One of the main things you need to consider when searching for the perfect decking is traction.
Traction is the force generated between the body and a surface through friction, and it’s what stops us from slipping and sliding over everything we walk across.
Some surfaces have better traction than others, while some are only slippery when wet – and the same goes with decking.
We’ve installed a lot of deckings over the years, and we notice the traction change wildly between different brands
and types of decking. So, if you are thinking of opting for a Clubhouse PVC decking, you can find out here how slippery it is when dry and when wet.
About Clubhouse
First, let’s take a look at Clubhouse to see what kind of decking they offer to their customers.
Clubhouse is a Canadian-based company which produces and sells engineered polymer decking – in other words, plastic or PVC decking. On their website, Clubhouse talks mostly about wanting to provide advanced and high-performing decking that is durable and strong.
However, they pay close attention to the appearance of their decking too, as they are built with resistance to slipping, fading, and staining.
Clubhouse sells two lines of vinyl decking.
- Hardwood Collection
- Earthtone Collection
Allowing customers to have more variety when it comes to wood grains and shades of colour.
Both lines of Clubhouse decking seem pretty impressive at first glance. They definitely feel solid in quality and look great in terms of design – but how do they perform when it comes to traction?
Is Clubhouse Decking Slippery?
When it comes to traction and decking, the general rule of thumb is that PVC decking is pretty good. This means that going into this, we assume that Clubhouse’s two PVC decking lines are going to have good traction when dry.
Of course, we don’t expect PVC to perform as good as authentic wooden decking. This is because wood has a very strong, grainy and rough texture which is easy for feet to grip onto when walking across. Even when wet, wooden decking is not very slippery as long as the wood lacks any smooth, glossy finishes.
Things get more complicated when plastics are involved. Plastic, in general, has less traction than wood due to its smooth surface, but PVC decking is usually designed with deep embossing so your feet can find more grip when walking across its surface.
The deeper the lines, the better the grip – and running a hand over Clubhouse’s sample decking boards proves that they each have pretty deep wood embossing. It feels rough in texture.
These are all great signs that Culbhouse’s decking will have good levels of traction and be safe to walk across when dry, even though the texture is not as rough as authentic wooden decking.
They scored an awesome 0.97 for slip resistance when dry. According to the Canadian Construction Materials Center, outdoor decking needs to measure 0.50 on their scale for a deck to be considered to have an acceptable level of traction.
Because both of Clubhouse’s lines of PVC decking far exceed this, it means that both lines have very good traction when dry. So, you can walk across the Clubhouse deck without worrying about slipping or sliding.
However, it’s worth noting that the decking is not slip-proof, so it’s possible that you may still have a freak slip or slide – but it’s unlikely.
So, Clubhouse’s lines of PVC decking are safe and have good levels of traction when dry – but what about when they are wet?
Is Clubhouse Decking Slippery When Wet?
Liquids reduce the traction surfaces have, which means that things like rainfall or pool water can reduce the slip resistance of your decking. This is true no matter what kind of decking you have, but different types of decking lose less traction when wet than others.
So, although Clubhouse has really good traction when dry, does it lose most of its slip resistance when wet?
Thankfully, no. Clubhouse’s PVC decking both have very good traction even after being soaked with water, as both measure in at 0.86 wet.
This is well above the 0.50 acceptable standard set by the CCMC and even above what some other types of decking measure even when dry! This means that Clubhouse PVC decking is still very slip resistant even when wet.
I have walked on Clubhouse decks and felt really comfortable walking across them with significant grip. Shuffling your feet on the decking, you can hear the traction under your soles.
The CCMC rating is not just numbers on a sheet – the results can clearly be felt when testing out Clubhouse’s decking!
As a result, we’re pretty happy to say that Clubhouse PVC decking is not that slippery when wet, although it does lose a little bit of traction – but that’s expected with every kind of surface!
What About Mold?
Clubhouse PVC decking is pretty slip-resistant when both dry and wet, which makes it a great choice for application near water or for use in climates with a lot of rainfall. However, there’s one thing we haven’t covered yet – mould.
Mould is a huge problem when it comes to wooden decking, as it can grow over the surface, cause discoloration and slippery patches. Yes – mould can make decking surfaces super slippery, even if the deck itself is slip-resistant.
This means that you need to take steps to make sure that no mould starts growing on the surface of your decking in order to avoid any slipping hazards.
Thankfully, both of Clubhouse’s deckings are mould resistant because they are made entirely from polymer plastics. Mould thrives on cold, moist surfaces like wooden decking after it has absorbed a lot of water through rainfall. As PVC decking is completely waterproof, mould will not grow on it.
Despite this, it’s a good idea to regularly wash down your PVC decking and sweep it off any debris (e.g. leaves) which can become a source of food for mould.
The same goes for mildew and algae – it can be a slipping hazard, so if you see anything that resembles algae or mould trying to grow on your Clubhouse decking against all odds, wash it away!
Final Thoughts
Compared to other deckings we have tested for their slip resistance and traction, Clubhouse was actually one of the best deckings we found.
The high slip resistance when both dry and wet, plus the fact that it’s also mould-resistant due to its PVC composition, means that we think Clubhouse decking is one of the safest anti-slip deckings out there.
So, if you are looking for a good decking to use by the pool, for a marina, or you just live somewhere with a ton of rainfall each year, then Clubhouse decking is a decking we recommend you check out.
Its high slip resistance makes it a much safer alternative to other types of decking, and even compared to other PVC deckings, it comes out near the very top!
