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Protect your deck or patio from the heat of a fire pit.
Is Composite Decking Slippery?
Yes.
It should not be surprising. Plastics engineers and chemists virtually never use the word "plastic." It seems to always be a poly something. For example PVC is short for PolyVinylChloride and is often referred as vinyl. In any event, plastic is a petrochemical. It all starts with crude oil
So, yes, it is definitely slippery, but not all decking is the same. Ryan Nickel, an experienced deck builder, wrote a detailed blog on this subject for his Decks by E3 web site: https://decksbye3.com/composite-decking-with-the-best-traction-12-compared/
I wish I had read that blog before having a deck built next to my studio/office. It is so slippery when wet that I would not take a chance to step out on it.
A while back I noticed a greenish film on a part of the deck that gets less sunlight. Algae— it can make any deck more slippery.
It should not be surprising. Plastics engineers and chemists virtually never use the word "plastic." It seems to always be a poly something. For example PVC is short for PolyVinylChloride and is often referred as vinyl. In any event, plastic is a petrochemical. It all starts with crude oil
So, yes, it is definitely slippery, but not all decking is the same. Ryan Nickel, an experienced deck builder, wrote a detailed blog on this subject for his Decks by E3 web site: https://decksbye3.com/composite-decking-with-the-best-traction-12-compared/
I wish I had read that blog before having a deck built next to my studio/office. It is so slippery when wet that I would not take a chance to step out on it.
A while back I noticed a greenish film on a part of the deck that gets less sunlight. Algae— it can make any deck more slippery.
So I paid a younger man (I am old and very afraid of slipping) to scrub the deck with a brush and a special deck cleaner. That helped, but now a few months later, it is still slippery, even when dry.
I Googled how to clean a composite deck and found a number of articles. There was a very good and detailed article on the WashSafe web site, which of course recommends their product, and other good articles on Wiki How, DIY Network, and the Bib Vila web site. However no one talked about how cleaning a composite deck makes it less slippery. It certainly does if it removes algae. There are other important reasons to clean a deck, which include preserving the decking, removing stains, and making it brighter as well as more attractive. I will have my deck cleaned again using some of the tips I read about an hope to make it safer.
I Googled how to clean a composite deck and found a number of articles. There was a very good and detailed article on the WashSafe web site, which of course recommends their product, and other good articles on Wiki How, DIY Network, and the Bib Vila web site. However no one talked about how cleaning a composite deck makes it less slippery. It certainly does if it removes algae. There are other important reasons to clean a deck, which include preserving the decking, removing stains, and making it brighter as well as more attractive. I will have my deck cleaned again using some of the tips I read about an hope to make it safer.
