I am in the process of installing new stairs in our log cabin. The stairs are made of Douglas fir. I want to put down a finish that is long lasting and attractive, but want to avoid the problem of them being so slippery that when navigated in stocking feet you are taking your life into your own hands (or feet). This has been a problem previously when I used poly to finish . I prefer not to put down a runner, and refuse to use any stick on skid resisters. I am considering routing in a design or pattern into to the wood that would help protect against sliding. But I am also wondering if there is a nice finish that is not slippery??
Marc
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When I finished my deck, I used paint. To it I added some grit, sold for that purpose at the Borg.
I would think you could add such a grit to another finish, but I don't know how one would apply it and get a good-looking finish. I just used brushes to put the paint on, and it looked fine, but paint has different standards. I can tell you our deck is not slippery at all, and looks great.
John,
What type of "grit" did you use. I'm actually looking for something along these lines. I'm making a skateboard deck with a veneered surface and rather than applying grip tape over the veneer I want to apply a gritty clear finish. I'd be interested to know if the product you used might work for this purpose as well?
Thanks in advance,
Matt
Matt, I just asked the person at the Borg how to keep my deck from being slippery. She sold me a little white plastic pouch of grit, told me to mix one pouch per gallon of paint.
What I did is paint the first coat without grit, then the top coat with the grit.
It looked like sand, but whiter/clearer. I think it would work great for a skateboard. I do not know if you could substitute a fine sand instead.
All I know is that for my deck, it worked great. Even when it's wet (I live near Seattle, so get plenty of rain), the deck and its stairs are very easy to walk on and look great. What I do not know is if it would work well with some other sort of finish, like a lacquer or varnish or shellac.My goal is for my work to outlast me. Expect my joinery to get simpler as time goes by.
I'm pretty sure your technique is exactly what I'm looking to do. But what's the Borg and how do I get in touch with it?
Hahahahaaaa. :)
But in case you're serious, I mean Home Despot. I mean, Home Depot.My goal is for my work to outlast me. Expect my joinery to get simpler as time goes by.
That place I call Homeous Depotamus.Ron
Ah yes. I didn't know the reference but it all makes sense now. Thanks.
The non-skid additive is a great idea. I have used it before in varnish. I used a product from Interlux called a polymeric no-skip compound. This differs only from the sandy grit in that it consists of small spheres. These give a non-skid surface a bit kinder on bare feet than the sanded grit, and a bit more easily cleaned. This is a boating supply article.
I also recommend putting two or three coats of poly on the stairs first, and then mask an area for the non-skip. AAvoid putting the non-skid on the very sides, or in a small strip at the joint between the tread and riser. These omissions significantly help keeping the stairs clean.
Edited 4/18/2006 11:43 pm ET by SteveSchoene
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