OxiGrip™ Anti-Slip Additive

OxiGrip™ is a professional-grade anti-slip additive that you mix directly into clear concrete sealer before applying. It uses an engineered mineral grit — the same class of abrasive material used in industrial non-slip flooring and commercial traction surfaces — to create a textured, slip-resistant finish on sealed concrete. The sealed surface looks clear and finished, but has a subtle grit that provides traction underfoot, even when wet.

If your project includes a pool deck, outdoor stairs, a ramp, a wet-area walkway, a commercial entrance, or any concrete surface where people could slip on sealed concrete — OxiGrip™ is how you add slip resistance without sacrificing the protective seal your concrete needs.

OxiGrip™ mixes into any clear water-based or solvent-based acrylic concrete sealer. Stir the anti-slip particles into the sealer, apply the sealer as normal, and the particles embed in the cured film — creating a slip-resistant surface that's integral to the seal, not a separate coating or surface treatment that can wear off independently.

What OxiGrip™ Is Used For

Pool decks — The most common application. Sealed concrete around a swimming pool is beautiful but dangerously slippery when wet. OxiGrip™ adds the traction that pool decks need while preserving the protective seal and color enhancement that concrete around a pool demands. Required by building code in many jurisdictions for pool deck surfaces.

Outdoor concrete stairs and steps — Sealed concrete stairs become slippery in rain, morning dew, or irrigation overspray. OxiGrip™ provides traction on stair treads without affecting the sealed appearance.

Ramps and ADA-compliant surfaces — Wheelchair ramps, accessibility ramps, and sloped walkways where slip resistance is both a safety requirement and often a code requirement.

Wet-area walkways — Paths near pools, fountains, spas, sprinkler zones, and any outdoor concrete walkway that regularly gets wet.

Commercial entrances and entryways — Restaurant entrances, hotel walkways, retail storefronts, and any commercial concrete surface where foot traffic and weather create slip hazards. Slip-and-fall liability is a significant concern for commercial property owners.

Shower floors and wet-room concrete — Interior concrete shower floors and wet rooms where the sealed surface needs traction even under running water.

Garage floors — Sealed garage floors that get wet from rain, car wash runoff, or snow melt. Especially important in cold climates where ice melt and tracked-in snow create slippery conditions on sealed concrete.

Restaurant and commercial kitchen floors — Sealed concrete floors in commercial food service environments where spills, grease, and water create constant slip hazards.

Why OxiGrip™ Outperforms Cheap Anti-Slip Additives

Not all anti-slip additives are created equal. The grit in OxiGrip™ is specifically engineered for three properties that cheaper alternatives can't match:

Hardness. The mineral grit in OxiGrip™ is one of the hardest commercially available materials. It won't wear smooth under foot traffic the way silica sand or polymer beads do. The grit stays sharp and effective for the full life of the sealer — not just the first few months.

Consistency. The particles are manufactured to a uniform size, which means the slip resistance is consistent across the entire sealed surface — no clumps of heavy grit next to smooth spots, no random variation in traction from one area to another.

Stability. The grit is chemically inert — it doesn't react with acrylic sealer chemistry (water-based or solvent-based), doesn't discolor over time, and doesn't degrade from UV exposure, water, or cleaning chemicals. The particles remain stable and effective in the sealer film for the life of the coating.

Budget anti-slip additives use softer materials that wear smooth within months of foot traffic, leaving you with a surface that felt slip-resistant on day one but provides little traction by the end of the first season. OxiGrip™ uses a harder, more durable grit because slip resistance that wears off isn't slip resistance — it's a liability.

How to Use OxiGrip™

1. Choose the right size. OxiGrip™ is available in two sizes matched to standard sealer quantities:
   
   3 oz packet — designed for 1 gallon of clear sealer
   15 oz packet — designed for 5 gallons of clear sealer
   
   
2. Pour the OxiGrip™ particles into your clear concrete sealer before application. Use any clear water-based or solvent-based acrylic concrete sealer.
3. Stir thoroughly. The aluminum oxide particles need to be evenly distributed throughout the sealer. Stir before application and periodically during application — the particles will settle to the bottom over time if left undisturbed.
4. Apply the sealer as you normally would — sprayer, roller, or brush. The particles flow through standard application equipment. Work in manageable sections and maintain even coverage so the grit distributes uniformly across the surface.
5. Allow to cure per the sealer manufacturer's instructions. The aluminum oxide particles embed in the sealer film as it cures, becoming a permanent part of the sealed surface.
6. Restir between sections. If you pause during application, stir the sealer again before resuming. The particles settle quickly.

