Shoes with better grip?

**Johnny 5** · 12-27-2011, 02:40 AM

Two weekends ago, I slipped very quickly on my painted garage floor. Usually, I`m pretty good about not having this floor get more wet than it has to, let alone soapy wet, and when there are a few spots, I usually pay attention to them. Well, I guess I was simply being less careful, more rushed with time, and one got me, and it got me good and fast. I can still feel it in my back. No time for reaction of any kind, it was extremely quick.

I know the best thing to do would probably get a different type of flooring, but I`m not sure I`m up for that in terms of both money and effort. If you want to try to talk me into some type of flooring, feel free, but it may be a waste of your effort?!

So, I don`t expect there to be a miracle shoe, but I was wondering if there were certain types out there that might give me just a little more of an advantage as far as no longer hurting myself. The shoes I had were worn flat on the bottom, these were my "detailing shoes", and needless to say they are already thrown out. Are certain boating shoes good for what I`m looking for? Maybe some sort of outdoorsy water shoe perhaps? (I actually have a pair of these "water shoes", but I don`t know that their grip is any better; I got them to protect my soles against rough rocks and such when outdoors, lake trips, etc). I consider myself to have a good sense of balance, and falling is really a very rare thing for me, but well, this incident has been bothersome for more than one reason, such as the inability to keep up a relatively active lifestyle that I`ve been decent about this year.

Thanks for your input, as always. These aren`t exactly them, but it`s the idea . . . I`m thinking of trying my pair on next time, or maybe try some sort of "slip and slide" test perhaps (if I can safely figure out how to do so, lol). Ok, the first image chosen didn`t work, so I`ll try a different pic/shoe.

**Lonnie** · 12-27-2011, 09:02 AM

Johnny5:

You "choice" of floor covering will be your downfall (no pun intended). When you say paint, are you talking a cement paint or a true flooring paint?

The only way to mitigate slips of wet or damp flooring is to have a sand-epoxy mix covering on them. Even smoothly finished concrete can be hazard once it becomes wet, as most garage floors are.

Ask anyone who rain-soaked or snow-covered car sits in a garage for a while, or worse yet, in an unheated garage when the water freezes on the floor. Snow on the bottom of a boot on a finished garage floor is a recipe for a slip and/or fall.

There are no "Magic Traction" shoes, although your choice of boat shoes may reduce some slippage.

Here`s another suggestion to reduce falls. Tie your shoes or boots! You`re laughing, BUT anyone who`s gone outside by just slipping on a pair of shoes without tying them to retreive the newpaper or take out the garbage or to get something from the unattached garage is asking for disaster. Just trying to be safe.

**jfelbab** · 12-27-2011, 09:45 AM

Take a look at boat shoes. If you ever sail competitively you will have found that they are invaluable at avoiding slipping on wet varnished decking. The soles are made up of hundreds of fine cuts or sips that provide grip and channel water so that there is no slippage. Google boat shoes for a starter. Boat shoes are also made to hold up to repeated wettings.

**TLMitchell** · 12-27-2011, 10:09 AM

I`ve been wearing Topsiders around the garage for years. The upside is the anti-slip properties. As mentioned, they were designed especially with that in mind. The downside is lack of support. After a day detailing on a concrete floor in these things your legs, feet and ankles are shot. And the effects can linger for days.

I have yet to find a cure-all. Don`t slip but hurt for days or have good support and fall and bust your ***. Name your poison...

TL

**Rafi** · 12-27-2011, 10:18 AM

Sperry topsider`s or a "trail running" / "light hiking" shoe have done me well. Look into a Gortex coated Merrell or similar brand. I have had great luck with Merrell, they also will replace the shoe for you if you feel they have worn out immaturely. I don`t know if you have an REI near you. It is a good place to start just to get a lot of options in 1 place.

REI.com

**jfelbab** · 12-27-2011, 10:30 AM

SLAM is my favorite brand. Definitely better support for long days. Also better construction and wear like iron.

**imported_Larry A** · 12-27-2011, 11:12 AM

Im supposed to ware diabetic shoes , but at work they are very slippery, so I had to buy other shoes that where anti slip. They work fine .

