Non-Slip Floors

What are Anti-Slip Floors?

An industrial anti-slip floor is a high-engineering polymeric coating system designed to increase the coefficient of friction on the concrete surface. Unlike conventional paints, these systems integrate high-hardness mineral aggregates suspended or broadcast to saturation within a thermoset resin matrix.

Key components of these systems include:

• Base resin (Binder): High-performance epoxies, cementitious urethanes, polyurethanes, methyl methacrylates (MMA), or polyaspartics.
• Friction aggregate: Graded silica quartz, pigmented ceramic quartz, aluminum oxide (corundum), or silicon carbide.
• Sealing layer (Topcoat): Transparent or pigmented protective layer that partially encapsulates the aggregate to allow cleaning without losing the anti-slip anchor profile.

When is it needed?

You should consider installing an anti-slip system if you detect any of the following operational signs in your plant:

• Safety incidents: Record of slips, trips, or falls by operations or maintenance personnel.
• Loss of machinery traction: Skidding of forklift tires, hydraulic pallet jacks, or cargo vehicles on ramps or traffic aisles.
• Constant presence of liquids: Areas with frequent spills of water, oils, lubricants, coolants, greases, or process fluids.
• Aggressive washdown processes: Areas requiring daily cleaning with high-pressure water, steam, and industrial detergents.
• Safety and hygiene audits: Observations or potential fines for non-compliance with STPS regulations or requirements from international insurers (such as FM Global).

Problems it solves

• Civil and labor liability risks: Minimizes medical incapacities and lawsuits for work-related risks associated with same-level falls.
• Insecurity in merchandise transfer: Prevents forklifts from skidding, avoiding the fall of pallets with finished product or raw material.
• Plant shutdowns due to sanitation: Eliminates porous surfaces where stagnant water accumulates, preventing sources of bacteriological contamination in food and beverage plants.
• Premature substrate wear: Protects structural concrete from chemical attack and mechanical erosion caused by heavy traffic combined with slippery contaminants.

Benefits for your plant

• Full regulatory compliance: Alignment with the requirements of NOM-001-STPS-2008, COFEPRIS, FDA, USDA guidelines, and SQF / FSSC 22000 certifications.
• High durability and ROI: A correctly specified industrial anti-slip system has a lifespan of 5 to 10 years, drastically reducing corrective maintenance and annual repainting costs.
• Controlled ease of cleaning: Although the floor is rough, state-of-the-art sealing resins prevent dirt from chemically adhering, allowing cleaning with a pressure washer or mechanical scrubber without degrading the texture.
• Aesthetic improvement and signage: Availability of safety colors (traffic yellow, basalt gray, safety green) to delineate pedestrian aisles and high-risk zones.

Applications and industries that use it

• Automotive and Auto Parts Industry: Machining areas, assembly lines with the presence of cutting oils (soluble) and phosphating.
• Food and Beverage: Meat processing plants, dairies, bottling plants, industrial kitchens, and packaging areas with constant washing.
• Chemical and Pharmaceutical: Reactor aisles, dosing areas, laboratories, and reagent storage where there are risks of chemical spills.
• Logistics and Distribution: Loading and unloading ramps, outdoor docks exposed to rain, and battery charging areas.
• Service Areas: Mechanical maintenance workshops, pump rooms, water treatment plants, and substations.

Types of solutions / Available systems

Materials and technologies

At SINE México we use only industrial-grade resins and high-specification technical aggregates to guarantee the durability of the system:

• Base Resins: We work with leading global brands such as Sika (Sikafloor), Sherwin-Williams (General Polymers), BASF (MasterBuilders) and Cover. This allows us to formulate novolac epoxy systems for extreme chemical resistance or cementitious urethanes to withstand steam cleaning.
• Anti-slip Aggregates: We select specific particle sizes (from #20 mesh for extra coarse textures to #60 mesh for fine, easy-to-clean textures). We use high-purity spheroidal quartz free of clays and aluminum oxide (corundum) for areas with severe abrasive forklift traffic.
• Aliphatic Polyurethane Sealers: Final coats with high UV resistance, preventing yellowing and polymer degradation in areas with domes or open gates.

Applicable Regulations and Standards

• NOM-001-STPS-2008: Regulates safety conditions in buildings and work areas, requiring non-slip surfaces.
• ANSI A326.3: American National Standard for measuring the Dynamic Coefficient of Friction (DCOF) on pedestrian walking surfaces.
• ASTM C1028: Standard Test Method for Determining the Static Coefficient of Friction (SCOF) in Coated Concrete Surfaces.
• FDA / USDA / NSF Regulations: Compliance for indirect food contact, requiring monolithic, non-porous, and easily sanitizable surfaces.

