How To Make Your Deck Slip Resistant

It’s not wood, so it shouldn’t be expanding and moving the same, right? It actually moves more AND more unexpectedly than wood decks.

A prudent maintenance schedule can help keep the deck clean and reveal the natural grain of the wood, providing traction and slip-resistance. For best results, wait until a predicted high-pressure system of several days’ duration to assure dry, clear weather.

How To Prevent Slippery Wood Deck Surfaces

First, you could use heavy rubber mats, like the ones used in commercial kitchens, in the most highly trafficked areas. Second, you could apply our Grit Tape to the most slippery areas. Grit tape will definitely improve traction, but it’s obviously going to be very visible because it is black. Both are imperfect solutions, but they just might save a slip or fall that sends a loved one to the hospital. Anti-slip mats are very useful on decks wherever slips are likely including next to hot tubs, outsider doors and on landings.

Water in heavy doses can harm the integrity of wood which is why it usually needs to be treated either at the mill during production or once you’ve completed your project. This is why standing water can further increase the chances of other issues forming as we’ll outline. The second option, which won’t dramatically change the look of your decking, is to apply a non-slip coating. Effectively, non-slip deck coating has an abrasive element that makes the surface less slippery in the rain.

Decking & Railing Duos

Synthetic wood continues to grow in popularity, especially for use on backyard decks and other outdoor structures. Also known as composite lumber or synthetic decking, synthetic wood is typically made of wood shavings that are bound together by a glue and pressure, much like pressed wood. These planks are then sheathed in plastic or a compound containing a combination of plastic, resin and wood fiber. The quality of the sheathing often determines how much or little moisture the synthetic wood board will absorb and thus how susceptible it might be to slip and fall conditions. Composite decking can also get a little slippery in the moisture climate, please create a dry space room to install the composite decking.

Clear Leaves And Debris From Your Deck:

One issue to note is that they are somewhat raised, so might present a trip danger while protecting from slips. While hard to find, slip-resistant inserts can be very useful on decks that have space between the decking boards. Most are coated with a durable, coarse surface that offers excellent traction. Whether your deck is made of natural wood or composite decking material, each can be just as slippery as the other under the conditions described above.

This is an unavoidable process that happens due to UV rays, weathering, and high foot traffic. Severe scratches and deep gouges are common issues with composite deck products. Even with a build up of algae, anti slip decking will remain slip resistant.

However, there’s still no 100% anti-slip composite decking. Most of them though perform better than conventional wood decking in terms of slip resistance. And there are things you can do to increase the surface traction. Even when wet, wood deck surfaces typically present less risk for slipping than composite deck boards -- unless they become dirty and neglected. Mold, mildew, moss, pollen or algae growing on a wooden deck in the shade or in a moist climate can become slippery, posing a special risk to elderly homeowners or guests.

They do this with a compound called Oxalic acid that reverses the chemical damage done to the wood by sun and water. PVC decking is made from 100% recycled plastic while composite decking, is made from a blend of wood fibers and plastic products.

Which products do we recommend for treating faded, silvery garden decking boards? There are now a range of decking restorers specially designed to restore your decking’s lovely natural look and colour.

• "If you have any concern with slipperiness, go with a rough-textured composite," says Dr. Prabhat Krishnaswami, vice chair of an ASTM committee on plastic lumber standards.
• To ensure safety, manufacturers of plastic and composite decking have started submitting products to slip-resistance tests set up by ASTM International.
• One concern about nonwood decking is how slippery it can be when wet.
• "Most plastic boards are smoother on top than composites, which have a rough texture to improve slip resistance," he says.
• According to Richmond, who installs plastic and composite decks, all-plastic planks seem to be a little more slippery than regular wood, whereas composites are not.

One of the cheapest ways of making your deck surface less slippery is sprinkling sand onto a wet sealer. It will help you to keep your deck in good condition for up to 24 months, depending on how much you use the deck.

Algae is the top cause of a slippery deck, and the key is to prevent it from growing. Debris such as leaves, twigs and dirt holds moisture against the deck, creating the right environment for algae to get a foothold. Use a stiff broom, and remove debris before it gets wet, when possible. Hosing off the deck on a sunny day when it will dry quickly is a good part of regular maintenance too. In our recent decking questions and answers blog post we lightly touched on the problem of green and slippery decking which can clearly be a health hazard as well as unsightly.

Thoughts On the Problems With Composite Decking

There are some types of slip-resistant coating that can fit in between your grooved decking boards. This method can be applied retroactively and doesn’t always need to be done with the installation of your deck. We recommend you use slip resistant coating if you have continued slippery spots on high traffic walkways or steps on your deck. Another common cause of slippery decking is debris — particularly as the leaves begin to fall during autumn. The collection of leaves can be unsafe if they are allowed collect on walkways or stairs. Once the rain falls the leaves can become slippery and cause a potential hazard. In addition the decay of leaves can help speed up the growth of bacteria, fungus, mould, algae, or moss on your deck.