Wood stair tread finish

[dshinn]

Greetings all -

I'm not a boat person but was refered here by one of the guys in a woodworking group where I hang out. The question posed there was -

Is there a non-slip finish for wood suitable for use on our new stairs I'm building in our house? Wood is 5/4 beech treads. No carpet in the entire house, just hardwood, tile or stone thus I'm trying to avoid a carpet runner on the stairs.

Some years ago I worked on a high end custom home where the millwork finisher used a type of finish he said was used on wooden boat decks where people would be walking in bare or stocking feet. Sadly I didn't think then to find out what it was so now I'm trying to find something along those lines.

Thanks in advance.

 

[tim hopkins]

hey , thudpucker. what i would do for your wooden seats . is pretty much what you had suggested . you could use thompsons , it's a tried and testd product . if your color has faded , i would stain as well . the seal it with a varithane or urithane . just to have it last that little bit longer . yes it's just like a set of deck stairs just without all the foot trafic . should last you quite a while....tim

 

[yzer]

The original cabin steps in the pre-60's wooden boats were Philippine mahogany. I've restored them myself.

The wood is stained, sealed and given multiple coats of gloss varnish, sanded between coats. When finishing is complete, a white rubber anti-skid pad is cut to the proper size and shape and nailed onto that nice varnished wood step with brass escutcheon pins. The rubber pad has a checkered texture. Lasts for many years unless you wear golf cleats onboard. The OEM rubber material is still made and available from wooden boat restoration suppliers.

Deck canvas was used on many old Chris-Craft decks, including my boat. This is a duck canvas sized and treated and given a thin coat of paint. It provided some anti-skid quality, but didn't last long unless it was given enough coats of paint to make it slick in the wet.

 

[DDL]

dshinn

The teak and holly stairs on my Tiara are finished in a a manner that makes then less slippery than the regular oil finish on the salon floor. I may have a publication from Tiara that tells me what the finish is. Unfortunately, it's on the boat and I won't be able to look for it until this weekend.

 

[BubbaBert]

this won't give you the answer but at the Ft lauderdale show we boarded the new Grand Banks 72'. it had wood steps leading to the staterooms and they had been treated with a non skid coating that was clear. You might want to drop them an email with your question