We are doing it. You can always add an anti-slip compound to the sealer if needed.

We have a stamped concrete front porch and back patio. It is very pretty but slippery. It wasn't until I decided to put a glaze on it to seal it. I put a glaze over the front porch to try it out 1st. I didn't glaze the patio and I am very glad. I've already had 2 people slip on my porch when it was raining! The back patio has not been a problem. If you decide to put it around the pool do not put a glaze on it!
Mischelle

We are also considering putting stamped concrete around our pool, for some reason I thought that stamping would give it enough texture to not be slippery, but I have been learning otherwise on this site. I know my neighbor has stained concrete on his patio and it is super slippery when wet, but it is smooth also. I am not sure if the staining is the same thing as the glaze mischelle is talking about

I would nix the stamped concrete too, even with the sand mix it is still slippery when wet. We went with Kool Deck and love it.

We've got stamped concrete and the sealer included an anti-slip additive (shark bite?). The stamp that was used was pretty aggressive, and with the sealer/anti-slip, has never been a problem. Not slippery at all, even when wet.

The anti-slip additive also gives the finish a matte look vs. the wet/ultra-shine typical of some sealed concrete. Too me, the matte finish looks more natural so it was a plus.

Jenno, we are in the same boat as you. We are going almost 100% for a "look" vs best function. When I told my PB we wanted stamped concrete he said it will be slippery and hot and he would rather see us go with Kool Deck or Salt Deck. We said thanks for the honesty, write up the stamped in the contract please.

I think I will look into the Shark Bite as I do want to seal everything since we are going with salt water.

Here is a couple of pictures of our stamped concrete. It can get hot, but if there is enough people getting in/out of the pool, it tends to stay cool. Obviously, the darker you go, the hotter it will get.

We sort of compromised, we extended our native stone (that was also our coping) about 3 feet out, so there is a perimeter around the pool itself, and then a pathway. The rest is stamped concrete. Yes, the stamped concrete is slippery, and it is much more hot than the native limestone is. This is going to sound really mean, but we have a LOT of kids at our pool weekly and they have just had to learn that I mean it when I tell them to walk! Kids rarely run around my pool anymore, because a few have taken (mild) tumbles. So for me it's got a good side too, as folks have learned to respect the surface and we've all learned to be mindful.

We are on year 4 of the pool and I honestly believe the slipperiness is less every year, so you will wear into it, or at least adapt. If I had to do it all over again, I would do it the same.

I'll post a photo below, you can see the contrast between the native limestone and the concrete by color, the stamped is darker. It's not the best photo of the concrete itself, but it does show the contrast and the way we blended them together, and have the walking perimeter that is cooler/less slippery.

Here is a link that might be useful:

I would not install a slippery deck even with a hold harmless agreement. It would be great ammo for an attorney.

After having the stamped concrete deck for a couple of weeks now, I can confirm that it is not slippery at all. It may be secondary to the rough pattern and all the lines we chose in our design but wet or dry, it has great traction.

We've been using the pool for a couple of weeks now and wanted to return with my findings on embossed concrete. Ours is not stained/sealed/galzed (yet.......) and it is NOT slippery. It is a colored concrete deck that was then "embossed" with a skins pattern using. I know when I seal it some day it's going to be an ice rink, so for now with 2 little ones it will remain unsealed/stained/galzed whatever you want to call it. :)

We have a stamped concrete patio that was extremely, dangerously slippery. We had the same company that installed it come back, and they applied something (with paint rollers) that fixed the problem. Not sure what it was, but it worked. And the appearance changed a bit. More matte, but not a big change.

If the sealed concrete always has a wet look then you're going to have a slippery "ice rink" when water is present. Why any builder would seal outdoor concrete with a high-gloss sealer beyond me as it's a huge safety issue.

If you've got stamped/colored concrete then use a sealer that has an anti-slip additive. Brickform makes one called Safety-Seal. It's their high-gloss sealer with an anti-slip additive. It results in a matte (low gloss) finish that isn't slippery when wet. If you ask me, its is also more natural looking. There are other anti-slip sealers and additives, such as shark-bite.

It's also important if you have stamped/colored concrete to seal it. If it's not sealed, it will develop efflorescence (white powdery film). It's difficult if not impossible to remove once it starts, and it can shift the color of the concrete. If you want the deck to stay looking great, it needs to be sealed sooner rather than later.

Paradigmdawg - - can you contact me? I love the finish of your deck, and would like to know the details. You can reach me at mmiller@millerwells.com.

Paradigmdawg....will you contact me as well? Wondering what colors and stamp you used for your pool surround...gorgeous!! My email is mcnamara_patty@yahoo.com

We have a stamped concrete deck and we never sealed it. I have a natural rock look, and a light color to it, and I don't find it slippery at all.

Our friends have a stamped deck that they sealed, and used the sand in it and it is still incredibly slippery.

I would not ever seal mine for that reason, plus, with my finish I think it looks bad too.

nosabe...could you find out what the product is called? We had our stamped concrete installed this week. They said they added something to make it not slippery to the sealer...but it is still very slippery. Hoping to apply what was applied to yours...thanks for your help in this matter!!

Based on my current experience with stamped concrete we have to say, we are disappointed with the product. There are just too many variables to get the look and colors the concrete installers try to promise.
We just went through a pure nightmare and created a blog to document the fun. It has turned out to be something others may find useful if they are having issues with a stamped concrete project or just want to see what could go wrong. We certainly found out what could go wrong. The link is attached. Good luck!

Here is a link that might be useful: Stamped Concrete Issues - Blog

Vervel any chance you have that info from your blog to share? I get an error when trying the page. We need to decide on our pool concrete decking (we're overdue) and would love to read about your experience. thank you!