⚠ Critical: OxiGrip™ Is for Clear Sealers Only

OxiGrip™ is compatible with any clear water-based or solvent-based acrylic concrete sealer. It is NOT compatible with tinted or colored sealers — do not mix OxiGrip™ directly into colored sealers like AcquaTint™ or EasyTint™. The two products are not chemically compatible, and mixing them will cause the sealer to fail.

If your project needs both color AND slip resistance, the correct approach is a two-step process:

1. Apply the colored sealer (AcquaTint™ or EasyTint™) first as your color-and-seal layer. Let it cure fully.
2. Apply a clear sealer with OxiGrip™ mixed in as a separate topcoat over the cured colored sealer.

The clear topcoat carries the OxiGrip™ particles and delivers slip resistance, while the colored sealer underneath delivers the color. Make sure the clear topcoat chemistry matches the colored sealer chemistry — water-based clear sealer over water-based colored sealer, solvent-based clear sealer over solvent-based colored sealer.

How Much Slip Resistance Does OxiGrip™ Add?

The level of slip resistance depends on how much OxiGrip™ you add to the sealer. The standard mixing ratio (3 oz per gallon or 15 oz per 5 gallons) provides a noticeable textured grip underfoot without making the surface feel rough or abrasive to bare feet — which is important for pool decks where people walk barefoot. The surface feels like very fine sandpaper under your palm, and provides reliable traction even when wet.

For applications that need maximum slip resistance (commercial ramps, industrial walkways, ADA-compliant surfaces), you can increase the amount of OxiGrip™ per gallon of sealer for a more aggressive texture. For applications where you want subtle traction without visible texture change (interior floors, showroom surfaces), you can reduce the amount slightly. The standard ratio is the recommended starting point for most residential and commercial applications.

Always test on a small area first to confirm the texture and appearance meet your expectations before applying to the full surface.

OxiGrip™ Preserves the Sealer's Finish — Gloss Stays Glossy

A common problem with anti-slip additives is that they dull the sealer. Direct Colors tested competing anti-slip products and found that most of them matify the finish — a gloss sealer comes out looking satin, and a satin sealer comes out looking flat. The grit in those products is too coarse or too irregular, and it scatters light across the surface in a way that kills the sheen the sealer is supposed to deliver.

That's a real problem if you chose your finish on purpose. A gloss-sealed pool deck or showroom floor is glossy by design — the shine is part of the look. An anti-slip additive that quietly converts that gloss to a flat finish has changed the project without the customer agreeing to it.

OxiGrip™ is engineered to avoid this. The grit is manufactured to a fine, uniform particle size that provides reliable traction underfoot without scattering light or clouding the finish. Mix OxiGrip™ into a gloss sealer and the cured surface stays glossy. Mix it into a satin sealer and the surface keeps its satin sheen. The slip resistance is felt underfoot — not seen in a dulled, flattened finish.

The sealed surface looks essentially the same as it would without OxiGrip™ — same clarity, same color enhancement, same sheen. The difference is the traction underfoot. On close inspection you may notice a very subtle texture in the film, but from normal standing and viewing distance, the surface looks like standard sealed concrete with the finish you selected. You don't have to choose between a safe surface and the finish you want — OxiGrip™ gives you both.

Available Sizes

• 3 oz jar — Designed for 1 gallon of clear concrete sealer. Ideal for small pool decks, single sets of stairs, ramps, and spot applications.
• 16 oz jar— Designed for 5 gallons of clear concrete sealer. Contractor-scale for full pool decks, large commercial surfaces, and multi-area residential projects.

Direct Colors: Made in the USA Since 1997

Direct Colors has manufactured professional-grade concrete products in the USA for over 25 years. OxiGrip™ is the anti-slip additive that contractors specify for pool decks, outdoor stairs, commercial walkways, and any sealed concrete surface where slip resistance is a safety requirement — professional-grade traction without compromising the sealed finish.