How do I make my timber decking safer for my family during the winter?
Hard to apply any kind of non-skid in the way of paint or adhesives when it’s cold out so you might have to wait till warm dry weather to apply non-skid adhesive strips. Best quick fix is to staple roof shingles to the steps in the place you use the steps most. If there’s a handrail then put them closer to that since that’s where people tend to walk. Staples or short roofing nails will do to fasten them. Staples will leave smaller holes for if you want to remove the shingles later. Shingles aren’t ideal because they tend to start breaking within a year, usually at the fasteners, and the steps tend to stay damp under them, but they’re cheap and they’re almost impossible to slip on if they’re clear of ice or lumpy snow. Make sure the parts of the steps that don’t have shingles are scrubbed with a stiff brush. A little algae can be very slippery even if you can’t really see it, and it holds dampness which can freeze.
