Solid Ladder Footing on a Slick Deck
Learn how to make secure and reliable grippy ladder feet for working on slippery surfaces with a few common job site materials.
I recently installed a new deck using PVC decking material. The decking is a great product, but I think it’s a little too slippery to provide a reliable grippy ladder feet pads. Because I frequently must extend a ladder to reach the roof, I’ve relied on temporary 2×4 ledgers braced by shims driven between deck boards to ensure secure footing for the ladder. This solution works well, but it’s tedious. My alternative solution, as shown in the drawing above, is a movable platform made out of a piece of 1/2-in. CDX plywood, a length of 2×4, and a 1-1/2-in. metal angle iron. The angle iron slips between the deck boards, keeping the platform where I want it, and the ladder feet get a good grip on the rough surface of the CDX plywood. The 2×4 provides extra insurance and anchorage for the screws.
— Dave Shain; Marshfield, MA
From Fine Homebuilding #225
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View Comments
All well and good in this configuration, the ladder feet parallel with the deck boards. But what if one needs to turn 90 degrees? It would seem that this apparatus would likely slide on the PVC decking.
Mr. Shain's concern is justified- In the same situation, with a "properly" placed ladder, I suddenly found my self standing on the deck with a scraped shin and my legs between the rungs. I was lucky it happened when I was on the 3rd rung.
Using the construction illustrated above, I'd worry about the decking being scarred by the heads of the screws holding the angle to the 2x4. I'd recommend a 3" x 12" metal piece attached to the 1-1/2" side of the 2x4, hanging down into the space between the deck boards. In edwin's situation, I'd position 2 sturdy metal pieces to hang down far enough to stop against a joist.
Smart people learn from their experiences. Wise people learn from the experience of others.