Every time I get on a plane, my irrational fear of flying kicks in. When this happens I lovingly like to remind myself how, statistically, I’m far more likely to die of falling in my house than I am of dying in a plane crash. I know this to be true, deep in my bones… from experience. Yet, here I am, still afraid of flying and still doing dumb things on stairs.
If you live in an older home, you may be familiar with the dangers of walking up and down those deceptively beautiful but deadly wooden staircases. I’ve fallen down the stairs at least 3-4 times, likely breaking my tailbone at least once. It took months, if not years, to feel fully recovered.
How is this possible? It’s a mix of my usual hurried rush, pared with not holding the railing on freshly revarnished floors.
If you’d like to skip my tales of death-defying stunts and skip to the carpet, click here. If not, read on.
First Fall
The first time I gracefully thudded down the stairs, tailbone first, was while vacuuming (I only vacuum while going UP stairs now). After the vacuum and I plummeted down an entire flight, I decided to pop more than the recommended dose of Advil and push through the pain to make a ceramics class. Little did I realize I grabbed the bottle of Advil PM! Bad choice to say the least. I had no idea why I felt woozy and dizzy and assumed I was having a stroke while trying to pay attention to my ceramics instructor. During the whole class I was in too much pain to sit down! Luckily, I was eventually fine and realized my mistake. Though, stroke scare aside, I’m convinced I broke a tailbone. I couldn’t sit normally for nearly 6 months (the 70-year-old I drove around got in and out of the car faster than me)!
Second Fall
The second time (yes, there was a second time!) it was night, pitch black, and I was carrying my cat down the stairs. Again, not holding the railing. We both slid and flew down together. I nearly had a heart attack thinking I injured or traumatized my cat! Luckily, he had many more lives left and recovered without concern.
The Last Fall
The third (and hopefully last) time I fell was trying to carry an oversized suitcase down a flight. That time I spared my tailbone but sprained a knee. It was the longest and most painful 10 hour car ride as my lower extremity swelled.
Learn from my mistakes. Please. Get some carpet!
Installing the Stair Tread
Guess what? Since installing our stair tread carpet, our house has been slip-free.
What I Used
Here’s the “cheapest” high-quality option I found that requires zero handy-man skills. Double stick tape is all you need!
I purchased Dean Modern DIY Peel and Stick Bullnose Wraparound Non-Skid Nylon Carpet Stair Treads – Gold Coast 30″W (15) Plus a Matching Landing Mat, but this exact option may be discontinued. Here are a few similar sets:
Gold set of 15 without a landing mat
Beige set of 15 with a landing mat
I also bought a 1″ x 65′ Advanced Removable Adhesive Roll to install the rugs.
If you’ve got a Prime membership, Amazon also has a few options too, such as these nice light grey ones from Pure Era Store.
How are they holding up? I still swear by them 7 years later. They’re holding strong with both dog AND kid wear. I’ve had to add tape to the uppermost stair riser only once after my son purposely ripped it up out of curiosity. The adhesive hasn’t negatively affected the varnish either.
Huh. Who knew I’d ever write a post about stair carpet? Homeownership is sexy… I swear.
Interested in actually building something? Check out my post on a DIY fire pit, next!
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