Anti Skid Surfacing

Anti-Skid Surfacing Contractors

Anti-skid surfacing — also called high-friction surfacing or anti-skid surface dressing — is a thin, high-friction wearing course applied over concrete or asphalt to restore and enhance grip. A resin binder is applied to the prepared substrate and a hard aggregate, typically calcined bauxite, is broadcast into it. Once cured, the exposed aggregate provides a coarse, durable texture that grips tyres and footwear far better than a worn or polished surface ever can.

MPS Concrete Solutions installs anti-skid surfacing on car park decks, ramps, walkways, loading bays and access roads across the UK, both as a standalone treatment and as part of full car park resurfacing and deck waterproofing schemes. As Sika-approved contractors with 25+ years of combined experience in concrete repair and deck coatings, we specify the binder and aggregate to suit the traffic, gradient and exposure of each area — not a one-size-fits-all dressing.

Worn ramps, polished deck tops and slippery pedestrian routes are among the most common defects we find on car park surveys. They are also among the fastest to put right: most anti-skid installations are completed in a single phased visit, with areas returned to traffic the same day where fast-cure resins are used.

Demand for anti-skid treatment usually follows one of three triggers: a slip or skid incident (or a near miss) that lands on the risk register, an insurance or health-and-safety audit flagging low surface friction, or a planned resurfacing scheme where it makes sense to build grip into the new wearing course from day one. Whatever the driver, the survey process is the same — we assess the existing texture, gradients, drainage and traffic patterns, then specify a system with the evidence to support it.

How Do Anti Skid Surfaces Work?

Anti-skid surfaces work by locking a hard, angular, high-PSV aggregate into a resin binder bonded to the existing surface. The resin holds each stone rigidly in place while the exposed aggregate creates a coarse texture that interlocks with tyre rubber. This increases both the microtexture (the fine roughness of each stone that bites into the tyre) and the macrotexture (the larger surface profile that channels water away from the contact patch) — the two properties that determine skid resistance.

The result is significantly more tyre grip, especially in wet conditions and on braking zones: ramps, bends, approach roads, pedestrian crossings and areas in front of barriers or junctions where vehicles brake and turn hardest. On these zones a high-friction surface can reduce wet braking distances substantially compared with worn concrete or asphalt.

PSV and Calcined Bauxite Explained

PSV — polished stone value — measures how well an aggregate resists being polished smooth under traffic. The higher the PSV, the longer the surface keeps its grip. Ordinary road aggregates typically achieve a PSV of 50–65; calcined bauxite, the industry benchmark for high-friction surfacing, achieves a PSV of around 70+. It is an extremely hard, thermally treated aggregate that stays sharp and skid-resistant for years under braking traffic, which is why it is specified on the most demanding zones — and why we use it on ramps, crossings and approach roads where grip matters most.

Because the system is only a few millimetres thick, it adds grip without altering levels, kerb heights or drainage falls — one of the reasons it is so widely used on existing car park decks and highways.

Anti-Skid Surface Dressing vs Conventional Surface Dressing

Anti-skid surfacing dressing is often confused with conventional chip-and-spray surface dressing, but they solve different problems. Traditional surface dressing uses bitumen and natural chippings to seal a road and refresh texture cheaply over large areas. Anti-skid dressing uses a resin binder and premium high-PSV aggregate applied to targeted zones — the areas where braking and turning demand the most grip. It costs more per square metre, but it delivers a far higher and longer-lasting level of skid resistance exactly where it is needed, which is why highway authorities specify it on approaches to crossings, junctions and roundabouts rather than across whole routes.

Where Anti-Skid Surfacing Is Used

Any trafficked surface that has polished smooth, sits on a gradient, or carries braking and turning traffic is a candidate for anti-skid treatment. In practice, the vast majority of our installations fall into six categories:

Anti-Skid Systems We Install

The right system depends on the substrate, traffic loading, gradient, exposure and how quickly the area must reopen. We install:

• MMA resin systems — methyl methacrylate binders that cure in around one to two hours, even in cold weather down to sub-zero temperatures. The first choice where downtime is critical or works must run through winter: ramps and lanes reopen the same shift.
• Epoxy broadcast systems — a proven, economical build-up for decks, walkways and yards: epoxy binder coat with quartz or bauxite aggregate broadcast to excess, sealed for a dense, hard-wearing finish. Typically trafficked after overnight cure.
• Polyurethane deck coatings with aggregate — flexible, crack-bridging waterproof coatings for exposed and intermediate car park decks, dressed with aggregate to combine deck waterproofing with skid resistance in one system.
• Coloured demarcation options — buff, red, green, blue, grey and black finishes for walkways, cycle lanes, bay marking and speed-control zones, with natural bauxite reserved for maximum-friction braking areas.

Every installation starts with mechanical preparation — diamond grinding or shot blasting on concrete — because the bond to the substrate, not the resin itself, is what determines how long an anti-skid surface lasts. Where the deck beneath is cracked, spalled or ponding, we repair and level it first so you are not sealing defects in.

Our Installation Process

A typical anti-skid installation runs through five stages. First, the survey: we assess substrate condition, existing texture, gradients, drainage and how the area is trafficked, then agree the phasing plan with you. Second, preparation: mechanical cleaning of the substrate and repair of any defects. Third, application: the resin binder is applied at a controlled coverage rate and the aggregate broadcast to full excess so every part of the binder is saturated with stone. Fourth, cure and recovery: once the resin has hardened, loose aggregate is swept and vacuumed off for reuse, leaving only the bonded texture. Finally, reopening: line marking or demarcation is reinstated and the area handed back — often within hours of the final coat on MMA systems.

Anti Skid Surfacing Costs

Indicative UK pricing for budget planning — actual costs depend on area size, substrate preparation, access and the system specified:

The main cost drivers are straightforward. Area size matters most: mobilisation, preparation plant and resin wastage are largely fixed, so a 2,000 m² deck costs far less per square metre than a single 40 m² ramp. Substrate condition is next — a sound deck needing only grinding is quick, while one needing patch repairs, crack injection or re-profiling adds a preparation phase. Finally, system choice: MMA carries a material premium over epoxy but buys back its cost in reduced closure time, and calcined bauxite costs more than quartz but lasts significantly longer under braking traffic.

Prices are indicative, exclude VAT, and assume sound substrates with reasonable access. Small areas carry higher rates per m² due to fixed setup costs. Where anti-skid forms part of a full deck coating scheme, see our car park waterproofing cost guide for combined system pricing.

Frequently Asked Questions

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