how do I make wooden steps slip proof?

theowl_2

Hi,

Can anyone offer advice as to how I can make a flight of outdoor wooden steps slip proof? In the winter sheets of ice form on the surfaces, and also on the bannisters, making them very dangerous to climb down.

Thanks.

jonnyw_2

Nail chicken wire to the treads.

astro_al

A trick from my days of boat ownership: get some builder's sand ('sharp' sand), whack it on a tray in the oven for a few hours just to get rid of any moisture, not super hot, then paint your steps and sprinkle this sand into the paint (on the step, not in the pot).

Voila - cheap too. If you are really bothered, get some protecta-kote paint. Its exactly the same thing but very strong indeed - uses tough rubber granules but it's much 'harder' than it sounds, very spikey. I used it on some wooden decking over the river at my father's water mill a few years ago - not only is it still there, but it's still very griipy too! Highly recommended, but more spendy than the sand version.

Of course if the ice is thick enough, no texturing method is going to work. Could you pipe hot water under each step?

Al.