What to use on slippery wooden steps?

[orangehen]

The old wooden steps leading to my deck get really slippery when it rains, or in the winter, and I have to go up and down them many times a day. I thought of tacking shingles on them, but I'm afraid it would hold moisture in and they would rot faster. What about paint with sand mixed in it? Any suggestions for sure footing?

[RonR]

I used stick on stair treads from Lowe's on my mothers deck steps. Almost like a heavy sand paper. I believe I put them on 4 years ago and they are still there and still work. They have yellow strip/stripe which helps in dimmer light.
She is 82 and any thing I can do to prevent accidents....

[Ramblin Wreck]

Painting the steps with a sand/paint mix might also help, but the strips noted above sound like a better solution. Best wishes that you find a solution that works for you.

[clovis]

I have some of those self adhesive non-slip strips.

I would be happy to send them to you for free if you pay the shipping. I would guess that first class shipping would be under $3 for a what you need.

PM me if interested.

Clove

[wyld thang]

can you pressure wash them? It works for us, lasts 2-3 years. Or you could scrub them really hard with a bleach solution and a wire brush if you don't have a pressure washer(ask around your neighbros or church too, make em a pie).

When it is freezing out, or an ice storm, I lay an old towel on the steps and deck, it freezes on top of the ice and makes sure footing.

[wyld thang]

ps, if you put the strips on you'll still have to wash the steps really well to get them to stick--what makes them slippery is mossy algae goo that will have to be cleaned off.

[stranger]

paint a heavy coat of oil base paint then before it drys, toss some sand on the paint

[Wolf mom]

An elderly neighbor has shingles on her steps. Appears to work well and I was thinking of doing the same.

As they are roofing shingles, How would water get under them? How would you put them down on your steps?

[Alice In TX/MO]

If they are tab shingles, the water will seep under the edges of the tab slots.

If the step is not completely covered, you will have water infiltration.

I like the adhesive stair treads and have used them in several rental properties. Make sure the steps are clean and dry before applying.

[orangehen]

Thanks, everyone! I didn't even know about adhesive stair treads; I'll look into it.

[jennigrey]

The best solution I have used to date (writing to you here from the soggy Pacific Northwest) is to use galvanized hardware cloth in a fine guage mesh (approximately .5 by .5 inch openings). Cut pieces of the hardware cloth in the appropriate size to cover the "working" area of the step and nail them down with broad and flat headed roofing nails. Provides excellent traction and can be installed even in the midst of a 45-day wet streak. No more :banana02:.

[Helena]

Our last deck we made the mistake of having it "plained" so it would be smooth. What a mistake ?? This new deck we put in the recycled plastic type of deck and love it for that reason. It is not slippery at all during the winter months with the ice and snow. All the above ideas are great but next time you need to replace the steps use the new recycle plastic wood.

[michiganfarmer]

take them off, ruun them through a planer, glue some sand paper to them, and put them back on

[pheasantplucker]

I'd go with sand in the paint as a start.

[hotzcatz]

On boats they use a big salt shaker or a cheese shaker to shake sand over the wet paint and then either leave it like that or put another coat of paint on if the sand was too harsh. There are also ground walnut shells which get used for the same purpose. I usually used the sand since it was cheaper than the walnut hulls.