A Beacon for the Future

A Beacon for the Future
"We hope the reinvention of our 100-year-old waterfront home as a model of green building will educate and inspire both the building industry and the general public.” - Homeowners Dave and Anna Porter (rendering by Craig Thorpe).

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Slippery When Wet!

Okay...we promised to be honest in our reporting so here goes: we love our FSC-certified Tigerwood decking but must say that it can be downright dangerous when it gets wet! We've had a couple of falls ourselves and a few friends (and this was when sober!) who have slipped. We've had some discussions with others about the issue looking for a solution and so far nothing really satisfactory.

One idea was to put on a clear-coat (obviously earth-friendly) finish with some sand or other type of grit in it. The problem here is two-fold: 1) this eliminates the low-maintenance feature of letting the wood age naturally without refinishing; and 2) as the finish wears off--in the higher traffic areas--the grit will get carried into the house.

Another, even less desirable solution, was to attach adhesive tread strips to the steps and deck. Of course, besides the obvious downside--not very attractive!--these also have a tendency to come "unstuck" within a short time making them even less attractive and presenting a whole other tripping hazard!

We're still investigating this. Any suggestions from you, dear readers, would be most welcome!

1 comment:

edward said...

Hi
Would really need to see it again but from memory would say;"rough it up"! Think of boat deck. Caveat. I might like to walk barefoot on your dk and would hate to spoil that experience. Is the slipping happening with or without shoes or both?