Slippery decking can be a huge safety hazard, which is why a lot of people want to find the most slip resistant decking out there.
This is especially true if you are planning to build your decking near water or somewhere where you expect a lot of rainfall all year round. Having a super slippery decking in these kinds of situations is an accident just waiting to happen.
So, we’ve been taking a look at a bunch of different composite decking brands to see which ones are slip resistant
and which ones we’d only recommend getting if you live somewhere nice and dry.
Here is our research and testing into DuxxBak and its deck lines!
About DuxxBak
DuxxBak is one of the decking manufacturers we have more recently become familiar with, but they are impressive nonetheless.
They are a US-based company which makes and offers a unique style of composite decking. Most composite decking we have worked with before is made up of a mixture of plastics like polypropylene and wood fibres.
However, despite manufacturing composite decking, the DuxxBak decking lines are completely wood free!
Instead, DuxxBak uses rice hulls (or rice husks) instead. Not as popular, but rice hulls do not absorb water like wood giving it a huge advantage around water.
This clearly reflects the company’s dedication to science and technology development. They are constantly aiming to build on their research, and the results speak for themselves.
Is DuxxBak Decking Slippery?
When trying to work out whether a deck is slippery or not, you need to look at its traction. Traction is basically the force born from friction between our feet and the surface of a floor – be it decking, your kitchen tiles, or a carpet rug.
The general rule of thumb is that the smoother a surface, the less traction it has, and so smooth flooring tends to be more slippery even when dry.
When it comes to decking, composite decking can be very touch and go. Some manufacturers design their composite decking to be smooth, and that makes them slippery, while others include patterns that mimic the grain of the wood, which gives feet a little more to grip onto when walking across.
So, what do DuxxBak decking lines have when it comes to traction?
DuxxBak decking lines come with two finish options, which you get depending on the line you choose. The first option is their ArmorCap technology which features a deeply embossed grain finish to mimic the appearance of wood.
The other option is a Traction technology skid-resistant finish that is far rougher in texture and has a sandpaper-like appearance. Both of this help give the boards more traction – but in testing, they still fall short of average PVC decking scores.
Traction is measured and given scores to help those with mobility issues and disabilities opt for the safest flooring possible. As a result, all decking is measured for how much traction it has when dry and wet to see how slip-resistant it is.
The CCMC measured that the DuxxBak decking lines between 0.51 and 0.55 when dry – that’s only very slightly above the accepted standard of 0.5 but still far below other PVC deckings we’ve worked with in the past.
So this means that the DuxxBak lines are not actually slippery when dry due to the Traction finish or the embossed grain texture on the ArmorCap lines, but their score is not that impressive.
That is – until you see their scores when they’re wet.
Is DuxxBak Decking Slippery When Wet?
Usually, when you spill water over the flooring, it becomes more slippery, no matter what kind of flooring it is. It’s common sense to assume that a floor that is wet is now more slippery than normal because water reduces friction. This means flooring loses traction, and you are more likely to slip and slide on a wet surface.
However, according to the CCMC’s tests, the opposite is true with DuxxBak decking. According to them, DuxxBak decking becomes more slip-resistant when wet.
Their tests found that the decking lines scored an average of 0.90 – an extremely high score! Indicating that DuxxBak decking is one of the best slip-resistant deckings out there.
At first, this really puzzled us, and we double-checked our findings because we thought there must have been a mistake, but there wasn’t! DuxxBak decking lines have really great traction scores when wet, which makes them very slip-resistant and safe to walk across.
Looking back, this is understandable because DuxxBak does so much work and research into making their lines as waterproof as possible.
They even have two lines designed for waterside use, like docks or marinas.
So, is DuxxBak decking slippery when wet?
Nope, it’s extremely slip-resistant (although not slip-proof). It scores better when wet than some PVC and composite deckings do when they are dry, and that is extremely impressive in our book.
The Secret Slipping Hazard People Forget
So, if you are hoping to use DuxxBak decking for a waterside build, like a pool decking or a dock, then DuxxBak seems like a great choice due to its very good slip resistance score.
However, it’s not just water that can cause slipping and sliding on surfaces and flooring. There is one cause that a lot of people tend to forget – mould.
Mould grows in moist areas with a source of food nearby, like leaves or plant matter. We’ve seen plenty of people get wooden decking due to fears of slipping, only to end up slipping on mouldy patches of their decking. So, mould is a big cause of slipping that a lot of people often forget.
This means that although DuxxBak decking has great traction when wet, how does it perform when mould is involved?
Luckily, DuxxBak lines are made to be impervious to things like mould, algae, and mildew.
This means that it will be super tricky for any patches of mould to grow on your DuxxBak decking, but to be safe, we recommend that you regularly sweep away any debris and wash down the decking as a part of its low maintenance.
This will help discourage any mould from growing and becoming a slipping hazard on your decking.
Final Thoughts
So, DuxxBak creates deckings built with durability in mind, and as a result, their impressive decking lines have a ton of great features that make them weatherproof and low maintenance.
Their lines come with two finishes (Traction and ArmorCap), and both work to improve the slip resistance of their decking.
Despite this, DuxxBak decking’s slip resistance isn’t all that special when dry, but their slip resistance when the decking is wet is very impressive.
Plus, their lines are mould resistant! This makes it a great decking to use for waterside applications and for builds that are expected to face a lot of harsh weather!
