During the summer your decking dries out. The sun dries up any mildew and mould and the surface provides a decent grip. But the minute it gets wetter and colder, that lethal slipperiness comes back.
If you’ve ever almost killed yourself sliding around on slippery, slimy garden decking you’ll understand how important it is to know how to make decking non-slip. It’s a question we’re asked regularly, and we thought it’d be useful to write a post on the subject.
How to Stop Slippery Decking?
How does one achieve safe non slip decking? There are several anti slip decking products available.
- Anti slip decking paint
- Non slip decking varnish
- Anti slip decking oils & stains
We highly recommend antislip decking oils. Non-slip decking paints and varnishes tend to be prone to cracking, flaking and peeling off over time, whilst anti-slip decking oil and oil-based decking stains do not. In addition, anti-slip decking oils and oil-based stains are also very easy to apply, maintain and patch repair if areas become worn or stained.
Our favourite is the excellent Osmo Anti-Slip Decking Oil,which contains special compressed organic particles evenly dispersed throughout the oil. The product dries to a clear satin-matt finish to deliver a reliable anti-slip surface. It’s made from natural oils and also contains active ingredients designed to protect against mould, algae and fungus.
The great news is that this oil can be used as a top coat over Osmo and many other brands of decking oil, clear and coloured, to add an anti-slip finish. It’s perfect for exterior wooden decking and steps and works wonders on all sorts of woods including Douglas Fir, Bangkirai, Garapa, Massaranduba, Larch and common or garden Pine. And it’s ideal for any kind of decking, from the ribbed and grooved versions to the flat and smooth stuff.
Where to use Osmo Anti Slip Decking Oil?
Osmo Anti Slip Decking Oil is perfect for your home garden decking and equally good for making decked steps safe. But it’s also a great product for commercial decking in places like pubs, cafes, nightclubs and restaurants.
If someone slips on your garden deck at home, it’s unlikely they’ll sue you. But if you run a commercial operation anti-slip decking might prove your undoing, so it’s better to be safe than sorry. It might be a condition of your commercial insurance to make sure your deck is safe, and if it isn’t your insurer might even refuse your claim, leaving you liable for compensating people who have injured themselves because your deck is dangerous.
When is the Product Suitable?
Osmo anti-slip deck oil can be used on new, previously untreated decking. But you need to weather it first, leaving it untreated for 2-4 weeks in the case of softwood decking and 3 months for hard and exotic woods, and after applying 1 coat of your chosen decking oil, be it coloured or clear. This excellent product is also perfect for decking that has been previously oiled. If your deck features an oil-based finish, you’ll need to clean it thoroughly before you begin.
Bear in mind that you can’t use an anti-slip oil on top of painted decking and it won’t work over varnished or coated decks either, including many types of decking stain. If your decking has an existing finish like a varnish or a stain you need to remove it completely, which will involve either stripping, sanding or a bit of both.
When NOT to use it? Osmo Anti Slip Decking Oil isn’t suitable as a stand-alone product. You should always use it with a wood preserver and a primary decking oil.
Anti Slip Decking Stain Preparation in 8 Simple Steps
- Always carry out a test first in an area that doesn’t show, so you know how the products you’ve bought work on your particular deck. It makes doing the real thing so much easier when you know what to expect
- First clean your deck, sweeping it to get rid of every speck of visible surface debris, dirt and dust
- If there’s mould or algae present, you MUST get rid of it first. Jet washing is always a good option before treating the surface with a good quality mould and mildew cleaner
- Allow the deck to dry thoroughly
- Once treated by the mould and mildew cleaner, apply a good quality exterior wood preservative to help prevent future biological growth. 2 coats of preservative is the norm for exterior wood
- Add a single coat of good quality decking oil, either clear or tinted
- Apply one coat of anti-slip decking oil, following the instructions on the pack as well as checking those we’ve provided on our product page
- Clean your brushes and other equipment with white spirit straight away
The drying time for Osmo Anti Slip Decking Oil is 10-12 hours under normal weather conditions, longer if it’s cool or humid.
