For wooden stairs or slick carpet, if you fear falling down the stairs due to a slip, then get yourself, and your family, some non-slip stair treads for wood or carpeted stairs. When it comes to safety, carpeting wins the debate hands-down. Get daily tips and tricks for making your best home. Carpeted stairs are generally safer and quieter than wooden stairs. 08/14/2017 at 8:21 pm. Mark Kitsmiller says. But when carpet blunts that edge, your foot cannot grip as well. Find Stair Treads Carpet Non Slip. Add Traction. More laborious than the waterfall technique, for novices it can produce a cleaner, crisper look because you don't have to deal with trying to tighten up uncooperative carpeting. When carpeting your home, the flooring company may offer to carpet the stairs, too. Having a carpet that is too thick may cause one to trip over especially if there are active child… Beach seagrass carpet stair treads are the perfect way to make your stairs look beautiful and safer at the same time. Reply. This is because that long, narrow section of carpet just keeps getting tucked and tacked upwards, with no interruptions. The tread carpet butts up against the tread and then wraps down and around the stair nose. See more ideas about stairs, carpet stairs, stair runner. Functional, builder-grade stairs—stairs that exist only to move people up and down, with zero concern for aesthetics—can be improved with carpeting. Hardwood steps can be slippery; carpet stair treads give you the extra traction that you need to reduce slips and falls, especially among older individuals and children. They also make stairs safer for climbing, especially for elderly and children, who face chances of slip over the polished tiles of the stairs. Apply an Anti-Slip Floor Finish. Covering your stairs in carpeting can provide a softer and less noisy surface for you to walk up and down on. No falls on the carpets! Carpeted stair treads tend to visually merge, making the target difficult to identify. Carpets Provide Safety for Stairs Even if you prefer hard surfaces such as hardwood or laminate, carpet on the stairs is still a good idea, even if it is in the form of a runner on the stairs. Carpet offers traction and cushion in case of any slips or falls, plus the added comfort of a softer and warmer landing pad for bare feet walking up and down the stairs. Is it worth it? Protect yourself and loved ones by installing our non-slip nosing near the edge of each carpeted stair treads so your foot won't slip. This is the most common stair treatment when the upstairs floor is carpeted — the cushy carpeted stairway is a visual link to the next floor and gives a hint that the upstairs space is for bedrooms. For professional carpet installers, it usually takes between two and five minutes per stair to complete the entire staircase. Carpet materials such as olefin and polyester are slippery. Having carpet on the stairs is infinitely safer than having the stairs covered with hard surface flooring. Grip isn’t a huge problem on carpeted stairs, but wood or stone stairs can get slippery when wet, so adding traction is a must. They aren’t as hard, which one would normally think is purely an advantage in terms of safety, but that can actually pose some serious concerns. Typically, this sharp edge helps to provide grip. For some people, carpeted stairs are more dangerous and slippery than hardwood stairs. That’s why covering your staircase with a carpet runner might be … If you have wooden stairs you can't carpet, try adding stair treads for traction. Installing carpet stair treads will aid you keep your household and also guests safe from unintentional drops. How to Fix a Slippery Staircase. Introducing "One Thing": A New Video Series, The Spruce Gardening & Plant Care Review Board, The Spruce Renovations and Repair Review Board, Staircases or houses in general which are very noisy, For stairs leading to basements or work areas, If you don't like carrying a vacuum upstairs and downstairs, In homes with elderly residents, disabled, or others at risk of falling. Also unfortunate is that we can’t afford to replace that stain-showing beige-ness in every room. They reduce the chances of slipping and absorb sound to soften footsteps. Likewise, hardwood stairs make for hard landings if someone does slip, and can cause more accidents and injuries than carpeting. The main risks of carpets on stairs involve slips and falls, which are significant and should be taken seriously. Rather than replacing risers and treads or limiting the kids, it's often easier to carpet the stairs. After cutting a strip of the carpet the width of the stairs, you start at the bottom and work upward. Unfortunately, it seems the carpet’s just not very high quality. Carpet Your Stairs: Many people carpet their stairs for decoration. By contrast, wooden stairs can be cleaned with a whisk broom and a dustpan. Each stair receives two separate sections of the carpet: one for the tread, another for the riser. A staircase rug is also