Is Brushed Concrete Slippery? (Important Things You Need To Know!)

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Is Brushed Concrete Slippery?

Are you planning to build a pool in your backyard on a shoestring budget? Then building a brushed concrete pool deck will be perfect for you. It is not fancy, but it gets the job done. A brushed concrete pool deck will not break the bank. However, is brushed concrete slippery?

Brushed concrete is not slippery, even when wet. Brushed concrete is a technique to make brush marks on poured concrete slab, while it is still a bit wet. The brush marks give a profile to the concrete surface and improves traction.

So, in fact, brushed concrete not only improves the looks of the plain concrete pool deck, but also makes it safer. Slipping on a wet pool deck is possibly the most common accident around a pool, especially when kids are having fun!

Pool decks are going to be wet. That is the nature of pool decks. A brushed concrete pool will not be slippery even when it is wet. Without doubt a brushed concrete pool deck is a very safe option if you want your kids to not slip and break bones.

OK, your brushed concrete pool deck will not get featured in the LUXURY HOME magazine, but it does not have to look dated. A professional can make even a brushed concrete pool deck look pretty decent!

BROWSE FOR DECK CARE SUPPLIES

What Is Brushed Concrete?

The process of creating a concrete pool deck starts with pouring the concrete. The poured concrete is then leveled and floated. Leveling and floating ensures that the bigger particles (sand & aggregates) stay at the bottom and the finer particles (cement) rise to the top.

A float is used to press and smooth out the just poured concrete. This pushes the water inside the concrete mix to the surface. This water (aka bleed water) is removed from the surface by allowing it to dry.

For a smooth finish the concrete surface needs to be trowelled. This may not be necessary if you are going for a broomed finish. However, many professionals prefer to trowel the concrete anyway. They believe that trowelling the concrete twice gives a better texture to the brushed concrete.

Brushing the concrete is a bit of an artform, so using a professional is a good idea. He will get the right profile so that the surface has just the right amount of roughness. Enough to be slip resistant but not so much as to hurt bare feet.

Last, but not the least, brushed concrete must be cured and sealed. Full curing requires 28 days. Once the brushed concrete has fully cured, you should seal it using a good quality penetrating concrete sealer.

Is Brushed Concrete Rough on Feet?

To get a brushed concrete effect on your pool deck, you are consciously creating brush marks on smooth concrete. So, yes, brushed concrete is certainly rough. Roughness is the main reason for choosing a brushed concrete finish over a smooth concrete finish.

The roughness of the concrete helps create traction and make your pool deck slip resistant, even when it is wet. But, roughness does have a few disadvantages.

Can hurt when you walk barefoot
Accumulates some water, which can seep into the concrete
More difficult to clean

Of course, there are solutions to each of the above disadvantages.

If you do not want the brushed concrete to be too rough, just tell your contractor. A professional will know how much pressure to apply on the brush to get the level of roughness you want.

You should also consider how often you will walk barefoot on the pool deck. If it is pretty hot during the day you would be better off wearing some kind of water shoes (aka aqua socks).

Speedo, the trusted name in performance swimwear, have an excellent and stylist range of water shoes. Check them out:

For the Ladies: Speedo Women’s Water Shoe Surfwalker Pro 3.0

For the Gents: Speedo Men’s Water Shoe Surfwalker Pro 3.0

To prevent water from seeping into the concrete, you must use a good quality penetrating concrete sealer. I recommend:

Foundation Armor SX5000 Water Based Silane Siloxane Penetrating Concrete Sealer

The Armor SX5000 WB is a water-based Department of Transportation approved Silane-Siloxane penetrating concrete sealer. It penetrates deep into the substrate where it chemically reacts to form a hydrophobic barrier within the pores that reduces the absorption of water by up to 95%. Protects concrete, from within, without changing the look or feel of the surface.

I agree that brushed concrete is more likely to pick up dirt than smooth concrete. It is a bit more difficult to clean too as you can not use a simple mop or vacuum cleaner. Use a detergent solution or a solution of water and vinegar to remove stains & grease marks.

I think your best option, for a thorough cleanup is to use a pressure washer such as Sun Joe SPX3000 2030 Electric High Pressure Washer.

How Can I Make Brushed Concrete Look Better?

Everything that you can do with “plain smooth concrete” you can do with brushed concrete and then some!. Some of the techniques used for bringing some color and life to plain smooth concrete slabs is using: