Adding Traction to Stairs

Children and the elderly benefit from better traction on stairs.

A fast ride down a set of slick wood stairs can be downright dangerous. Even carpeted stairs can hold dangers. Tacking down loose carpet and replacing thick-pile carpet with rough-surface stair runners are two ways of making stairs safer. Improved traction requires making the surface of the tread coarser where feet fall on the first part of the step, giving shoes a grip. Two popular tread covers, one a gritty adhesive strip and the other a tread cover, come in a variety of colors, including clear.

Things You'll Need

• Adhesive strips
• Tread covers with adhesive or nails
• Sandpaper or steel wool
• Lint-free cloth
• Non-oily cleaner
• Chalk line
• Ruler
• Chalk or hem marker crayon
• Hammer
• Screw driver

Instructions

Adhesive Strips

1. Use a fine-grit sandpaper or steel wool to remove the slick surface from high-gloss varnish or urethane finish on wood stairs before proceeding.

2. Clean the surface to receive the adhesive strip with a non-greasy cleaner. Rinse and dry the surface thoroughly.

3. Lay the strips out to check the spacing before pulling off any backing. One strip should go along the front of the tread within an inch of its edge. Do not, however, try to wrap a strip around a bullnose edge; the strip must lie exactly flat.

4. If you wish to use a second strip, place it 2 to 4 inches behind the edge of the first strip. Treads average between 9 and 13 inches deep; placing strips in the 4 or 5 inches closest to the edge covers the part of the tread used first to climb stairs as well as provide a boundary when going down.

5. Measure across the bottom and top steps and snap a chalk line to mark the center of the staircase on the edges of the treads. Snap lines on either side of the center line to mark the ends of the adhesive strips for added guidance if desired.

6. Remove the adhesive and lay the strip closest the edge across the center line, starting on the bottom step. Check with a ruler to make sure it is straight. Continue laying first strips to the top step. Repeat, working from the bottom to the top step, with the second strips.

Tread Covers

1. 

   Start with a clean, dust-free stairway.

   Clean the stairs. If they are carpeted, vacuum the runner carefully and check for any areas that require re-tacking to secure the carpet.

2. Mark a center line and lay out the tread covers to ensure that their edges line up.

3. Apply contact cement or adhesive as directed in the instructions. Alternately, if instructions dictate nailing, tap in nails along the front surface into the edge of the tread.

4. Place the tread down after the adhesive has set up, lining it up first on the edge of the tread and laying it down across the tread, smoothing as you put it down. If you are nailing the cover, add the nails at the back corners. Continue up the stairs, checking positioning with each cover before gluing or nailing.

Tips & Warnings

• Packaged strips and cover products come with their own installation instructions. It is critical with all types to lay them out and measure carefully to ensure that the products line up evenly or, in the case of an irregular staircase, follow the course of feet climbing the stairs.

• Mark the positions of adhesive strips on wood steps with a bit of chalk or wax hem marker to ensure that the strips are centered and parallel to the edge.

• Deep treads may need three strips -- make the distance between the second and third strip the same as between the first and second.

• Some metal or plastic tread covers or strips are screwed to stairs. Remember to line them up on the stairs and check their appearance before beginning installation.

• Gritted paint or urethane provides a fast, inexpensive way to provide traction on stairs. Choose a product designed to be walked on, such as deck paint, and be prepared to re-coat the stairs periodically.

• Adequate lighting, lack of clutter, uniform tread and riser size and a sturdy railing are just as important as traction for stairway safety.

• Strips and tread covers are available for interior and exterior applications; ensure that you have the right product for your stairs. The moisture in basements, for example, might qualify them as an exterior installation.

References

• Wellness Council of America: Stairwell to Health
• Cornell University Extension: Stair Safety: Causes and Prevention of Residential Stair Injuries
• Apartment Therapy: Good Question: How to Make Wood Steps Less Slippery?