The Influence of Sand Additives on Slip Resistance of Wood

Introduction: Slips and falls are known to cause serious injuries in the workplace and home. To reduce the likelihood of slipping, sand additives have been recommended to be added into stains placed onto wood flooring. It is unknown which layer (first coat or topcoat), nor which application method (paint brush or roller brush) is best for producing a slip resistant result. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the effects of sand additives on the coefficient of friction with douglas wood fir. Methods: 6 pieces of douglas fir wood was placed into 6 treatments. A Mark IIIb tribometer was used to measure the coefficient of friction at baseline after sanding, and lastly when wet after 2 sealing and staining coats. Results: Paint brush applications exhibited significant increased COF compared to roller brush applications across all conditions (p < 0.001) with a large effect size (η2 = .545). Lastly, there were no significant effects of applying the sand additive in the first coat or topcoat on COF (p = 0.59). These findings demonstrate that the use of sand additives and paint brush application techniques enhance slip resistance, offering valuable insights for improving safety in residential and commercial wood flooring installations. Further research is recommended to explore the long-term durability and environmental resilience of these treatments.