Our work process (SINE)

1. Technical Diagnosis: We evaluate substrate conditions (moisture, compressive strength, contaminants) and define the type of contaminant causing the slip.
2. Mechanical Surface Preparation: We perform diamond grinding, scarifying, or shotblasting to achieve a CSP (Concrete Surface Profile) anchor profile of 3 to 5, depending on the thickness of the system to be applied. We remove embedded contaminants.
3. Joint and Crack Treatment: We repair structural failures and reconstruct joint lips with high-strength epoxy mortars.
4. Primer Application: We apply a high-penetration base coat to ensure chemical and mechanical adhesion to the concrete.
5. Aggregate Broadcast: We broadcast quartz or corundum to saturation over the wet resin to ensure uniform distribution of the anti-slip texture.
6. Topcoat: We remove excess unbonded aggregate and apply the final resin layer to fix the system to the desired roughness level.
7. Quality Control and Delivery: Wet/dry thickness measurement and pull-off tests prior to formal project handover.

Common errors when hiring / installing

• Skipping mechanical concrete preparation: Applying resins over smooth or oil-contaminated concrete guarantees system delamination within a few months.
• Using common construction silica sand: Construction sand contains impurities and moisture that weaken the resin; additionally, its particles easily fracture under heavy load.
• Insufficient aggregate saturation: Irregular broadcasting creates bald spots prone to slips and areas with excessive buildup that are difficult to clean.
• Insufficient thickness for the traffic level: Applying a thin paint-like coating with sand in a forklift aisle will lead to complete system wear within weeks.

Good practices and maintenance

• Cleaning with a semi-rigid bristle brush: To remove dirt trapped within the texture, use rotary brushes or scrubbers with nylon brushes.
• Avoid pure solvents: Do not clean the floor with thinner, acetone, or concentrated acids unless the system has been specifically designed for extreme chemical resistance (like novolac systems).
• Inspection of pivot points: Monitor areas where forklifts constantly pivot on their own axis, as these are the zones of highest abrasive wear.

Factors determining cost

The cost per square meter of an anti-slip flooring project varies according to:

• Total area in square meters: Higher volume leads to optimization of logistical and operational costs.
• Current condition of the concrete: Need for major repairs, patching, leveling, or removal of damaged previous coatings.
• Type of technology required: Cementitious urethane or MMA systems have a higher material cost than a standard epoxy due to their specialized properties.
• System thickness: Determined by the severity of mechanical traffic and the required roughness level.
• Available time window: Work during night hours, weekends, or holiday shutdowns may require fast-curing systems with different formulation costs.

Typical execution times

• Areas up to 500 m²: 3 to 4 business days (using standard epoxy systems) or 36 hours (using MMA/Polyaspartic fast-curing systems).
• Areas from 500 to 2,000 m²: 5 to 8 days of on-site execution, planned in stages to avoid completely halting plant operations.

SINE Guarantee

At SINE México we back every project with a written warranty for up to 3 years against film delamination (loss of adhesion) and application defects. We have field engineers certified by the world's leading resin manufacturers, ensuring that every square meter meets international industry standards.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I choose the roughness level or anchor profile for my anti-slip floor?

The selection depends on the contaminants present. For dry areas with fine dust, a light profile (orange peel texture) is sufficient. For areas with constant presence of water, oils, greases, or animal blood (such as in slaughterhouses or food processing plants), a broadcast system with medium to coarse quartz aggregate is required, ensuring a dynamic coefficient of friction (DCOF) greater than 0.50 under wet conditions.

Which STPS standard regulates anti-slip floors in Mexico?

The main standard is NOM-001-STPS-2008 (Buildings, premises, facilities and areas of workplaces - Safety conditions). This standard requires that floors in work areas be level, with smooth transitions and anti-slip surfaces in areas where humidity or production processes may pose a risk of slips for personnel.

Can an anti-slip floor be applied in cold rooms or freezers in operation?

Yes, using Methyl Methacrylate (MMA) systems or ultra-fast curing polyaspartic technologies. These materials can properly catalyze and cure at sub-zero temperatures (down to -20°C) in a matter of hours, avoiding the need to shut down freezer chambers and eliminating prolonged downtime in the cold chain.

What is the difference between using silica sand and ceramic quartz as an anti-slip aggregate?

Conventional silica sand has lower wear resistance and tends to fracture under heavy traffic, quickly losing its anti-slip property. Pigmented ceramic quartz or aluminum oxide (corundum) offer a hardness of 7 to 9 on the Mohs scale, which ensures that the rough texture remains intact for years, even under constant traffic from forklifts with rigid polyurethane wheels.

Request your quote

Protect your staff and optimize your plant's safety today. At SINE México we conduct free technical diagnostic visits in Torreón, Saltillo, Piedras Negras and throughout the northeast of the country.

• WhatsApp: +52 871 228 3838
• Email: ventas@sinemantenimiento.com
• Contact Form: Visit our portal at /quote to schedule a technical inspection at your plant.