Slippery stairs and walkways on a sloped Deep Cove lot

The situation

Many homes around Deep Cove sit on steep, forested lots above Indian Arm. To get from the street to the front door there are often long runs of concrete stairs, landings and a stone or paver walkway, much of it shaded for most of the day.

In this case the homeowner had started putting down salt and sand in winter because the stairs were treacherous after rain, but that only made the stairs dirtier.

What we look at

• What the surfaces are made of: brushed concrete, exposed aggregate, natural stone and wood stair treads all need different pressure.
• Where water runs off, so dirty water and debris don't wash onto the neighbour's driveway or into a creek.
• Footing on the slope for our crew and our equipment.

How we approach it

Concrete stairs and landings are cleaned with a surface cleaner where they're wide enough, and a wand on the risers and edges. We work from the top down so dirty water never runs back over clean steps.

Natural stone gets lower pressure and a test patch first, because some stone can be etched or loosened. Wood treads are cleaned gently enough not to raise or gouge the grain.

Where moss and algae are well established, a cleaning solution applied before washing breaks the growth down at the root, which makes the result last longer than water alone.

How long does it last?

On shaded North Shore stairs, algae will come back eventually. A yearly clean, ideally in early fall before the wettest months, keeps things safe underfoot. Sealing is a separate decision and is only done when agreed in writing.

Questions we hear