diff --git a/tests/nodes/wscript b/tests/nodes/wscript
index 76fe2b8b..36302a5c 100644
--- a/tests/nodes/wscript
+++ b/tests/nodes/wscript
@@ -23,8 +23,12 @@ def build(bld):
 
 	#print( 'path from srcnode', bld.path.find_or_declare('aaa').path_from(bld.bldnode) )
 
-	bld.install_files('/tmp/bar', 'wscript')
+	# folders as nodes are best avoided
+	dnode = bld.path.get_bld().make_node('testdir')
+	bld(rule='mkdir -p ${TGT}', target=dnode)
+	bld(rule='touch ${TGT}', source=dnode, target=dnode.make_node('stuff'), cls_str=lambda x: 'stuff')
 
+	bld.install_files('/tmp/bar', 'wscript')
 	bld(features='c cprogram', source='main.c', target='app')
 
 
diff --git a/waflib/Node.py b/waflib/Node.py
index 4a94249e..ea18938b 100644
--- a/waflib/Node.py
+++ b/waflib/Node.py
@@ -823,7 +823,16 @@ class Node(object):
 		try:
 			ret = cache[self]
 		except KeyError:
-			ret = cache[self] = Utils.h_file(self.abspath())
+			p = self.abspath()
+			try:
+				ret = cache[self] = Utils.h_file(p)
+			except EnvironmentError:
+				if os.path.isdir(p):
+					# allow folders as build nodes, do not use the creation time
+					st = os.stat(p)
+					ret = cache[self] = Utils.h_list([p, st.st_ino, st.st_mode])
+					return ret
+				raise
 		return ret
 
 	# --------------------------------------------