Stair safety (toddlers)

7 years ago

I am about to commence a renovation of this semi with what I consider a very unsafe stair design for toddlers. Issues are: 1. Wide gap between stair treads and treads not reaching the wall allowing a toddler to fall through the gaps 2. Railing that allows toddlers to climb up. 3. Safety doors that will stop toddler access to the stairs

Our builder is recommending plexiglass for railing and chicken wire for the back of the stairs both being unappealing options. I would really appreciate any ideas you have. This is a temporary solution for 2-3 years. Thank you!!

Featured Answer

PRO

Miami Stainless

7 years ago

Firstly, although perspex looks great and is light, it scratches really easily and is just as expensive, if not more expensive than glass. I would suggest either glass or wire. Contrary to popular belief wire is very hard to climb, that is why it is approved under NCC regulations for staircases. I have attached a couple of wire options. Using glass might require a full redesign of the stairs to create fixing points for the glass panels.

Also, for the gap under the stairs I have also posted an image of how wire can be used to reduce the gap between the risers to be compliant (no bigger than 125mm).

I hope this helps.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (6)

zaffa
7 years ago
I see what you mean regarding safety. My first thought is to close in the horizontal railing with something like plexiglass or some laser cut steel backings to prevent toddlers climbing the rails. I would also consider closing in the void section below the main stair and leave enough space at the start of the stair descent to walk down. Does that make sense?
OR ... a carpenter could build a wall to close the open side of the stair in and under the treads and remove the balustrade completely by having a half plaster wall and then extend the floor across the void as per my suggestion above. You could create a study nook under the stair or even storage??
Good luck!!
PRO
Nick Smart
Original Author
7 years ago
@zaffa thank you for your advice!

I like the plexiglass idea, I am finding it to be rather expensive..... also would like to keep the stairs open as they provide access to the northern light of our south facing house.
Related Discussions
Stairs gap
Q
Comments (6)
with all the white you have there, maybe you're not into color. I would want to put a carpet runner, or several different carpets end to end on that space to jazz it up. You could use a combination of sewn on and sticky velcro, or a piece of 1/4 round painted white and carpet tacks to secure the carpets if need be. You wouldn't have to dust carpets; shelving= dust.
...See More
Toddler's playroom
Q
Comments (1)
Hi there Storage is imports in in any play room. So think of shelving and tables which are at toddler height with no sharp corners. Make sure the furniture is secure as toddlers do tend to climb! Neutral colours think of colour quirky combinations greens & turquoise yellows & grey blue & orange Pastels look good combined with a primary too. You could paint one wall in a feature colour, say lime green or you colour but decals for the walls and make these a feature. Funky roller blinds (with safety catches!) Add a bright rug too Bean bags for sitting on. Look at Nubie Aspace The great little trading company
...See More
stair paint - non slip?
Q
Comments (9)
Ours is just that, and the one that we have just finished for a client was around 150 Years old. It's a labour of love, getting the paint off, and obviously as the stairs are very old and likely to be uneven, and worn in patches, it might not be possible to remove every single bit of paint, however, as you say, why would you want to rip the character out of it, we embrace Shabby Chic round here and our two dogs help with that too.. So, for the last client, we scraped as much paint of as was possible with a flat blade, then sanded with heavy grit 40-60 paper to get most of what was left off. Then sanded with 120 grit to smooth. The stairs were then oiled in No Nonsense clear oil from Screwfix as they still had a beautiful patina. Two coats usually suffices and you are much less likely to slip on them. The risers required less work as they were being re-painted, so just a normal sand over and re-paint!
...See More
bugbear under stairs support post
Q
Comments (7)
Katherine Hello The diagonal stringer supports the stair itself and it looks like there may be a small timber edge trimming beam at the top running along the edge. I don't think the posts are structural but do ask a structural engineer to confirm. The other thing you can check is which way the joists run in the floor at the top of the stair. In an old house the boards run in the opposite direction to the supporting timber joists, so if you lift the carpet you can tell which way the joists run. If the joists run parallel to the stair the load is not being taken by the stair opening in the floor. If they run perpendicular they may be bearing on the trimming beam and the posts could be structural, even though they don't look it. Ask a skilled builder or and engineer to take a look.
...See More
PRO
Nick Smart
Original Author
7 years ago
@Miami steel - looks very nice. Didn't think about that at all. How does the steel fair in a beachside property? Does it show signs of rusting quickly? Thank you!
PRO
Miami Stainless
7 years ago
Stainless steel should not rust. Some stainless in extreme conditions might form 'tea staining' but this can be washed off. For beachside suburb we recommend mirror finish as it is smooth and has less areas for the salt to rest and cause tea staining. Satin finish has microscopic grooves where salt and dirt can catch.

Cleaning should consist of a wipe over of the wires and posts with a damp cloth.

If you see rust, this means your product is not really stainless steel or the product has been damaged or exposed to extreme environments i.e. Very High/low temp, sea water etc
PRO
Get Andy Building P/L
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
May I suggest that you look up the NCC Volume 2 which specifies the safety design parameters for stairs and balustrades. Any new work done on stairs and balustrades must comply with the code. You need to look up sections 3.9.1 and 3.9.2

In summary, whatever method you look to you can't be able to pass a 125mm sphere through any part of the stair or balustrade. It also specifies the design parameters for wire balustrades to achieve the 125mm sphere rule.

The design challenges for stairs are significant if you want the open back tread look. The easiest way is to install a block on the underside of the tread level with the back edge of the tread below. This way you can still have an open tread and achieve compliance. The harder problem occurs when using a wire balustrade and the resolving the gap that occurs between the treads and the lowest wire. I have seen several installations of late where the 125mm rule was very clearly not achieved. One was a very recent build and I'm still not sure how it passed the final inspection. The images from Miami Stainless show how this can be achieved. Clearly the best and most secure is the glass balustrade and the vertical bar balustrade.
Good luck!

Stair safety (toddlers)

Miami Stainless

Comments (6)

zaffa

Nick Smart
Original Author

Related Discussions

Nick Smart
Original Author

Miami Stainless

Get Andy Building P/L

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Stair safety (toddlers)

Miami Stainless

Comments (6)

zaffa

Nick SmartOriginal Author

Related Discussions

Nick SmartOriginal Author

Miami Stainless

Get Andy Building P/L

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Nick Smart
Original Author

Nick Smart
Original Author