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I want to find some kind of carpet or mesh that could come underneath or on the stairs (if is a thin carpet - but the preference is to have it underneath) for stairs with gaps like this:

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(Picture from EleveStairs example stairs.) Or do you know other solution for this?

Kate Gregory
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Edwin
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  • I know you are trying to increase safety, but I'm concerned how this change would make the stairs less safe for people with large feet. Have you thought about where people can place their feet, particularly when two people pass each other on the stairs? – piojo Dec 03 '20 at 09:21
  • IMO it isn't possible to fill in the open risers without either a) making a permanent change to the staircase which cannot be reversed without damage, or b) creating a trip hazard. – Weather Vane Dec 03 '20 at 12:14
  • What is your goal here? To simply make the gap between each step invisible or to improve safety by making it impossible for objects (or feet) to slip through the gap? Each goal requires drastically different answers. – Elmy Dec 04 '20 at 06:13
  • the goal is to make it child (1-5 yo) safe and to look good. – Edwin Dec 04 '20 at 08:39
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    What country are you in? Those stairs would be illegal in the UK. 100mm gap (half the riser height) is the maximum allowed, even on open riser staircases. Depending on jurisdiction, your landlord may be responsible for getting this fixed. See https://www.tkstairs.com/information-help/building-regulations/domestic-building-regulations-explained & scroll down to 9) Open riser stairs, for two solutions. – Tetsujin Dec 04 '20 at 13:15
  • I hadn't realized this was a safety issue. That invalidates my initial answer, I've modified my answer. – Hobbes Dec 06 '20 at 10:01
  • I'm living in Germany, I don't know the legislation that good, to say that the landlord should fix this or not. The stairs in the picture are just for guidance, in reality on the left side is not an open space like that - it is closer to a wall. But the gap I think is accurate, though the model of the skeleton is not the same. Instead of having the frame on the middle we have it on sides, that makes the hole in the gap more dangerous (I think). – Edwin Dec 06 '20 at 10:56
  • I'd check your country's legal requirement - not all EU is the same on all building regs, but they have similarities. – Tetsujin Dec 07 '20 at 19:03

2 Answers2

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Edit: the additional requirement of 'child safety' invalidates this answer. Fabric fastened at one end does not make the stairs safer.

If your requirement is cosmetic only: Carpet or fabric can be used on its own, but you'd have to fasten it on one side only: attach it to the bottom of each step, and leave the other end free. When you walk up the stairs, sometimes you'll bump into the carpet/fabric. When you attach the fabric on both ends, your foot'll push out the fabric and cause it to tear around its fasteners.

If you want a solution that's rigid, you'll have to place a wooden board in each gap, thick enough to withstand the occasional kick.

For a removable solution, I'd use cloth. The type of fabric used for curtains would be a good option. Apply a strip of velcro to one edge of the cloth, glue the other half of the velcro underneath each step.

In the professional audio/video/stage production world, cloth skirts are used for a similar purpose: these are applied e.g. to the edge of a temporary stage to hide the underside of the stage from view.

To child-proof the stairs, the standard solution is to install a baby gate at the top and bottom of the stairs. By the time the toddler can walk up/down the stairs, he/she will be big enough not to fit between the steps.

Hobbes
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  • Sadly I didn't find any carpet or fabric product that can I use for this purpose. The wooden boards will be a good solution, but I guess is also very expensive, plus I would have to speak with the landlord to allow to build this. – Edwin Dec 03 '20 at 09:14
  • if it has to be removable, fabric is an easier option. – Hobbes Dec 03 '20 at 09:34
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If you wanted to maintain the aesthetic of the stairs you could always put acrylic (lexan, plexi glass) sheets between a given stair and the riser for the next stair with some semi permanent method of attachment.

Sidney
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