Just finished this work at a house where someone is having their grandmother move in with them and wanted to make the outside as safe as possible. On these older homes, there can be lots of issues including lack of railings, concrete steps, uneven walkways, etc. There’s lot you can do but that should not stop you from doing the basics – which is all about preventing slips and falls.

The first thing we did was put a railing along the uneven wall going up the stairs. As usual, I used Promenaid because I like their quality, the rubber backing along the bottom which improves grip and the fact that it is easy to adjust the length to fit. The 90 degree turn ins at the top and bottom are also important so clothing doesn’t catch on the way up or down The customer had actually put down the rubber stair treads which are good, but I prefer using the ones on the picture below.

The second thing we did was install these “handy treads” which are an aluminum safety tread with a raised profile of ridges and bumps. Concrete steps can literally be a killer because they get very slippery in the winter and by attaching these to the outside edge, you provide great traction. At the top of the steps I put a flat, rubber mat which should provide grip all the way to the stairs. If the edge of the mat starts to rise up, I suggest a bead of silicone along the edge and a weight to hold it down at the start until the silicone firms up. A raised edge can also be a trip hazard.