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How to Keep Wooden Steps Ice-Free

How to Keep Wooden Deck Stairs Safe in Winter

Regardless of whether it's sitting outside to soak up the sunshine or standing around bundled up with a warm drink to enjoy the beauty of the snow; everyone loves spending some relaxing time out on the deck any time of the year. An important item to remember as we pass through the Autumn season is how to keep deck stairs non-slippery for family and friends.

Ensuring that everyone from your spouse and children to your furry family pet is secure when walking up and down your outdoor stairs is a crucial factor for all homeowners and DIY deck builders to keep in mind.

Make Deck Stairs Safe in Winter

Read through the tips below to learn some simple DIY ways to keep deck steps ice-free and safe for everyone. Also, keep in mind the incredible increased safety that installing a handrail along outdoor staircases could bring.

One simple secondary handrail that guests can grasp the entire way up and down the steps could prevent so many future accidents! Read the straightforward Knowledge Builder post on How to Install a Handrail here.

How to Keep Wooden Deck Steps Ice-Free

From the rainy and beautiful months of spring pictured below to the frigid, icy days of winter; learn how to keep outdoor stairs safe and looking great every day with DecksDirect!

Help your deck stairs look great throughout the seasons and safe year-round with DecksDirect

Tips to Keep Deck Stairs Safe and Ice-Free!

1. Attach Foot Grips or Tread Strips

Before any snow or frost has taken hold of your outdoor staircase, attach down the strips on the front half of the step treads. Tread strips or foot grip strips are made from a tough, durable rubber material that won't degrade throughout the changing seasons.

Tread strips are also a wonderful way to prevent ice from forming on wooden steps. Once installed, the grip strips also provide serious traction even in extreme winter conditions such as wet snow.

2. Apply the Proper De-Icer

When needing to break-up or dissipate stubborn, stuck-on ice, putting on the proper de-icer for your deck and patio stairs can alleviate your winter problem. There are certain de-icing agents that should be avoided for wood and composite decking steps!

Good De-Icers to Use on Wooden Steps

Magnesium Chloride, also known as Ice Melt, is recommended for use on your outdoor steps and pathways. Ice Melt is safe for both plants and animals and eliminates ice quickly due to the chemical absorbing the moisture of the surfaces it touches. Magnesium Chloride is available in large and small bags of granular material and is also included in many liquid de-icers.

Calcium Chloride is a great option for your home and your family because it is pet-friendly, child-safe, and won’t harm vegetation. Even more, Calcium Chloride won't stain wood, composite, concrete, brick, or stone decking materials. Often sold in a green-tinted granular material, Calcium Chloride shows where it has been spread ensuring that no de-icer is wasted. Once the ice is dissolved, remember to lightly sweep or shovel away the area to be sure no residue is left behind.

Avoid This De-Icer for Wooden Steps

Rock Salt, also known as Sodium Chloride, is a de-icing product that can harm wood, nearby vegetations, your pets’ paws, and your deck hardware. What's worse is as they slowly dissolve into the ice, these big crystals when stepped on can create scratches in your wood or composite decking surface.

3. Spread Sand for More Traction

Another way to help deck and stoop steps safe in icy, slippery conditions is to add a layer of sand. While sand won’t melt or remove the ice on your stairs, it will provide a gritty area of traction to prevent dangerous slips and falls. Liberally spread sand over the stair treads to cover the ice and your stairs should be ready for foot traffic.

If like many of us, your family doesn't have sand at the ready, you can improvise by using household items such as cat litter or sawdust. These will all help to provide traction on icy wooden steps.

4. Place a Towel Down for Immediate Help

Simply lay a dish or bath towel on top of an icy wooden step for cases where time is of the essence. In a few minutes, the towel will freeze to the ice beneath and create a less slippery surface on top of the ice.

It may be difficult to remove the towel after a few hours, but simply pour some warm water over the towel and slowly pull upwards until free. Prying the towel up too quickly or without a warming agent can cause the towel to tear and rip.

5. Prevent Ice From Occurring

While this sounds obvious and a bit time-consuming, the best way to keep wooden step ice-free is to proactively clear snow soon after it falls. While this shouldn't be an everyday solution when guests are sure to make an appearance plan to shovel or sweep off deck stairs every two hours or so until they arrive. This will keep the stairs open and safe for everyone.

From dreary winter days to the bright summer sunshine below, keep your outdoor space in tip-top shape with DecksDirect!

Learn how to keep your wooden deck steps safe and ice-free for the long winter season


Learn more about the basics of deck framing and building in the Deck Framing Guide and learn the specific deck part names in the Glossary of Deck Terms and Lingo.

Browse more deck design and railing style notes to upgrade your backyard space and deck in the DecksDirect Railing Style Guide. The quickest way to learn if your home is more suited for a classic aluminum deck railing or a strong, composite railing line.


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