**Nth Degree** · 12-27-2011, 11:59 AM

Try shoes for restaurant workers. They are designed specifically for traction on wet surfaces. The company "Shoes For Crews" have the best traction I have found.

**Johnny 5** · 12-27-2011, 04:00 PM

Guys, thank you for the excellent feedback! I will try to investigate perhaps every idea given here. I actually already have a pair of light hiking Merrell shoes, and yes they were bought at REI some years ago.

Shoes for Crews, a great suggestion, the first time I heard about these was from a friend who is a restaurant GM. I haven`t seen him in a year now, but I`d love to know if there was a certain pair he would particularly recommend. I can possibly see these as something for TLMitchell to investigate, because I think they are meant for those who are on their feet the whole time, running around, besides having the anti-slip property.

I`m going to check out some boating shoes. I don`t need support really. About a year ago, I read "Born To Run", and got into minimalist running for a bit there. I can now no longer stand heel lift of any kind. Sometimes it`s unavoidable, for instance, on my latest pair of basketball shoes, although it is rather minimal in lift (I really do demand zero lift). Something I learned from a more knowledgeable salesman (most don`t know anything, it seems), was that when the sole/arch is flatter on the bottom, it is a sign of less heel lift. When there is sort of a pronounced exterior arch, that is typically a sign of greater heel lift. This stuff has almost nothing to do with my query, but I just wanted to share in case it interested anyone. Anyway, my Merrell shoes have more lift than I want, and I even tried their minimalist shoes, and they were absolutely terrible IMO. I went with Vibram Five Fingers for the running, and yes they look like gloves for your feet. (If any of you guys try this style, your calves will really feel it, as you will run completely differently; your head will be totally still/calm, it`s all forward propulsion.)

I`m even going to look a little bit into the sand-epoxy route, which is surely the best route, but gosh, I`ve accumulated enough crap in the garage that the idea of clearing it all out seems kind of daunting, lol. Oh yes, it is just painted concrete. And it hurts!

**jfelbab** · 12-27-2011, 04:24 PM

I`m also a runner. I found that everyone has different needs in running shoes and for me I favor Mizuno Nirvana 7. Much depends on your arch and how much control you need. I over-pronate so the N7 is ideal for my running. If you have a good running shoe retailer nearby it is worth a visit to get properly evaluated and fitted.

Originally Posted by Johnny 5

Guys, thank you for the excellent feedback! I will try to investigate perhaps every idea given here. I actually already have a pair of light hiking Merrell shoes, and yes they were bought at REI some years ago.

Shoes for Crews, a great suggestion, the first time I heard about these was from a friend who is a restaurant GM. I haven`t seen him in a year now, but I`d love to know if there was a certain pair he would particularly recommend. I can possibly see these as something for TLMitchell to investigate, because I think they are meant for those who are on their feet the whole time, running around, besides having the anti-slip property.

I`m going to check out some boating shoes. I don`t need support really. About a year ago, I read "Born To Run", and got into minimalist running for a bit there. I can now no longer stand heel lift of any kind. Sometimes it`s unavoidable, for instance, on my latest pair of basketball shoes, although it is rather minimal in lift (I really do demand zero lift). Something I learned from a more knowledgeable salesman (most don`t know anything, it seems), was that when the sole/arch is flatter on the bottom, it is a sign of less heel lift. When there is sort of a pronounced exterior arch, that is typically a sign of greater heel lift. This stuff has almost nothing to do with my query, but I just wanted to share in case it interested anyone. Anyway, my Merrell shoes have more lift than I want, and I even tried their minimalist shoes, and they were absolutely terrible IMO. I went with Vibram Five Fingers for the running, and yes they look like gloves for your feet. (If any of you guys try this style, your calves will really feel it, as you will run completely differently; your head will be totally still/calm, it`s all forward propulsion.)

I`m even going to look a little bit into the sand-epoxy route, which is surely the best route, but gosh, I`ve accumulated enough crap in the garage that the idea of clearing it all out seems kind of daunting, lol. Oh yes, it is just painted concrete. And it hurts!

**Johnny 5** · 12-27-2011, 04:37 PM

Originally Posted by jfelbab

I`m also a runner. I found that everyone has different needs in running shoes and for me I favor Mizuno Nirvana 7. Much depends on your arch and how much control you need. I over-pronate so the N7 is ideal for my running. If you have a good running shoe retailer nearby it is worth a visit to get properly evaluated and fitted.

