Customized Stop-the-Slip Solutions
For Your Unique Conditions
Your Stop-the-Slip Solutions Graded:
ClearGrip Treads & Tape: A
For stained, painted, or clear-coated wood floors inside the home, ClearGrip Treads and ClearGrip Tape can provide excellent slip prevention while allowing the natural beauty of the wood finish to shine through. ClearGrip rubberized vinyl provides excellent traction that works well with bare feet, socks, slippers, shoes and even pet paws!
The non-slip vinyl treads are easy to apply with an adhesive backing that is strong enough to keep the treads securely in place, but that also can be removed in the future, if desired. ClearGrip Treads come in either 6″ x 24″ or 6″ x 12″ sizes that can be trimmed, if desired. ClearGrip tape comes in 15-foot roles in a 2-inch width.
ClearGrip Treads and tape can also be used on many other surfaces including ceramic tile, laminate flooring, natural stone and sealed concrete. Maintenance of ClearGrip products is easy. They can be mopped or wiped down with soap and water with ease.
You can expect ClearGrip Treads and ClearGrip Tape to last for 3 to 5 years, depending on the foot traffic on the stairs.
It’s important to remember that the darker the color of the wood or paint, the more visible the ClearGrip products will be. On light wood the vinyl tread is nearly invisible. On dark wood, you will notice it.
Total Score: A
Effectiveness: A
Installation & Maintenance: A
Durability: A
Initial Price: B
Long-Term Value: A
Non-Slip Grit Treads: B
Handi-Treads Stop-the-Slip Grit Treads are perfect for wood floors where a maximum amount of traction is required and you’re not concerned about appearances. Because most people have wood floors because they are beautiful, Grit Treads get a lower effectiveness grade.
The commercial grade non-slip grit treads provide a high traction surface for wood floors in the work place or at home in wet, dry and oily conditions. Stop-the-Slip Grit Treads are intended for stairs where footwear are normally worn. They are not appropriate for stairs where socks and bare feet are the norm.
These non-slip treads are 6″ x 24″, meet Prop 65 and ADA standards, are NFSI certified for “High Traction”, and can be cut to meet custom size needs. Treads come 4 per package and are available in black, black with glow strip, black with reflective strip, and *luminescent.
Installation is simple and fast. The peel-and-stick backing of the grit treads provides maximum adhesion to properly cleaned painted or sealed wood surfaces an is intended to last for many years. No maintenance is required for grit treads. Grit treads will maintain their effectiveness, depending on the level of use, from 2 to 4 years.
Total Score: B
Effectiveness: C
Installation & Maintenance: A
Durability: B
Initial Price: B
Long-Term Value: B
Rubber or Fabric Mats or Rugs: B-
Rubber or fabric mats or area rugs can be an effective, temporary way to increase the traction in certain areas of a floor in your home. Industrial-quality rubber mats are frequently associated with professional kitchens where their ability to improve traction on wet tile floors make them a common feature. These very same qualities make them a good candidate to reduce the risk of slips and falls in the kitchen. Of course, they’re not appropriate for the bathroom where rubber-backed fabric mats are more common.
Mats can also be a potential source of trips and falls if one were to catch their foot on the edge. This is why it’s especially important that rubber kitchen mats have a beveled edge to reduce the chance of catching a toe. In the bathroom, fabric mats must simply be used with care.
There is no installation required with mats as they can be laid down in the area where you need the extra traction.
Depending upon thickness and quality of the rubber or fabric mat material you can expect the mat to last 2 to 4 years.
Total Score: B-
Effectiveness: C
Installation & Maintenance: A
Durability: B
Initial Price: C
Long-Term Value: C
Anti-Slip Paint or Finish: N/A
Grit paint is not typically appropriate for interior residential wood floors where people will be walking in bare feet or with socks. The grit in most anti-slip paints is so aggressive that they will cause pulls in the sock fabric and will also be too harsh on your feet. Grit paint is also unattractive in a residential setting, making it a poor choice where aesthetics matter.
There are some chemical sprays and treatments on the market that are meant to “rough up” a painted or sealed wood finish, but at this time we cannot recommend them.
For wood stairs that are leading to utility rooms or basements where shoes will always be worn – and appearance is not critical – grit paint can be an acceptable way to improve traction.
Grit paint can be difficult to apply as surface preparation and careful application is critical. Once applied to stained or sealed steps it’s almost impossible to successfully return the stairs to their natural wood finish. The cost of anti-slip paint is $60 to $120 a gallon. Used inside the home, grit paint will last for 8 to 10 years.
Total Score: N/A
Effectiveness: N/A
Installation & Maintenance: D
Durability: B
Initial Price: D
Long-Term Value: D