Ideas for traction on deck stairs

[Perd Hapley]

My back deck/porch has wooden steps.  In the winter time, they get icy every time it rains.  I am looking for super-duper cheap ways to tractionize the steps. 

[wmenorr67]

Rubber tread or maybe the same type of deck paint they put down on boats.  Also could get the DIY bedliner stuff.

[Mabs2]

Three inch nails hammered up from the bottom of the steps.
Do it now.

[Tuco]

How much ice (duh, depends on how much it rains)
if less than , uhhhhh, 1/16" try sanding it with 30 grit sandpaper - Raise the friction coefficient.

Ideally, the tread of a step will slope away from the riser 2%.  The rain falls and drains off before it freezes (most of the time).
Modification is cheap, but laborious, as it will require removing the treads and modifying or remounting the risers.

If you're handy with a plane, or have a table saw, this is a simple fix.

[280plus]

Marine supply houses will have either paint with sand infused or some type of flat  material with adhesive on one side and sandy rough material on the other. I think the collective name is "non skid". See what you can find along that lines. I'd probably go for the paint as the flat adhesive material stuff has a bad habit of peeling off after a while. Good luck!

[Perd Hapley]

Thanks guys, except Mabsy. 

It's just black ice, not a thick coating, so I wouldn't think the slope would matter.  Maybe the boards need to be treated, to keep them from soaking up water? 

[K Frame]

You can get the same anti-skid in a little bag at the Home Depot and mix it into your own paint.

Or, you can use dry clean playground sand for a bit more aggressiveness.

If, however, you don't want to pain the steps, then you're going to need to either attach something to them, or sand them with playground sand before a rain and/or before you use them.

[MillCreek]

I have seen 3M non-skid adhesive strips made just for outdoor stair treads.  They are peel and stick and seem to work well.

[Matthew Carberry]

If the wood isn't treated to be water-repellent then the non-skid tape will come up.

Stain them bad boys.

[Jamisjockey]

Herculiner.
http://www.herculiner.com/

Or, here's a novel idea....every time it rains, go throw some salt on the steps.

[Bogie]

If you're not worried about "looks," staple the steps - that's what I did with the "stoop" for my shooting trailer, after a slight misadventure with a pair of muddy boots... Did a sort of "crosshatch" pattern... Very secure. Or you could do something similar with a bunch of brass floor tacks. Just don't pound them all the way into the stairs.
 

[Perd Hapley]

Bogie, that's along the lines of what I was thinking.  Must be something in the water around here.  Staples are a great idea.