How To Lay Anti Slip Composite Decking For Best Slip Resistance

Many who are thinking of opting for composite decking want a quality safety assured solution and want to avoid the dangers of slipping on their outdoor floor, which is why switching to composite over traditional timber decking is becoming such a popular option.

Many come to the realisation that once wet, timber decking becomes lethal due to algae and moisture build-up. Obviously, this can be prevented but that does require a huge amount of yearly maintenance. Many of our customers often search for a non-slip decking product and we have found this to be a key requirement for many of our customers who are trying to achieve not only a great looking deck but also a safe space for their family.

In commercial applications, especially where there is a high footfall of people – businesses are also switching out their traditional wooden decking for a more slip-resistant composite decking alternative.

While our NeoTimber® composite decking is more slip-resistant than timber, there are a few things you can do to improve the non-slip qualities. This article is designed to look at the 3 key ways you can lay your decking boards to achieve a high slip resistance…

NeoTimber’s boards are reversible, one side is an authentic woodgrain finish, the other is grooved. To achieve a non-slip composite decking outcome, we suggest laying your deck boards grooved channel up rather than the woodgrain side up.

This is generally because the grooved side dry or wet when laid horizontally is more slip-resistant than the woodgrain texture. We have tested this and below is the data we collected:

Laying your boards perpendicular to the general flow of traffic is the best way for achieving the highest slip resistance of the composite deck boards. This can be built into your design at the early stages to ensure you achieve an anti-slip deck.

When laying your deck, you will need to include a drainage slope which is also a key aspect to ensuring the slip resistance is improved. The build-up of moisture and water sitting on the deck will naturally make the surface slippery. To avoid this – incorporate a 1% drainage slope to assist with the water run-off.