I wrote a post in 2012 about two bloggers whose husband or themselves had fallen on their stairs and it got me thinking because we had handrails on just one side. Dianne of Schmidleysscribbling who sadly passed away in 2017 told me I needed to add handrails on both sides.
I convinced Art to add another hand rail.
However, he added the beautiful handrail just partway down. It was enough, buuut... I thought it would be nice to have it go all the way down.
Since we were having this renovation, I added the handrail to go all the way down to the 1st floor. Besides, I'm 12 years older now. 😊
That will be me someday.
Actually, it's me today.
POSTSCRIPT 1:
OK.... The new handrail was not sanded well enough so parts of it feel very rough compared to the rest of the handrails that our previous carpenter, Steve and Art installed. (The contractor instead of the carpenter had done that finishing painting without properly sanding it smooth.) I was going to sand it myself but Art said the contractor should do it.
You can also see the space that I'm going to want to eventually caulk. The handrails that Steve and Art installed do not have that space. Sigh...
I'd looked up Steve, who was truly a skilled craftsman and was shocked and saddened to learn he had suddenly passed away in March. He was only 64 years old!
POSTSCRIPT 2:
We added the rough handrail to our punch list and this time a skilled painter was brought in who sanded and painted the handrail properly so it was more comfortable to hold.
Daughter's townie stairs do not have a handrail, or a carpet, and they are a little steep and narrow. I try to avoid them now.
ReplyDeleteSO glad you got that done! And, made it extend to the bottom step. You could install a pulley and rope system to move items in a hanging basket from one floor to the other, and not have to carry the items while getting yourselves up and down the stairs. Oh, gee, one more thing to add to the list... Linda in Kansas
ReplyDeleteI agree with the two handrails. I need a handrail to balance and when I am out and about it seems like the handrail is on whatever side I am holding other items and I have to do a big switcheroo.
ReplyDeleteAgree on 2 handrails
ReplyDeleteGood idea on the handrails. It's always a shock to learn of someone who is no longer with us at a relatively young age like 64. It seems like that's happening more and more these days, but perhaps it is just that I'm older and paying closer attention to this.
ReplyDeleteMy stairs have two handrails and I find myself needing them more and more, especially coming down. I'm glad it got fixed!
ReplyDeleteMy downstairs lanai had 5 wide steps going down and then I decided to order railings from Amazon from a company CHR because of good reviews and free (!) shipping. The product was inexpensive, great quality and fantastic with great customer service. And what a difference having railings (on both sides) for peace of mind and safety. I could even install them myself!
ReplyDeleteGood for you to push your contractor to correct shoddy workmanship. He should do it right the first time.
Very smart thing for you to do!
ReplyDeleteThere are many things that the tradesmen should do before calling the job complete.
ReplyDeleteWe only have a handrail on one side, but I use my walking stick in the other hand since I have o have it with me, up or down, anyway.
ReplyDeleteHandrails! I've needed them for years,
ReplyDeleteAt a certain age, the tendency should be - no stairs. This could be done either by rennovation or by moving to another house unit.
ReplyDeleteGlad you finally got the handrail you wanted. It's sure been a long haul getting this project finished.
ReplyDeleteOurs is traditionally wood stained which I'm not a big fan of because if something goes wrong with it and it's a lot harder to fix
ReplyDeleteThis is a sad reminder to me. I use stairs a lot in this house, although we could live easily on the main level!
ReplyDeleteWe have a handrail going down to the basement stairs. I actually wanted two. We stained it, and the stain rubs off on our hands, which I'm irritated by!!! What in the world!!!!!
ReplyDelete