The ladder is a wonderful human invention that allows us to climb to a height without too many problems. They can be wooden and marble, wide and narrow, spiral and with winders.
No matter how beautiful the stairs are, all of them, in one way or another, represent an area of increased danger. It is especially scary to slip on the stairs and fly down. This can happen on slippery marble or tiles, or on lacquered wooden stairs.
And it is precisely from such surprises that all kinds of carpets, rugs and step covers are designed to protect us. They are produced completely different in appearance, color and design. For this, materials that are absolutely different from each other are used.
But all these materials have one very important property, although their price can vary significantly. They prevent us from slipping on the smooth surface of the steps.
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Situations are different. It is possible that you decided to tile the stairs and picked up a special non-slip porcelain stoneware (read also the article Tiles for stair steps: selection, nuances and recommendations). In this case, rugs for stair steps will be superfluous and will only spoil the look conceived by the designer.
If the steps on the stairs are slippery, there is a risk of falling and getting injured. In this regard, a situation becomes inevitable in which it is necessary to use anti-slip rugs on the stairs.
Today there are a large number of different coverings that can be laid or glued on steps at the entrance or inside a building. They perform not only protective functions, but also decorative ones, decorating staircases in a modern style.
The most commonly used coating materials for staircases and landings are as follows:
- traditional carpet runners;
- carpet mats made of pile fabrics;
- anti-slip linoleum;
- tracks, rugs, rubber pads;
- polyurethane rugs on the steps of the stairs;
- anti-slip polycarbonate pads;
- metal anti-slip pads.
Carpet runners
Carpets should not only protect but also decorate the flight of stairs. But above all, stair rugs are designed to protect stairs from scratches and damage. The use of protective coatings on the ladder increases its lifespan.
The most common type of safety mats are carpet runners. These rugs for stair steps serve as the second step in cleaning the premises from dirt brought into it on shoes.
In addition, they prevent the person from slipping. Usually, these are pile carpets made of high-tenacity synthetic or semi-woolen yarns on a vinyl backing.
Important. If a carpet is chosen as a covering, then you need to be very careful about the selection of accessories for proper styling. It is necessary to find suitable carpet holdersthat will be able to securely fix the rugs to the steps of the stairs. The carpet holder uses a tube and an attachment on each step to hold the track in place.
Barrier carpets
Barrier mats serve as the first step in cleaning before a person enters a room. They are used to detain any dirt and dust on the threshold of a room.
It is very convenient to lay such a rug on the stairs in front of the entrance to:
- office building;
- hospital;
- polyclinic;
- Kindergarten;
- school;
- sanatorium;
- House.
Dirt, snow, dust, as well as any pathogenic microbes contained in them will not be able to get inside the room.
Nowadays, it has become very popular to make such rugs for stairs from cut microfiber. The action of such a material is based on the capillary effect, they are very good at cleaning dirt from shoes.
Carpet overlays
Carpet rugs for steps of a ladder in the form of overlays help to protect such a ladder from rapid wear.
And she will not be afraid of any possible mechanical damage with such devices:
- scratches;
- stains of different origins;
- chips.
Carpet pads are essentially overhead steps, they can be easily cleaned with special carpet detergents, they can be easily replaced with new ones if the need arises.
For the production of these products, high-quality coatings are taken, which will retain an attractive appearance with a long service life, which, of course, depends on the intensity of use and ranges from 3 to 10 years.
The construction and design of the carpet pad guarantees safe operation over a long service life. There is no need to additionally fold, glue or screw anything.
Along the edge of the rug there is a plastic corner for rigidity that holds the rug in a folded state. A special double-sided adhesive tape is applied along the entire fold, which ensures its reliable attachment.
To lay such carpet overlays with your own hands, special knowledge is not required. It is enough to carefully follow the following recommendations.
Step-by-step instructions for installing step rugs:
- thoroughly clean and dry the surface of the steps of the stairs;
- try on a carpet pad, mark its exact position with chalk;
- turn over the carpet;
- remove the protective paper strips from the adhesive tape;
- carefully attach the overhead step to the planned place;
- glue the folded part first;
- glue the entire pad, firmly pressing its surface to the step and pressing down for a couple of minutes.
Advice. To simplify the installation process, you can stretch the fishing line along the entire staircase in two rows, marking the edges of the intended overlays.
Bamboo linings
Bamboo has one important property. This is its special hardness and one hundred percent resistance to moisture. These properties stem from its tropical origin.
Step pads made of natural bamboo perfectly protect stairs from scratches and possible chips.
Important. To install these pads, you just need to peel off the tape from the back and attach the pads to the steps, pressing for a couple of minutes. The whole process is similar to that described earlier for carpet overlays.
Rubber pads
More familiar to us, rubber rugs for stair steps prevent slipping, efficiently remove dirt from any shoes of visitors. They are designed to be installed on and in front of steps.
They are distinguished by their aesthetic appearance and long service life. The use of rubber pads is justified to a greater extent for outdoor stairs with high traffic.
They are suitable for use on steps made of various materials:
- porcelain stoneware;
- marble;
- concrete;
- wood;
- clinker.
Electrically heated step mats and pads are used to prevent snow accumulation and icing of the entrance area.
Such outdoor pads are quite easy to use, do not require special maintenance, and are suitable for use at temperatures down to –30 ° C. Power is supplied from standard 220 V sources.
Aluminum lining
Aluminum stair treads can be used outdoors and indoors.They are environmentally friendly, have a rather attractive high-tech look and function as anti-abrasion and anti-slip functions.
Different types and designs of aluminum plates are made of different thicknesses and have different anti-slip elements on their surface. This can be corrugation or perforation of the metal itself or special rubber inserts.
The service life of these products and the temperature range for use is absolutely unlimited. Often such linings are used to protect street steps, stairs in warehouses and industrial premises. Fasteners are carried out on self-tapping screws.
Polycarbonate overlays
These products are very practical.
Their main qualities:
- high impact resistance;
- fire resistance;
- moisture resistance;
- resistance to temperature extremes.
In practice, today polycarbonate is actively used in construction materials in completely different industries.
To improve its mechanical properties, the technology of filling the polycarbonate composition with glass fiber is often used. The resulting combination has very high mechanical and optical properties.
It is monolithic polycarbonate that is used for the manufacture of:
- lenses;
- lighting products;
- CDs;
- anti-slip mats and pads.
Transparent linings do not violate the overall picture of the interior at all and extend the life of the steps.
Summary
Having considered various options, we come to the conclusion that for reliable protection and decoration of flights of stairs, the use of self-adhesive carpets is the simplest, rather reliable and profitable option.
Such a rug for stairs will reliably protect the surface of the steps from various types of damage and scratches, provide acoustic comfort for the staircase space and increase its service life. He is able to create an atmosphere of coziness and comfort in your home.
In the video presented in this article, you will find additional information on this topic.
I have a carpet on the stairs now.
Yes, with her the steps are not slippery and look much more civilized. But there are also disadvantages the track constantly moves out and wrinkles.