Simpson wrote:
Not@home wrote:
I'm a sailor, and we are always trying to make our decks somewhat
abrasive, so we won't slide off the boat when we take a wave. Some
manufacturers mold a pattern into the deck, but that has never seemed
to me to work too well. You could probably do the equivalent with a
saw or router and a lot of time. In olden days, it was common to mix
ground walnut shell into the deck paint and it worked fairly well;
they still sell the shell for use as a mild abrasive in sandblasting,
but I haven't seen it locally; there are sources on the internet.

They also sell non-skid compound at marine supply stores, and it works
quite well mixed into the paint (you do have to stir the paint often
during application to keep the compound suspended). Its a
manufactured product of very fine glass or plastic beads, and feels
like very fine sand in your hand. Properly applied, you get a surface
that looks smooth, but has a good grip to it. For more into, do a
search for non-skid compound at http://www.westmarine.com


I settled on Behr No. 970 Non-Skid Floor Finish Additive, which looks
and feels a lot like what you described above. It was sold in a small
pouch at HD for $4, enough to treat one gallon of paint.

That is a very good price compared to the marine product, but they
always do charge quite a bit for marine products. It certainly sounds
like it will do the job.

http://www.behr.com/behrx/act/view/p...lty&c atId=22


I plan on applying one coat of floor paint without the additive to
treads, risers and porch and then apply a second coat to treads and
porch with additive mixed in.



Since marine supplies are expensive, the last time I was painting my
porch, I went to a paint store and asked if they had non-skid
compound. They said they did, but when I got it home it was very
irregular and looked, frankly, like they had raided a beach or a
litter box, so I didn't use it. I've worked with pumice, but it must
come in grades, as the stuff I had was too fine, in my opinion, to be
effective as a non-skid compound. I think most sand, on the other
hand, would be too coarse and would give a rough appearance, and
really abrade anyone who fell or sat on it, but would probably give
very good traction. They also sell various tapes, but I have never
been convinced that they would last very long in an outdoor application.

Simpson wrote:
I'm rebuilding a 13 step outdoor wooden staircase and entry porch on
an 80 year old house. I bought some Benjamin Moore Deck and Patio
paint for the finish coat. It says on the can to use sand in the
paint for a non-skid finish. But it doesn't say anything about which
grit of sand to use and in which proportion. Can anyone shed any
light on this for me?

Thanks,
Jack