Antihero said:Carpeting wont do anything for falls.
If anything, on stairs, it will increase the likelihood of falls.
Antihero said:Carpeting wont do anything for falls.
If anything, on stairs, it will increase the likelihood of falls.
Wow, I agree with everything that Frenchy said. That may be a first.
I had carpeted stairs once. One evening, I started down them in socks. Slipped and did the Wiley E Coyote thing. I swear I hovered horizontally for several seconds just to give me time to think about how much it was going to hurt when gravity took over... it hurt and sometimes still does.
No carpeted stairs for me.
Long link, but a middle solution that will help solve the problem and also keep the peace due to request details?
Also looks less industrial than other solutions.
poopshovel again said:We’re down to one cat. Wife insisted in leather couches to replace our “disposable, replace once every couple years” couches. You can imagine how that’s worked out.
We have cats. Nothing but Ikea's finest non-lather sofa for us. They're holding up surprisingly well.
Oh, and the only improvement I can see with carpet on the stairs is that you're going to think it's going to hurt less for the 30us it takes your body to compress said carpet and hit what's underneath.
I grew up in a house with carpeted stairs, I can confirm they made a great makeshift toboggan run. Though as my idiot friends & I got older we’d just jump from the top to the bottom, avoiding the stairs completely.
Dissenting voice...
I’ll never have stairs without carpet again.
In reply to pheller :
I can't see the details of your stairs and railing, but I am gonna suggest proper handrails (because I think there are a few issues, if I am seeing them right)...
- Looks like there is only a hand rail (on the left side heading up) in the top 4' or so of the staircase. Remove it, and replace with a full length one.
- The top rail on the balustrade looks like a 2x4. This is not a proper handrail. It should be a diameter and size to grip properly. You can't fix this, that's why you need a proper full length rail on the wall.
- The baluster looks too low. Should be 34"- 38" above tread nosings. Pretty sure the spacing of the spindles is too big too. You can't fix this- you need a rail on the wall.
- I think you have 2 issues with the stair risers. They look like they exceed 7 3/4" in height, and the bottom riser appears to be higher than the rest. Again, you can't fix this, but it makes the stair less safe.
All of the dimensions that are recommended can be found online, but keep in mind those are for new construction. You can't always fix existing- just add better rails.
In reply to 914Driver :
Oh and add a night lite on the top and bottom of the stairs.
I have had carpet on my stairs for many years. I guess my fall has yet to come.
I feel compelled to say, the last time I fell downstairs was 1964.
I have commercial grade carpet with a very short loop on my basement stairs, and it is much more secure underfoot than the painted wood.
914Driver said:
You can get those surprisingly cheap used. I was looking at one the other day to move bags of pellets into the basement.
Huh. I go up and down a flight of carpeted stairs a couple dozen times a day for the last 15 years. I can't recall falling once. Kids have been on them since birth and no falls, or at least not significant ones. Handrail is vital. Both sides is better.
I'm very often barefoot or in socks and I would assert that carpeted stairs offer more traction than bare wood. This short loop pile/berber type carpet is quite grippy.
Now bare hardwood is a certified killer. I recall being in socks and carrying a big load of laundry. Turned a corner and simultaneously unknowingly dropped a pair of my son's boxers. My next step was on the boxers. I hit the floor instantaneously. Fortunately, just bruised.
Socks on hardwood is the only way to do your Tom Cruise "Risky Business" slide, but no stairs involved there.
The0retical said:914Driver said:
You can get those surprisingly cheap used. I was looking at one the other day to move bags of pellets into the basement.
How cheap used? What do they cost new?
frenchyd said:The0retical said:914Driver said:
You can get those surprisingly cheap used. I was looking at one the other day to move bags of pellets into the basement.
How cheap used? What do they cost new?
$0-$500 is the going rate. The chair/motor is the easy part though, the track is the expensive part. Not a big deal for a straight shot, but for a stairway with curves a real PITA. My in-laws paid around $10k for their new one installed, but theirs had a large curve and a section without any wall to attach it too. If it was a straight staircase, it would have been half that or less. Insurance would have covered some of it, but in order for them to qualify my MIL would have had to go on disability which would have basically berkeleyed them over financially and ruined her pension. So they paid out of pocket.
Also, theirs is on a battery backup like a sump pump. Also had to have it installed on its own breaker. The battery backup is optional, but recommended.
I figured that i could have made a used one work, but removed myself from the situation as I did not support their getting a lift—they should have either moved or got an elevator, because now it is 3 years later and we’re going to be seeing a day where MIL can’t get from wheelchair to lift chair soon.
The0retical said:914Driver said:
You can get those surprisingly cheap used. I was looking at one the other day to move bags of pellets into the basement.
So it does 0 to 1 MPH in 5 minutes? 
My MIL uses a stairlift, and it is the perfect solution to her situation. However, be aware that the chair occupies significant horizontal room when not in use. Yeah, the seat folds up, but a workaround will be required for anyone still using the stairs in a conventional way. This is particularly true if the stairs are old and possibly narrower than today's building codes would prefer. Ask me how I know.
Hopefully I will be living in a single level abode in my golden years.
The thing I love about stairs is that its a free piece of exercise equipment that I am forced to use every day. I charge up and down those things as fast as I can. I'll be 59 later this year.
Use it or lose it.
In reply to 1988RedT2 : I have three flights of stairs at my place. Not counting the ladder going up to the 4th floor.
At age 70 I no longer go up/down two steps at a time but unlike my 7 year younger wife I don’t take the one step pause, next step pause.
Since I built this house with multi stories living here does give me a measure of workout. At least my wife likes the shape of my legs and the firmness of my butt.
I’m really not sure I want to be thinking Frenchy’s butt...
Also never really had any falls on carpeted steps having had them all of my life. I've had a couple falls on steps that were more than minor but not quite serious and they were all on bare wood steps.
My brother went down the carpeted steps really hard once, but that was because I spent about an hour and half a can of endust polishing the hardwood floor at the top of the steps so he'd slip when he came out of the bathroom in his socks.
You'll need to log in to post.
