SparkleTuff™ Anti-Slip Floor Coating FAQ

There’s no time limit. Depending on the environment (e.g. mud and dirt on shoe bottoms), about 500,000 to 1,000,000 pedestrians can walk across SparkleTuff™ before it needs to be touched up in visibly worn places. With very light foot traffic, SparkleTuff™ will last many years or even decades. ↑ return to top of page ↑

2. What will the wet slip resistance of SparkleTuff™ be on my flooring?

Unless your flooring has a very rough or relief surface, the slip resistance will be as in the table at https://safetydirectamerica.com/sliptestdataforcoatings/. Pedestrians walk on the coating, not on the flooring, and it’s the slip resistance of the SparkleTuff™ that matters. The coating is 0.003-0.004” thick. ↑ return to top of page ↑

3. Can’t I just broadcast sand on wet paint to get a non-slip surface?

Unfortunately this doesn’t work very well. Sand (silicon dioxide) has brittle points that break under foot traffic, soon losing its slip resistance. The sand tends to grab mop fibers. Distribution is usually nonuniform, resulting in bad appearance as well as poor slip resistance in some areas. With SparkleTuff™ when applied according to directions using the approved roller, the distribution is uniform and the abrasive is very durable — almost as hard as diamond. ↑ return to top of page ↑

4. How cleanable is SparkleTuff™?

Very. SparkleTuff™’s very smooth carrier surface rejects dirt. The coating on the tiny abrasive particles prevents it from capturing soil. SparkleTuff™ is very resistant to stains, and often can be cleaned with just plain water. Neutral detergents work very well too. Here is a more detailed guide to cleaning SparkleTuff™ Anti-Slip Floor Coating ↑ return to top of page ↑

5. Can I clean SparkleTuff™ with a squeegee?

Yes. You can use a floor squeegee with foam blades, but a window squeegee is not effective. ↑ return to top of page ↑

6. My elderly parents shuffle. Will they stumble because of SparkleTuff™’s high slip resistance?

Very unlikely. Dry, SparkleTuff™ has the same slip resistance as an NBA basketball floor. It also has less slip resistance than a thin carpet or rug. ↑ return to top of page ↑

7. What is the abrasive in SparkleTuff™?

It’s durable aluminum oxide, aka alumina. On the Mohs harness scale, it’s just one step down from diamond. ↑ return to top of page ↑

8. Is the SparkleTuff™ coating an epoxy?

No. Although it’s a two-part mixture, it’s much more advanced than epoxy. A hybrid of inorganic and organic chemicals, SparkleTuff™ is more flexible than epoxy. No epoxy can behave as SparkleTuff™ does in unlimited outdoor exposure in a clear coating; fully submersible for unlimited duration; outstanding weather and wear resistance; and excellent chemical and stain resistance. It represents a large improvement with respect to health, safety and the environment compared to epoxy, epoxy acrylic, and polyurethane coatings. ↑ return to top of page ↑

9. Can SparkleTuff™ remediate a floor that’s slippery when dry?

Yes. A few types of flooring are slippery when dry to certain shoes or to pets’ paws. SparkleTuff™ can eliminate this hazard and is kind to paws, while making the floor’s colors pop. It also protects the surface — if you know what we mean. ↑ return to top of page ↑

10. Is SparkleTuff™ available in a matte finish?

Not at present. One of the factors that causes many slip and fall accidents is that people love highly glossy (“shiny”) floors, and before SparkleTuff™ these were almost invariably slippery when wet. From photo prints to lipstick to Norwegian rose marble, gloss intensifies colors! SparkleTuff™ makes it possible to have a high-gloss, very attractive and colorful floor without the slip hazard. ↑ return to top of page ↑

11. Is it available in colors?

Better than that. You can get any paint color you love mixed by any supplier, apply it to the floor, then coat it with SparkleTuff™ to give it good wet and dry slip resistance as well as high gloss and durability. SparkleTuff™ will both protect your paint and protect you from claims of liability. For bathtubs, look online for paints made expressly for that purpose. ↑ return to top of page ↑

12. Can it go on a resilient or rubber floor?

Yes. SparkleTuff™ has enough flexibility to be used on thin flexible flooring. ↑ return to top of page ↑

13. Is it kind to bare feet?

Yes. In tests, jogging thousands of steps on SparkleTuff™ with bare feet produced no discomfort or skin irritation. ↑ return to top of page ↑

14. Will SparkleTuff™ adhere to my floor?

With rare exceptions that may need our transparent Unibond 120 as a primer, SparkleTuff™ has excellent adherence to almost any floor. This includes plastics such as HDPE or polypropylene; flooring with unidentifiable previous coating that has not been stripped; or floors contaminated with oil or grease that cannot be completely removed. In the last case, oil and grease should be removed to the extent possible using vacuum, such as a wet vac or autoscrubber (scrubbing machine with built-in vacuum) and a degreasing detergent. You do NOT need Unibond 120 to coat an epoxy floor with SparkleTuff™ unless there is oil or grease as just discussed. ↑ return to top of page ↑

15. How is SparkleTuff™ Anti-Slip Floor Coating applied?

Read instructions fully and apply with the supplied roller or roller cover (depending on the size of your order, you’ll receive a small roller or a roller cover for use on a standard paint roller.) We sell additional roller covers if needed, as the roller cover has been specially designed for use with this product and is essential for applying this product properly. You can also use a paint brush to get the product into the corners of an area, but the specially designed rollers and roller covers supplied with your order will help create the best anti-slip properties when applying this coating easily to your floor or bath. We highly recommend watching the application instruction video at the bottom of the page here. ↑ return to top of page ↑

16. How long does SparkleTuff™ need to cure?

For light foot traffic, 6-8 hours or until the floor is tack-free. Wait longer (12 hours minimum) before applying water, mats, vehicles, grease, or heavy soil. Up to 24 hours might be needed, especially if the coating will be exposed to standing water or submerged in water. SparkleTuff™’s curing time may be slightly longer than average when humidity is very low. ↑ return to top of page ↑

17. What is the shelf life of unused portions of SparkleTuff™ Anti-Slip Floor Coating?

Both parts of SparkleTuff™ have easily a couple years of shelf life. When kept in tightly closed containers there should be no loss of Part-B. There is absolutely no loss of Part-A as it is a 100% solids material and contains no volatile compounds. ↑ return to top of page ↑

18. SparkleTuff™ means FREEDOM!

SparkleTuff™ gives you the freedom to make your outdoor plaza, ramps, display kitchen, shower, or ANY floor glossy and in the colors you love, plus give you peace of mind without risk of slipping, dry, wet, or even (within reason) greasy. ↑ return to top of page ↑

19. How many coats of SparkleTuff™ are required?

Only one coat is needed for excellent and sustainable slip resistance. If visible wear paths eventually appear in very heavy traffic areas, typically after a year or much longer, these areas can be touched up without removing the initial coat. ↑ return to top of page ↑

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SparkleTuff™ Anti-Slip Floor Coating FAQ