Anti-Slip Epoxy for Kitchens and Wet Areas
Where a Slip Is a Liability Event
In a commercial kitchen, a fish-processing bay or a brewery washdown zone, the floor is wet, greasy and busy at the same time. A slip there is not an inconvenience — it is an injury, a stopped shift and a liability claim. Anti-slip epoxy exists to make that floor measurably, durably safe underfoot. But “anti-slip” is only meaningful when it is rated, built correctly, and laid over a slab that will hold it. Here is what separates a real anti-slip floor from a coating that loses its grip in a season.
Slip Resistance Is Rated, Not Claimed
A floor is not “non-slip” because someone says so. Slip resistance is measured by the EN 16165 ramp method, which classifies floors from R9 (lightest wet duty) through R13 (heaviest grease and oil exposure). The R-class is specified to the zone:
- R10–R11 — general wet circulation, dishwashing areas, light washdown.
- R12–R13 — grease-laden cooking lines, fish and meat processing, oil-exposed bays.
Specifying the R-class to the actual contaminant is the whole discipline. Too low and the floor is unsafe; needlessly high and it becomes hard to clean. We set the class to the zone and verify it at handover.
The Texture Must Be Built In, Not Sprayed On
The most common anti-slip failure is a profile that sits on top of the floor instead of inside it. A sprayed-on or broadcast-onto-the-surface texture wears off under traffic and cleaning, and within months the floor is smooth again — and dangerous, because everyone trusts it to be safe.
A real anti-slip epoxy builds graded aluminium-oxide or bauxite aggregate into the resin body and locks it under a seal coat. The grip is part of the floor, not a layer on it, so it survives mopping, scrubbing and traffic. That is the anti-slip epoxy coatings approach.
Hygiene and Grip Together
Kitchens and food areas need grip and a surface that cleans completely — a seamless, coved, washable floor with no joints for grease and bacteria. Anti-slip and hygienic specifications are routinely combined, so the floor is safe underfoot and passes an audit. Where the spec is food or pharmaceutical, that is hygienic epoxy for food & pharma territory.
And the Slab Still Decides
Even a perfectly rated anti-slip floor lifts if the slab beneath it is wet. A wet-area floor is the worst case — it sees water from above and vapour from below. So before the aggregate goes down, the slab is tested to ASTM F2170 and ASTM F1869 and prepared to the specified ICRI CSP profile. When an anti-slip floor delaminates, it takes the safety profile with it — which is exactly why the moisture discipline matters most here.
The Bottom Line
A real anti-slip floor is rated to EN 16165, has its grip built into the body, combines with a washable hygienic surface where needed, and sits on a moisture-tested slab. Anything less is a floor that looks safe until it isn’t.
Specify a rated anti-slip floor for your kitchen or washdown area: +233 23 063 0004.