Less Slippery Showers-The how-to guide Updated April 20, 2020
Photo by The Creative Exchange on Unsplash
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Showers are dangerous and one the most slippery surfaces in a home. This most significant cause is soap, hair wash products, and oils. The most slipping accidents happen in showers, and today we are going to help you to get less slippery showers.
The CDC shows how many million people are injured each year from only taking a shower.
As Slip prevention experts, we feel it is our duty to provide the most information about slippery showers and give you a how-to guide on making showers less slippery.
Less Slippery Showers-The how-to guide Updated April 20, 2020
Photo by The Creative Exchange on Unsplash
Related Articles
- Slip Free Tiles, The how-to guide
- Floor Tile Coatings-The guide to making floors less slippery
- What you need to know about Anti-Slip Tape
Showers are dangerous and one the most slippery surfaces in a home. This most significant cause is soap, hair wash products, and oils. The most slipping accidents happen in showers, and today we are going to help you to get less slippery showers.
The CDC shows how many million people are injured each year from only taking a shower.
As Slip prevention experts, we feel it is our duty to provide the most information about slippery showers and give you a how-to guide on making showers less slippery.
For FREE floor safety advice, CLICK HERE
The most cost-effective way to have a less slippery shower is to install an Anti-Slip treatment for tiles. There are loads of brands on the market. You could pay as little as R45 to treat a 1 square metre shower.
For whatever reason, if you don’t like working with chemical products, you can always put in a shower mat, stick down some Anti-Slip tape or even paint the shower floor with a Non-Slip Coating. There’s also the option of a grab bar, which is quite tricky to install but could definitely to the trick. A grab bar is designed so that you can catch your balance quickly if you start slipping on a shower floor.
In this guide, I will go into a little more detail on how to make showers less slippery and discuss the pros and cons of each option. This how-to guide is split up into five possibilities.
- Apply an Anti-Slip Treatment
- Use Anti-Slip Tape
- Apply a Non-Slip Coating
- Using an Anti-Slip Shower Mat
- Installing a Grab Bar
For FREE floor safety advice, CLICK HERE
1: Use an Anti-Slip Formula for tiles in slippery showers
Provided that your shower is not sealed, this is by far the best solution to the slippery shower problem. These treatments are liquid chemical treatments and can add traction to a wet floor for up to three years.
It’s easy to apply this product, and there is a video tutorial on YouTube that covers each step of the process. There are mostly only three steps to the application, and each product differs. We have made the process the easiest and supply all the products and tools required to do the installation.
- Clean your shower floor properly with the cleaner and maintainer and dry it thoroughly.
- Use some masking tape and cover the side of the slippery shower floor
- Use the spray bottle to spray the Ant-Slip product over the whole shower floor, making sure its nice and thick.
- Wait for the suggested time period to pass and then test with your finger to see how much grip there is.
- if there is enough grip, use the Treatment Neutralizer to neutralize the shower floor and then rinse it with water.
Anti-slip products for showers are cost-effective, easy to install, and don’t need maintenance. The outcome is excellent, and you will have less chance of slipping on your slippery shower floor, they also don’t change the look of the tiled shower floor.
Mats for showers and anti-slip tape could limit your success because it is difficult to install them on uneven surfaces.
Downsides of Anti-Slip Formula
The term Anti-Slip means that it will dramatically decrease the chance of slipping but is not guaranteed because there are lubricants like soap and oil that could cause you to slip. It takes a bit of time to install these Anti-Slip Products, and at times, it is challenging to work in tight spaces.
A build-up of grease and grime could also prohibit the treatment from being affective, and a good, deep clean will fix the problem.
Recommended Anti-Slip Formula
We have an easy to use, all-inclusive DIY kit available for under R500 and is delivered countrywide. This product has been used in thousands of homes and businesses throughout South Africa, Virgin Active gyms and the Tsogo Sun group of hotels, to name a few.
Make showers less slippery with Anti-Slip DIY
2: Anti-Slip Tape to make showers less slippery
Aside from regular Anti-Slip Tape being quite rough on the skin, there is a vinyl option of anti-slip tape. Instead of having a PVC backing and then a layer of granules glued to it, the vinyl anti-slip tape has a molded pattern on it so that it can give you traction without getting hurt.
If appropriately applied, the anti-slip tape can last quite long on a slippery shower floor. During installation, the floor needs to be properly dry and free from oil, grease, or wax. Simply cut the length that you need, peel the self-adhesive backing off and stick it down. Remember to cut the anti-slip tape where before and after grout lines so that water cant get behind it and cause it to peel off.
Anti-Slip Tape for slippery showers comes in a few different colours, and the best looking in a shower would be the clear option. For detailed instructions, head on over to YouTube for all of our product installation videos
Downsides of Anti-Slip Tape for slippery showers
With and self-adhesive product, the risk of it peeling is quite high. In a shower environment, although there is not a lot of foot traffic, there is a lot of hot water poured directly onto the tape, and this negatively affects its ability to stay glued to the floor. Glue tends to work less in hot, or icy environments, so it is not a consistent solution.
Recommended Anti-Slip Adhesive Treads
From time to time, we have a different variety of anti-slip tape, and more information can be found here
Anti-Slip Tape Colours
3: Non-Slip Coatings to make showers less slippery
This is by far the best option form a number fo different perspectives. If you use a good quality coating like a Polyurethane Coating, you will have a beautiful looking shower floor that will be non-slip for many years. The main reason why we suggest Polyurethane Coatings is due to their strength and durability. Polyurethane has a degree of flexibility so that it can be used on Acrylic Shower Trays and won’t crack. Polyurethane also sticks well to most surfaces, and ours has a unique traction bead in it, which is skin safe and won’t crush under pressure from standing on it.
For FREE floor safety advice, CLICK HERE
Downsides of Non-Slip Coatings for slippery showers
Coatings are challenging to install and take a long time to dry properly. Our Polyurethane Non-Slip Coating takes at least 24 hours to cure before it can be walked on. It achieves its maximum cure after five days.
If you want a hard-wearing clear non-slip coating and can not use your shower for two days, then this is the slippery shower coating for you.
Recommended Non-Slip Coatings for showers
Our Non-Slip Roll-On Coating in clear is the Rolls Royce of coatings, and we wouldn’t think twice about recommending it for any shower or changeroom, residential or commercial
4: install an Anti-Slip Shower Mat
There are hundreds of different shower mats on the market. Even though we don’t manufacture or distribute shower mats, the best advice we can offer is that you shop cautiously. Always buy from credible stores.
The most comprehensive range of shower mats for slippery shower floors is available on Takealot. And they can be deliver within two days.
Downsides of Shower Mats
Shower mats breed bacteria and mold. Between the plastic or rubber shower mats, there is no favorite. Always decide on the product after understanding what its purpose is.
Recommended Shower Mat
The most obvious place to look for mats is Takealot, and there are hundreds of shapes, sizes, and colors to choose from.
For FREE floor safety advice, CLICK HERE
5: Install a Grab Bar
Grab bars for slippery showers also come in a few different options. There are a range of grab bars that use suction cups to stick to the wall. This is the best temporary option if you are renting.
Recommended Grab Bars
There are really only two options that come to mind, and for suction cup grab bars, you can find what you are looking for online at Takealot. For a more permanent option, the guys at Ability Assist have a wide range of the drill in choice. They carry a wide range and they are a great company to deal with.
For FREE floor safety advice, CLICK HERE
