Last spring I painted our porch, white, using the Porch & Patio low lustre enamel floor paint from Behr. You can see that post HERE. I have always used this product and have always been super happy with it except for the fact that it does get slippery when it gets wet. A few weeks ago I was in Home Depot, buying some paint for our back patio makeover, and saw they had a new option, anti slip. After going back and forth between the two options, I decided to give the anti-slip a whirl. I searched on-line to see the differences between these products and couldn’t find much so I decided to do a post for you all, so you can make your own decision on what paint is best suited for the area you are painting!
Ease of Application
When it comes to actually applying the paint, I used a roller and hands down, the low lustre option is MUCH easier to apply. The anti-slip has a texture to it, making it thicker and a little more work to roll out. I also feel like because it’s thicker, you end up wasting more product. My brush really seemed to soak up the paint.
Coverage of Paint
I really feel like both options cover pretty much the same. I had to do two coats with each type of paint.
Durability
At first, I felt like the anti-slip would be much more durable, and in some cases it probably is. Let me explain. Because of the texture of the anti-slip paint, I feel like it does tend to be a little more durable than the low lustre UNTIL you need to clean it. We have a 1 year old goldendoodle who manages to find any speck of mud in our backyard. (To see what our ornery dog taught me about life, you can go to this post.) He managed to get mud all over my newly painted, white patio. This will probably not be the last time! Here is where the difference comes in. Because of the texture of the paint, it will “grab” onto things. So, all of the mud got stuck to the paint and there is no wiping it off with a rag because of the texture. With the low lustre option, I am able to easily wipe off or mop any mud or anything that gets onto it. I had to use a power washer in order to get the mud off of the anti-slip paint, and because it is paint, some of the paint does come off with the power washer. See my dilemma?! So, here is my opinion: if you have a space that doesn’t get dirty (you don’t have a Shadow), then anti slip is probably going to be more durable. BUT if you know mud or other stuff will probably be a problem for you sometimes, then do yourself a favor and buy the low lustre. If I could go back and do it all over again, I would’ve used the low lustre.
Slipperiness
The anti-slip option is NOT slippery at all when wet. This is the main reason I decided to try this kind. With 4 kids, I get nervous about someone slipping and falling on the concrete. If you do use the low lustre, just know that when it gets wet it does tend to be a little slippery.
Appearance
There’s not a huge difference when it comes to the appearance of the paint. The low lustre does have a more smooth look to it while the anti-slip has a little more rough look. The anti slip feels rough to the touch while the low lustre feels very smooth.
Overall Thoughts
My overall thoughts? With dogs and kids in our household, I definitely wish I would’ve went with the low lustre paint on our back patio because of the way the anti-slip grabs onto dirt and mud. Next year I will definitely re-paint it with the low-lustre option. It will be nice though to not have to worry about the girls slipping on the patio if it gets wet; the one bonus! If you are extremely concerned about the concrete being slippery, especially if it’s not covered, then I would go with the anti slip.
