How to Make Outdoor Steps Safe

I hired a pro to build my 8ft wide front steps and he used a paint called porch paint that is not slippery, but after the first winter it was all cracked? My grandson applied another coat and it seems to be even worse?

Hi Dana,
Sorry to hear about your porch steps. The porch paint applied to the bare wood probably contained an abrasive grit, which made the steps slip-resistant. But it sounds like the wood may not have been fully dried when the paint was brushed on, and when it finally did dry out, the paint began to crack and peel off. Brushing another coat on top of the cracked paint won’t help, as you discovered.

Unfortunately there’s no easy fix. First of all, painting any outdoor wood is never a good idea. Sure, people do it all the time, but painting outdoor wood creates a surface that constantly must be maintained over the years. The proper way to paint outdoor wood is to first, make sure the wood is bone dry. Next, prime all surfaces, ends and edges. It’s especially important to back-prime the back/underside of the boards. Then apply two coats of 100% acrylic latex paint. To make the steps less slippery, mix abrasive grit into the paint prior to application. And caulk any nail/screw holes, cracks and crevices to seal out water.

Now if you follow these steps, the paint job will last longer, but it’ll only be a matter of time until you’ll have to sand/scrape the steps down to bare wood and repeat the process all over again.

Semi-transparent stain is always a better option for outdoor wood. Thanks for writing and good luck.–Joe T.

We have a beautiful long front porch which receives lots of compliments. The flooring is stained but is VERY slippery in winter, especially w/ a dusting of snow on it. We are fully aware so walk carefully but our concern is mostly for anyone who does not realize it is slippery. What is a good solution. We do not want to paint it — as I said, it is stained.
Thanks for your help.

Hi Marilyn, You’ve got a challenging problem. I assume the porch is covered by a roof and the stained wood floor is made of tongue-and-groove fir porch flooring, not spaced decking. It makes sense that it’d be slippery when coated in snow–all surfaces are–but I’m not sure why it’d be slippery in winter when it’s not snow-covered. A painted floor would certainly be slippery when wet, but yours is stained.
If the flooring is not fir, but some sort of hardwood, such as mahogany, it would be a bit more slippery, but I’m still not sure what to recommend.
I assume you don’t want to stick down the abrasive strips shown in the Simple Solutions video (neither would I). You could put down an all-weather mat or rug, such as a WaterHog door mat from LL Bean, but it’s important to remove the mat regularly to allow the porch floor to dry out. The mat will trap moisture against the wood, which could lead to rot.
Sorry I couldn’t be of more help, but if I think of anything else, I’ll let you know. Good luck.–Joe T.

I have a metal handicap ramp that gets very slippery when snow gets on it. I cannot put salt on it, as it falls right through.I have to pound the crap on it to remove the ice. Are there electric rubber strip type of product I could put down and heat it so nothing sticks on it?

Hi Trish, Sounds like you’ve got a very dangerous situation on your hands. The best solution would be to cover the ramp with a snow-melting electric mat. Check out the products at http://www.heatrak.com. They’re not cheap, but are highly effective at melting snow on walking surfaces. Speak with a Heatrak technical advisor with regards to the width, length and, most importantly, angle of your ramp. I’m sure Heatrak can produce a suitable mat for your needs. Thanks for writing and good luck!–Joe T.

Hi Joe. I bought several of the Heattrak mats you mentioned above. They work great. My question is this; I live in the city and I want to secure the mats on my wood frond steps using the eyelets, I was thinking of something akin to a drywall screw that would allow me to seasonally screw and then unscrew these things to the steps… ideally would also allow me to plug them in the summer. Any thoughts?

Hello
I tried the adhesive strips and they loosened the first time it snowed. Not good in wet and cold weather; useless product. Has anyone used outdoor carpet treads for stairs? I don’t know if nailing or adhesive would be preferred. These are wooden stairs. I thought about rubber treads but think they too can become slippery with melting snow and black ice. Any feedback welcomed. Thanks.

My mother-in-law has fiberglass steps going up to her porch. They become a pure sheet of ice in the winter. Is there anything we can put on them to prevent the ice from forming? If not, what can we out down to get rid of the ice without damaging the steps? Thank you.

We replaced our steps on the deck along with adding a landing as you step out the front door . We painted the whole porch with a restore paint which has a grit added for safety. The problem is in poor lighting you can’t see when to step down safely. It’s whole porch is painted light gray what would you suggest to break up the illusion of a continued surface without adding a lot of paint? The landing is covered but the steps exposed to the elements.

Granite Exterior steps get very slippery in the winter with rain, snow ice etc. What is your recommendation to create a non slip surface?

Also your suggestions on how to best secure a couch on a wood floor so the couch doesn’t move backwards out from under an elder when they go to sit down would be helpful. The couch is not against a wall but in middle of the room; no area rug is underneath and we have made an effort to remove scatter rugs due to the fall risk.

Thank you!