I`m actually not much of a runner, but I prefer just about nothing when it comes to shoes. The VFFs are the closest thing to nothing that I have found, but I can do barefeet fine if I wanted. The most activity I get is with basketball (I was averaging about 3x a week). Running minimalist style gave me an advantage with basketball too, as I am so much more efficient now. The guy who got me into the running bit for as long as I did owns an extremely successful bike store, and he does measure people`s feet. He`s never measured mine, but maybe I should have him do so sometime. He said it helped his biking considerably too; it`s changed his life all around in fact. Anyway, when this stuff was all new to me, I would share the stuff with anyone who would listen. It was very interesting to me to see a couple of friends in the remodeling/construction industry that preferred flip flops to any other shoes, which would invariably hurt their feet. One who runs a rather busy remodeling business actually worked in his flip flops for a while, until he realized how unprofessional it looked to some customers. So I find it interesting when I see some click n brags here with people working in flip flops. The idea behind minimalist style is that a lot of the things in shoe design are actually bad for you, including the cushioning (you need to bottom them out to be efficient, which in turn means maximizing impact), or heel lift (which weakens and shortens one of the most unique things about the human body, the Achilles tendon which is incredibly capable, not to mention our other "special running attributes" including the nuchal tendon, and most impressively, millions of sweat glands with the ability to breathe independently of our stride; our lungs are not our dedicated climate control so to speak). I could go on, but that`s not why I`m here.

I`m here because I just don`t want to fall anymore. LOL.

**JohnKleven** · 12-27-2011, 05:54 PM

I bought Redbacks from my local Matco truck. They are great, super comfortable and wear great. I think they were about $200 or so which I thought was a pretty good deal.

**Greg Gellas** · 12-27-2011, 07:29 PM

I love SFC shoes. Even on grease covered floors at my Restaurant they wouldn`t fail me. I have went down a few time on my BLT garage flooring only to wish I was wearing my SFC shoes. Not pretty but the TWX are comfy and grippy.

**Rafi** · 12-27-2011, 11:57 PM

Originally Posted by Johnny 5

I`m actually not much of a runner, but I prefer just about nothing when it comes to shoes. The VFFs are the closest thing to nothing that I have found, but I can do barefeet fine if I wanted. The most activity I get is with basketball (I was averaging about 3x a week). Running minimalist style gave me an advantage with basketball too, as I am so much more efficient now. The guy who got me into the running bit for as long as I did owns an extremely successful bike store, and he does measure people`s feet. He`s never measured mine, but maybe I should have him do so sometime. He said it helped his biking considerably too; it`s changed his life all around in fact. Anyway, when this stuff was all new to me, I would share the stuff with anyone who would listen. It was very interesting to me to see a couple of friends in the remodeling/construction industry that preferred flip flops to any other shoes, which would invariably hurt their feet. One who runs a rather busy remodeling business actually worked in his flip flops for a while, until he realized how unprofessional it looked to some customers. So I find it interesting when I see some click n brags here with people working in flip flops. The idea behind minimalist style is that a lot of the things in shoe design are actually bad for you, including the cushioning (you need to bottom them out to be efficient, which in turn means maximizing impact), or heel lift (which weakens and shortens one of the most unique things about the human body, the Achilles tendon which is incredibly capable, not to mention our other "special running attributes" including the nuchal tendon, and most impressively, millions of sweat glands with the ability to breathe independently of our stride; our lungs are not our dedicated climate control so to speak). I could go on, but that`s not why I`m here.

I`m here because I just don`t want to fall anymore. LOL.

Thanks for your couple of posts. Honestly really helpful. I have looked into minimalist shoes. Watch videos and read about them, but never talked to anyone with them. Or that was into them. Im not sure what you mean about lift. Im going to read up about it.

**bigltc** · 12-28-2011, 12:46 AM

I use carpet mats, like a business uses at its entrance. I lay them down around the perimeter of the car. When you are done you can hose them off outside and set out to dry. I picked up several at Costco. The odd problem with super grippy shoes is that you can still wrench your back when they grab on to a surface unexpectedly while you are walking.