soft to the feet. While dog ramps aren’t practical for long flights of stairs, they … They reduce the chances of slipping and absorb sound to soften footsteps. If the stairs in your dream home are treacherous, what can you do to make them safer for you, your family and your pets? Waterfall is considered to be the faster method of installing carpet on stairs and uses only one strip of carpeting. This noise is often caused by young children. © Copyright 2020 Hearst Communications, Inc. In addition to being a pretty accent for the staircase, the carpet made the staircase much safer for the little ones who dash up and down the stairs multiple times a day. The edge is clear, and it's this edge that your foot needs to meet. Make sure your stairways are well-lighted and have handrails to help avoid accidents. Install Ramps. Or it might be that the stair materials are too thin to adequately absorb sounds. Walking downward on carpeted stairs is … Carpet is the Safer Choice The adage ‘better safe than sorry’ definitely applies to stairs. I am tempted, for looks and safety, to rip up the carpet on the stairs. Instead of removing the carpet completely, why not add a touch of elegance to the staircase and install a stair runner?… Lee has over two decades of hands-on experience remodeling, fixing, and improving homes, and has been providing home improvement advice for over 12 years. Carpet on stair risers shrinks stair tread depth by up to 1/2-inch. The slip-resistant nosing provides just the right amount of skid-resistant traction. Find out what is hiding under the carpet. They are simple to set up and also will certainly cost you much less compared to totally carpets your stairways. If you have kids, carpet flooring acts as add an extra layer of protection in case of a fall. Remember to make your stairs much safer as you add safety and security items to various other components of … Every stair has the same color and texture. Los Angeles Times: Carpeting Stairs Make Them Safer, Quieter, Clark Country Combined Health District: Stair Safety, How to Protect Flooring & Stairs During Remodeling, How to Make Traction on Stairs With Paint. But this does depend on the type of carpeting that is on the staircase and it also depends on the physical condition of the senior person in question. Walking downward on carpeted stairs is especially hazardous. Carpeting creates a softened curve on the nose of each stair. Carpet is responsible for more stair-falls (usually going down) than uncarpeted stairs. If you are worried about the accidents happening on stairs, you should know that both hardwood stairs and carpeted staircase pose equal risks. In fact, you are more likely to slip on a carpeted stair, especially if you are wearing a pair of socks at home. If you know what a stair runner is, it's much like this—a continuous strip of carpet. Carpeted vs Wooden Stairs Stairway safety: carpet is safer for children and the elderly. Reply. Larger, floor-mounted vacuums with attachments do an excellent job of cleaning carpeted stairs. When you lay a carpet on the stairs, you are making the edges blunt. Carpet shrinks stair tread depth. So, even if there is an unfortunate accident and somebody falls, there are lesser chances of injuries. They stick firmly, yet are easy to remove for cleaning. The offer to carpet the stairs usually represents an extra fee. When going up carpeted stairs, both the tread and the riser have the same color. Even though wooden and marble stairs looks amazing they aren’t safe enough. Once the strips and padding are installed and the carpet cut to size, carpet installers can pick up speed when laying carpet waterfall-style. It’s harder for your foot to get a grip on carpet, which makes it easier to fall backwards. How did you do the carpet on the top step? Then another piece is added for the riser. Typically, this sharp edge helps to provide grip. Furthermore, carpeting gives the stairs an extra dose of coziness and warmth. – Yes, generally speaking carpeted stairs can be safer for older adults than solid wood or stone or any other slippery type of material. Carpet tiles are also known as soft modular flooring or carpet in a box. The best carpet for stairs has a low pile—¾-inch or less—to be both more stable underfoot and resilient to traffic. Where carpeted stairs really excel is in houses that have noisy stairs. The carpeting also was just installed last year before my husband and I owned the house. One reason is that carpet eases the stair tread's edge. Jan 5, 2017 - Explore HomeIncSales's board "Carpeted Stairs" on Pinterest. Fully carpeted stairs are the quietest because of the padding underneath the carpet, but a helpful partial measure is to install a carpet runner with stair rods. If you have pets, children, or seniors in your home, a stair runner or wall-to-wall carpeted steps can be a safer choice. Carpeted stairs are generally safer and quieter than wooden stairs. Install Anti-Slip Tapes or Carpet. One thing it doesn't fix, though: squeaky stairs. One reason is that carpet eases the stair tread's edge. Solution: Carpet the stairs to match. And once young kids learn all about the staircase, they will use them relentlessly. In addition, should a fall ever occur, carpet offers a much softer landing spot than wood flooring which could help reduce the likelihood of injury.If you decide to carp… Cap-and-band is also called wrapped nose. Keep the stairs free of toys and other obstacles, which can also be very dangerous on stairs, even if they are carpeted. Slippery carpet stairs are however not as dangerous as hardwood floors since they provide a soft landing thus the fall will hurt a little less. Wood stairs can be slippery and dangerous especially when liquid is present. And they are attractive and won't ruin the loo… Carpet Safety should always come first an as unbelievable as it may sound a carpet will not prevent you from slipping and falling down the stairs. Stair Design Ideas: Metal Balusters, Railings, and Posts. Cleaning carpeted stairs usually means using a handheld vacuum. Carpet Stair Treads, Set of 15 Stair Grips Tape, 7.5"x30" Safety Staircase Step Treads for Kids Elders Pets, Non-Slip Strips Stair Traction Treads, Stair Runner for Indoors & Outdoors (Dark Gray) 4.6 out of 5 stars 55 Treads can be in the form of tape, rubber, plastic or carpet. It has really made a big difference in how much safer one feels, definitely feels solid and secure as you navigate the stairs. Still, it is difficult to completely clean carpeted stairs. Most (if not all) come with non-slip backing so simply placing them on each step of the staircase is just about the easiest and quickest installation process for most any type of stair tread. It can equally help in minimizing noise when people are walking up and down the staircase. Consider that you've got both padding and carpet working for the cause, and you'll realize that bare wooden stairs can in no way match the quiet that carpet offers. But these are unwieldy and difficult to move up and down the stairs. However, even though carpeted stairs result in more falls on stairs (typically while traveling down) than uncarpeted stairs, the falls are usually gentler due to the insulation provided by the carpeting. Beautiful hardwood stairs will be ruined by the addition of carpeting because the tack strips need to be nailed down, creating holes in the wood. Besides, the sound of a child racing down the stairs isn’t something you want to hear very often. However, carpeted stairs can quickly turn slippery and pose a serious safety hazard for all who walk on the staircase. This can present a slight trip hazard since your foot has less area to rest on. Carpeting creates a softened curve on the nose of each stair. Anti-slip floor finish is a liquid solution that you … Now, you can basically choose from two main carpet ideas: stair … You can also do it as a stair safety measure. Wood, laminate, ceramic, or glass tile stairs are … Stair carpet tiles are available in many designs and colors that look attractive and enhances the look of the house. Carpeted Stairs can cause serious slip and fall accidents. Having carpet on the stairs doesn’t necessarily prevent falls, but it helps to provide traction compared to hardwood. Carpet works wonders on stairs like this. Hard surfaces are slippery, and can easily lead to a fall. Carpet materials such as olefin and polyester are slippery. Slip-resistant paint is also available. Installing carpet on stairs is a fairly quick job for straight stairs with no landings. Reaching into the corners is hard with smaller vacuums. Falling down stairs can lead to serious injury, and slippery stairs pose a threat to anyone in your family. 3. Carpet stairs can also be more dangerous than other floors in certain circumstances. You can only use this method if your stairs have no nosing (a section of the tread that protrudes beyond the riser). Generally speaking, carpeted stair treads should be safe. Are Carpeted Stairs safer? Essentially, the cut pieces do the tucking for you. On a per-square-footage basis, stairs are more difficult to carpet than floors because of the cutting, tucking, and tacking required to get the carpeting tight on the stairs. Stair treads are, by code, 10 inches deep, minimum. Carpet is great at blunting or even completely eliminating the sound of people walking on wooden stairs. When you have young kids or little pets, the danger of them slipping is very real. After several falls down the beautiful stained stairs, we just couldn’t risk it any more. Diane Henkler says. But when carpet blunts that edge, your foot cannot grip as well. Resist the urge to jump in and just start … Uncarpeted stairs have crisp lines that your eye can immediately identify. If you’ve got small children or elderly members of your family using the stairs often then carpeted stairs is recommended. We carpeted our stairs for safety reasons. It is difficult to fix unattractive stairs because they do not lend themselves to painting.