We have hardwood floors on the main level of our house and are considering installing wood on the staircase to the downstairs because the carpet drives me crazy what with hauling the vacuum up and down, I would much rather sweep the wood.
We have a couple of spots in the house with 4 steps here and 4 steps there, done in hardwood, all the same color. I am wondering if it would be smart to make the edge of the steps downstairs a slightly darker color than the rest? I have had older people struggle to notice the edge and am considering it could just be smart for safety purposes, but it would then be different than the rest of the house. Is that bad for resale value?
My sister had the risers to her main interior steps tiled so that when you stood at the foot of it, it was a single image. ( of mt rainier, it looks amazing)
I think making the stair treads a different color, could look good and for steps that are hard to see, a nice idea.
i wouldn’t do just the edge, but the whole tread.
Depending on floor color, just one or two shades darker or lighter.
Are there handrails?
Handrails, even on one side gives a visual cue to look for steps.
Is this a stair going into the basement? Sometimes people put a non-stick surface near the edge of the step. But if it’s not behind a door and hidden, I’d let it look nice and match the rest of the house.
These are stairs to a lower level walkout basement bedroom suite. I was think the step noses to be a different color to mark the difference, but perhaps that is being too cautious. Yes there are walls on each side the whole way down with a handrail.
Back when we had elderly relatives who could still visit I bought some non-slip stair tread rugs in two different shades (tan and beige) and alternated them on the stairs to our basement. They were inexpensive and easy to replace, then we removed them when we sold the house. We added a second wall sconce in each stairway and we had some little down lights installed near the steps. I think there was a down light for every three steps. They looked like this: http://www.amazon.com/Halo-H2920ICT-Incandescent-Junction-Hangers/dp/B000JFJ8AY/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1431561336&sr=8-4&keywords=stairway+lights
Now you can find LED versions; some are motion activated and/or battery operated.
If you want the step,to be more visible…you need to make it lighter…not darker. Think about what a theater step looks like in a theater. It usually has a white or yellow edge, not a darker one. This is because lighter co,IRS are more reflective…and make those edges easier to see.
But in my house…I don’t think I would make the stairs have a different color edging.
