How To Prevent Slippery Wood Deck Surfaces

I have a firend with the same problem and who isplanning to replace her decking with stone paving slabs. Not sure how that will work as on my shady terrace made from recycled granite pavers it always gets slippery in wet weather and all through winter. The recently settled legal matter focused on the propensity of the first generation, uncapped Trex boards to grow mold, mildew, and discolor over time.

Most are made of rubber or a similar synthetic material with a diamond or other texture surface. A cheaper method of making your deck surface gritty and therefore less slippery is to sprinkle sand onto the wet sealer where it will remain embedded once the sealer dries. Next, apply deck stain or sealer to an area two to three feet deep—only as deep as you can comfortably reach with the spreader—and 12 to 20 feet wide. While the material is still tacky, cover it with a light to moderate application of sand.

How To Prevent Slippery Wood Deck Surfaces

Wet wood can also harden to ice during winter which makes it dangerous to walk on. There are also anti-slip inserts that can easily be installed in between the grooves of the composite decking. They are less visible than anti-slip strips and become almost part of the decking but they also increase the traction of the surface and much safer to walk on. Different types of anti-slip strips are available commercially that you can install over your portions of your composite decking. They have a very rough texture that would greatly increase the surface traction of your composite decking. Below are 4 ways to make your composite decking less slippery.

It seems to come on strong and takes constant effort to keep the decking clear of it, especially for a self-proclaimed “no maintenance” product. It has been improving slowly over the years with the introduction of capped products and other upgrades, but still, the reports from consumers and contractors are not promising.

Decking & Railing Duos

This product contains sand or aggregates suspended in a paint or resin, which you can apply with a paint roller with a thick-nap roller cover. Apply self-adhesive strips containing a coarse grit surface to the dried deck steps at their front edges for additional purchase on the steps.

Clear Leaves And Debris From Your Deck:

Both products feature a “cap,” which is an extra, added layer of protection that helps make them more durable and longer-lasting. When did you purchase the home and was the deck recently done. If there is mold, you will have a problem with virtually all warranties. I returned all the uncut boards to the lumber yard for credit.

Water and ice accumulation from rain and snow may create slippery conditions on any deck surface. Everybody knows color fades in the sun, but composite decking companies seem to be oblivious to what their products are really capable of.

Some composite decking won’t move a bit and others have been found to shrink, swell, warp, twist, bow, and any other word you want to use in amounts unheard of, even with wood. Again, it seems completely random when this happens, but it happens often enough that you should know about it. Especially prevalent on older and uncapped composited decking, mold shows up quickly and is more difficult to eradicate than you’d expect. The mold seems to grow heavily not just on the surface, but inside the rough texture of uncapped decking.

Some chemicals, lubricating liquids, oil, and grease spills, of course can also make the composite decking surface slippery. So as much as possible, try not to expose your composite decking to these types of liquids. Most all-plastic decking is made from vigin polyvinyl chloride or recycled high-density polyethylene . Some of these products have thin walls and hollow profiles, making them lighter than composites or wood but also requiring special installation hardware. Snowy and icy weather can make your deck into a slippery safety hazard.

Today Trex offers the industry’s widest array of high-performance composite products, available in more than 29 countries around the world. Take the action to clean the composite decking is a great way to keep it tidy and clean.

Scrub Away The Algae With A Homemade Solution

• Sunlight and rain can cause wood to crack or rot, and mold growing on decks can also make decks slippery.
• 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.
• If you plan to install decks by the pool or in a humid environment such as frequent rain, you will first be concerned about the safety of decks.
• While composite decks are built to last longer than natural wood decks, their surfaces aren’t impervious to mold and moss and the slipperiness that comes with them.

One concern about nonwood decking is how slippery it can be when wet. 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.

Slippery Decking Timber

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 serious inherent design problems with the composite decking product. I am in the process of switching over to aluminum boards which are more expensive. As my father used to say, quality remains long after the price is forgotten. As soon as winter arrives, keeping your deck clean and safe becomes a challenge. Ice and snow increase the chances of slip and fall, which can cause serious safety risks.