non slip surface

[cj]

My elderly neighbors have asked me to replace their wooden out door steps and are interested in some sort of non slip surface applied to the new steps. There seems to be a few choices and I would like to inquire here for any recommendations.Since it is an outdoor application I am in need for a durable solution that can hold up to Michigan weather. thank cj

[harryagain]

If you are not concerned about appearance, fix some chicken wire on the treads with staples. Can't be beaten for non-slip.

[dadiOH]

1. Paint the steps

1. While the paint is wet, sprinkle some sand on them

2. Paint again

Alternatively...

1. Mask off to make strips

1. Paint the strips and sprinkle sand while wet

2. When dry, paint all one or more times.

Oil paint is best. You can get colored poly porch & floor paint. Very durable.

If you don't want the steps painted, you could make strips, apply clear oil poly and grit. Top with 2-3 additional coats of clear poly.

[Erik]

I have zero knowledge/experience with any of this... however, I remember years ago seeing little cartons of 'special' sand being sold for just this purpose at the hardware store.

Don't know if it had any special advantage over garden variety sand, or was just a marketing gimmick.

Good Luck!

Erik

[gregz]

I can't see what the NEW steps are made of.??

Assume concrete. You can buy patio paint that has the grit in it. I used to buy it cheap at walmart, but no longer carry. I would have made concrete with lines in it. sure, I've thrown in sand before. These all wear away in some years.

For wood, stick on like sandpaper strips works well. I bought a big roll back when I was doing our boat.

Greg

[nestork]

If it wuz me, and I could get under the steps you're gonna build, I would install indoor/outdoor carpeting on each tread. Years ago, indoor/outdoor carpet was typically green and looked like plastic grass, but nowadays you can't tell it apart from any 100% Olefin carpet, such as any of those sold at Home Depot.

[image:

Indoor/outdoor carpet is commonly used around swimming pools because it's not slippery when wet. Also, it doesn't become brittle like some plastics when it gets really cold.

1. screw down pieces of pinned naplock at both the front and back of each stair tread:

[image:

Naplock is made of anodized aluminum, so it won't rust or discolour outdoors.

Screw right through each wood stair tread at both front and back. Then clamp your pieces of naplock down to the tread and drill up through those same holes to make holes at those locations in the naplock. Now, use stainless steel or brass screws to screw the naplock down. Space your screws every 6 to 8 inches.

(Pinned naplock will come pre-punched with holes, but the guy at that punching machine must be off the wagon because the holes are never uniformly spaced. Sometimes there's a good 12 inches between holes, other times only 4 inches. It's annoying.)

1. Buy one small piece of indoor/outdoor carpeting in a light and one in a dark colour and alternate the carpet colour on each tread for safety. Our eyes can't see colours when it's dark, but we can still distinguish between light and dark materials in the dark. OK that with your neighbors because they may think a light coloured carpet is a poor choice of colours cuz it'll show more when it gets dirty. They might prefer you use two different colours cuz they almost never go out after dark anyhow.

Cut those pieces of carpet to fit between the risers and between the strips of naplock.

1. Crimp the lip of the naplock down with a pair of channel lock pliers all along the length of the naplock. Maybe use a steel plate or something to protect the underside of the wood treads (if needed). When I install carpet, I typically use a piece of 3/4 inch thick hardwood flooring about 10 inches long and set the bottom edge of that hardwood on the lip of the naplock, and then pound on the top edge down tight onto the carpet with a rubber mallet. But, by using a pair of channel lock pliers, you get the same job done without all the pounding (which might be quite concerning to your neighbors.) If you crimp the naplock down tight every 2 to 4 inches, that should be sufficient, but the more you crimp that naplock down onto the carpet, the better it'll hold the carpet in place.

Maybe use an easy-to-remove latex caulk along the carpet/riser joint to keep the carpet from ravelling at it's edges. (alternatively, use naplock there too and hammer the lip down as described above)

That's what I'd do if it wuz me.

I'm intentionally not gluing the carpeting down here because I believe the naplock alone would be sufficient to hold small pieces of carpet like that securely in place. But, I ain't never done dat, so if you disagree, you can also use indoor/outdoor double sided carpet tape to hold things in place:

[image:

Naplock is sold in 10 foot lengths for about a dollar per foot. It comes in "silver", "gold" and "titanium" colours, with titanium being a relatively new thing and costing about twice as much just cuz of the novelty of it. You cut it to length with either a pair of tin snips or a hack saw.

I'm nestork and I approved this message.

[Paul Drahn]

A dental office near where we used to live East of Seattle had wide curving steps going up to the offices. Snow and ice made them really dangerous, so they fastened expanded metal (aluminum, I think) to the steps. worked great in the winter snow, but were a pain to walk on the rest of the year. Also looked like crap.

Paul

[Fake ID]

Drive lots of long nails up through the steps.

Would it do any good to cut several 1/8" deep grooves the width of each step?

m

[Notat Home]

Sand is easy to get, and some paint stores sell it as a non skid compound, but I found that it clumped and didn't last well. A marine supply store should have non skid compound that consists of tiny glass beads. They work very well and last quite a while, but cost more than sand. I just mix a small bit into the paint I will be using, and stir it as I work to keep them in suspension.

[krw]

The anti-skid stuff I've bought in the past was very fine silica sand. It's quite like the stuff found on the beaches on the redneck Riviera.