Anti Slip for Decking – Upkeep and Maintenance
You want the areas of your deck that get particularly heavy foot traffic to stay anti-slip. To stop the effect wearing off we recommend you renovate areas of wear as soon as they start to look tatty, without delay. Luckily it’s really easy – just brush-apply another coat to the worn patch.
Alternative anti-slip decking treatments
Any questions about anti-slip decking?
Need our help with your decking project?
For more information about decking treatments and their uses, contact our team of resident experts who are always on hand to help with project advice and product recommendations.
We love to see before, during and after photos of any decking, project. If you would like to share your pictures with us and our followers, send us your photos or share on our Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest or Instagram pages.
54 comments
Reply to Samantha Taylor:
Hello Nigel,
Apologies for the delay in getting back to you. I have heard back from Osmo in regards to this question and I can confirm that the additive that creates the non slip finish is Polypropelene Co poly. This does sound like a plastic to me and so this product is potentially not what you would be looking for.
All the Best Samantha.
Thanks, it’s for an outside playhouse! Regards Christine
Hi, I wonder if the Osmo anti slip decking oil is suitable to treat the floors of a kids playhouse? It is pressure treated softwood and has not been varnished or painted so far. I do have some leftovers of Osmo oil varnish in red from treating the outside of the house, could this be used underneath the anti slip oil?
Reply to Christine:
Good Morning Christine,
Thank you for getting in touch with your enquiry. I can not recommend the use of an exterior product for an interior project. The two products that you are asking about will both contain Biocides and this is one of the reasons they are for exterior use.
That said many of our customers will use such products for interiors of log cabins, sheds and summer houses as once fully dry the products are both human and animal safe. So if you choose to use the products moving forward, then one coat of the coloured oil followed by one coat of the Anti Slip will work together. Always try a test are a first and if you have any further questions please do not hesitate to get in touch (https://www.wood-finishes-direct.com/pages/contact).
Kind regards Samantha.
My deck is 2 years old and has already been painted gray or maybe it’s a stain. Can this product be applied over old paint?
Reply to joanne thompson:
Hello Joanne,
Which product are you looking to apply over the current finish ? And I would need to know the current finish to be able to advice whether a product can be applied over the top of it. If you are able to find out please feel free to email with details or even send through some photos and I will be happy to take a look.
Kind regards Samantha.
Please could you tell me if the satin-matt decking oil leaves a slight sheen?
I have a large area of decking under a balcony with 2 steps whcih i used an anti slip coating on which was satin (wish I had just used these products now). I want to do the decking area in the oil but I require a slight sheen. thanks
Reply to karen mae:
Hello Karen,
Thank you for your enquiry, the Osmo Anti Slip Decking Oil (https://www.wood-finishes-direct.com/products/osmo-anti-slip-decking-oil) is unlikely to have any shine to it. As an exterior oil it will be a matt finish, as will all other decking oils, any sheen is only likely to show up under direct light, if at all. And the oil will need application to bare wood or any pre existing treatment removed first. I hope that helps and if you have any other questions please feel free to let me know.
Kind Regards Samantha.
in a post from march last year you suggested cuprinol anti slip oil (although i think you meant stain) as an alternative to using a decking oil followed by osmo antislip oil. I have been looking at reviews on other websites and several have mentioned that the cuprinol product doesnt last very long and soon flakes. Lots of pictures back this up. Do you have any experience with this? They do some nice colours but we have brand new decking being installed and want to get it right from the start.
Reply to teresa:
Hello Teresa,
The feedback for this product from our customers is generally good. It is a surface treatment and so over time may peel and flake over time as all paint and varnishes will. However it will offer a slip resistant deck and can be easily repaired with a single top up coating as required.
For an alternative product and something that we regularly recommend you could have a look at a Decking Oil (https://www.wood-finishes-direct.com/collections/decking-oil) this will soak into the surface of the wood give water repellency and protection. It will not peel and flake and you can simply top up with a fresh coat of oil annually or bi annually depending on how exposed the decking is.
If you have a read up of the product and feel free to get back to me if you have any further questions.
Kind Regards Samantha.