Will grooved deckboards perform better than plain ones in preventing slipperiness?
By far the majority of timber decks, boardwalks and piers built around the world are surfaced with plain timber boards. Whilst grooved deck boards are often marketed as “anti-slip” there is no evidence to suggest that they perform any better or worse than plain decking. Choice of deck board style is therefore a matter of personal preference. A fall of around 1:100 should be built into a deck to help the surface drain and prevent standing water. Grooved deck boards were actually designed to aid water drainage and as such should be laid in the direction of the fall away from any adjoining property. Where there is a higher than normal requirement to prevent the risk of slipperiness, for example on ramps, stairs, bridges or on public/commercial installations then deck boards with built-in abrasive strips can be used. The TDA should be contacted for details of DeckMarkTM quality assessed manufacturers of such boards.
