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Tina,
We often finish new slabs with an acid etch. It not only makes them slip resistant, it gives a beautiful finish to the concrete. Wear protective clothing and boots, use a muratic acid wash till you get the cement paste burned off and begin to see the sand in the concrete, then rinse well with lots of water. A final rinsing with a baking soda solution will neutralize any remaining acid.
Sand blasting will give similar results though without the organic color of the acid etch and it is a lot more messy.
David E.
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Somehow, one of the porches was poured and finished off absolutely smooth -- even the steps up to it -- a broken bone waiting to happen. How do we add a texture to it? Are there wire brushes (like sanders?). Then it will need sealing, too, right?
*Tina G,
Joseph FuscoView Image"The price of apathy towards public affairs is to be ruled by evil men." -- Plato
*If you are planning to paint it, you can add sand to the final coat. The paint store will have anti-slip additive sand. The price is that the paint will wear faster.Top 'n' Bond is a cement skimcoating product that sticks pretty ferociously to existing concrete -- perhaps you could add a 1/8" rough coat using it. The stuff feathers very well and has a plastic consistency when wet. I don't know how well it will bond to your smooth concrete.Can't you complain to whoever finished the slab and make them fix it?
*Oh, believe me, they're going to fix it. But I thought I might be able to offer a suggestion rather than leave myself at their mercy entirely. They're talking about some sort of electric wire brush, and then sealing with something.
*Sounds good. Did someone just get carried away with a steel trowel? Now, if I'd done your concrete finishing, you'd have NO trouble as to roughness!
*Tina, As Andrew mentioned, painting may be your easiest solution. You can buy porch paint that already has an additive like sand in it that aids traction. I used this paint on my own old porch and the traction is very good. The downside is that the porch is much harder to clean because of the textured surface.
*Tina, Check Protecrete.com . Look at product Vitritred. Itis an acid based product which is easily applied. Tractionis supposed to additionally increase with water present. Good luck. Rick
*Tina,this suggestion may be similar to Rick's above but I don't know the Brand name the stuff I've speced in the past. It is an epoxy based finish applied in two or three coats after a garage slab has been sandblasted. The final coat is spread with a sand product to give traction to an otherwise slippery surface. It looks really nice when cured. Around 4.50 a square foot in chicago...I don't know if your concrete is protected or if this product would stand up to exterior use.... hope this helps some.mike
*I heared from an engineer that muratic acid will roughen concrete and if used strongly enough will roughen to the point where a bonding agent is not required if pouring new concrete on top of old. I would try this but start in a small area and experiment to find the right strength.
*Tina,We often finish new slabs with an acid etch. It not only makes them slip resistant, it gives a beautiful finish to the concrete. Wear protective clothing and boots, use a muratic acid wash till you get the cement paste burned off and begin to see the sand in the concrete, then rinse well with lots of water. A final rinsing with a baking soda solution will neutralize any remaining acid.Sand blasting will give similar results though without the organic color of the acid etch and it is a lot more messy.David E.