Do You Put the Pad Over the Stair Nosing?

How It Works

• The Canadian Center for Occupational Health and Safety notes that slips occur when there is too little or no traction between your foot and the ground. Stair pads, also referred to as stair treads, reduce accidents by increasing traction. This makes it easier to keep your footing when walking up and down the stairs.

  Stair pads are particularly helpful if you have wooden stairs. Glossy hardwood makes for a beautiful floor and stair covering, but it lacks the traction carpeted stairs provide – making stair pads a wise investment.

Types

• A typical stair pad covers the majority of the foot space on a stair while leaving the nosing and edging uncovered. Thus, it is not necessary to install most stair pads over your stairs' nosing. If you purchase large stair pads that cover each stair in its entirety, the stair pad will cover the nosing of each stair. Should you opt for the latter option, ensure that the stair covers provide adequate traction. Some stair covers are for aesthetic purposes only and will not provide you with the added traction you need to prevents slips.

Installation

• If your stair pads do not cover the entire stair, center a stair pad on each stair before attaching it with glue or staples. Making the correct measurements is crucial to ensure that the stair pads are located in the exact same spot on each stair. Because all stairs differ in size, stair pad manufacturers often make stair pads large so that homeowners can cut them to size before installing them.

  If you are installing pads that cover each stair, you must cut the pad to size, apply adhesive, fold it over the stair nosing and roll it with a hand roller to smooth out the surface and ensure that the pad adheres properly to the stair beneath.

Alternatives

• As helpful as stair pads may be, they aren't known for their aesthetic appeal. If stair pads aren't an option, consider traction strips. Like stair pads, traction strips reduce falls by creating a better grip between your foot and the ground. Traction strips cover a smaller area than stair pads and do not hide the stair's nosing from view.

  Stair tape is another alternative to stair pads. Similar to traction strips, stair tape gives your foot traction over a smaller surface area. Stair tape is available in reflective and glow-in-the-dark varieties for traversing the stairs at night or in low light.