; it does not remove the risk. ASCC's Decorative Concrete Council, writing about decorative concrete, says “grip additives do not make the surface totally non-slip,” and that the underlying texture of the concrete can have as much to do with slipperiness as the gloss.

W. R. Meadows draws the same line for its own product: SURE-STEP “will increase the texturing effect of a sealer,” but the addition “should not be considered non-skid, anti-skid, or non-slip.” Under some conditions its granules may be visible, and depending on the surface that may alter color or dull the surface, which is why W. R. Meadows recommends a small application test section.

Techniseal sells two natural-look paver products with opposite slip lines, so the product code matters more than the brand. Its Product Guide lists the (iN) Natural Look Protector as “Penetrating: Will not make surfaces more slippery.” The Natural Look (NS) Protector is a different item, an acrylic film-forming sealer and joint stabilizer, and its data sheet says: “This product will make the surface more slippery when wet.” That sheet also names the (iN) Protector as an alternative, “although it is not a joint stabilizer.”

Whether sealing makes a deck more slippery in the first place, and how a penetrating sealer differs from a film-forming one on that point, is answered under why a sealed surface turns white or slippery; this page is about the additive, not the base sealer. The named matte and natural-look products themselves are compared, code by code, under matte and natural-look paver sealers.

ICPI publishes no slip value in Tech Spec 5. It says slip and skid resistance “should be maintained with properly applied joint sand stabilizer or surface sealers,” that the makers of those products should be consulted on slip and skid performance under wet and dry conditions, and for test methods it points to its Tech Spec 13. A sealer laid on too heavily can itself leave a surface slippery once cured, one of the signs of over-sealing on pavers, and over-application is one of the conditions ICPI attaches to the day a sealer goes on.

Testing comes before an additive or a sealer goes on a whole deck, and the sealer makers' own test step is set out under a paver color test before sealing. Which sealer suits a pool deck rather than a driveway is answered under a different sealer for driveway and pool pavers, and sealing one surface while leaving another bare is covered under sealing only the driveway and not the walkway.