Just a quick question with regards to sealing?
As we had to strip a swimming pool surround last year that was sealed honed indian sand was like an ice rink when wet!!
So in a situation like this what would be the ideal sealer?
Cheers
Alan 
Alan
This reply is not intended to teach people "How to suck eggs" I apologise in advance if it reads like that.I am going to answer this in a slightly long convoluted way in the hope that you get a reply and the information helps other members and guests.
The subject of Slipping and Slip Testing is a whole field in itself. I am going to try and answer this as comprehensively as I can without having seen the stone or knowing what it was sealed with.
Any stone or surface has a CoF Slip Factor (A point where it becomes slippery for ease of reference).
The slip factor changes when surface tension is altered (changing the surface).
There are several ways of altering the surface tension of which the most common are:
1. Changing from Dry to Wet
2. Different footwear or tread
3. Incorrect cleaning regime
4. Incorrect application of sealers, wrong sealers, or failure to clean sealer off correctly.
5. Actually altering the surface by mechanical or chemical methods.
This list is by no means exhaustive but I think I have covered the common ones.
1. Dry to wet is obvious for most people but usually the most radical. Contrary to popular belief a shiny highly polished tile (Marble for example) has a very high slip resistance when dry. Now wet the surface and it goes right to the other end of the scale and becomes almost lethal. (I must point out at this juncture that the factor does vary depending on footwear but I am generalizing). So someone running round a swimming pool with a dry surface and dry feet has excellent grip now wet the area and the feet and the situation reverses.
2 Different footwear! (Let two people play football on grass one with studded boots and one with plimsoles the guy with the studs on has the best grip. Now they run across the tarmac to the changing room the tables are reversed.)
3. Incorrect cleaning this is the one that affects most members after all this is the CIU Forum. We have a lady who cleans her kitchen floor and uses far too much detergent then fails to rinse correctly. The original slip factor changes because there is a residue of detergent left in the pores or on the surface so the slip factor changes and the floor becomes dirtier much quicker the second time because the residue of detergent now attracts dirt more quickly.
4. Wrong sealers or incorrect application or failing to clean off the excess. This is fairly obvious to most professionals on here i.e. Topical where penetrating should have been used or vice versa. I could write a book on this so I am not going to bore you.
5. Now to Alan's pool problem this could be a combination of some or all the factors above or it could just be that the wrong stone was laid in the first place or the surface of the stone was wrong perhaps it was not honed enough.
Always remember this: "There is no such thing as a non slip surface or tile" There are only ways of improving the slip factor where possible such as public buildings with a good quality Porcelain Riven Tile but then always other factors come into play such as our footballer with studded boots above.
Alan essentially you need to look at all the information above then let me have all the factors and I will be able to give you an informed answer.
I hope this helps and that I haven't bored too many of you.
Kind Regards
Kev Martin
Marble Life Ltd
