Outdoor Stair Tread

Outdoor stairs can be particularly treacherous for several reasons. They are exposed to the elements including rain, ice, and snow. They may be dimly or not lit at all. Also they may easily get covered with debris, including leaves, dirt, and more that can make them more slippery.

Outdoor stair tread are used on a lot of outdoor stairs and stair cases, but before we discuss those, let's first talk about a few other things to make outdoor stairs safer.

Lighting is one. There are several types of lighting available, and for some stairs, auto on lights triggered by motion detectors may be appropriate. I have those in the back of my house and they work well and are energy efficient.

Stair handrails which may be made of wood, iron, or other materials, can improve safety. Also balusters (also called "stair sticks") may help safety by making it harder to fall off the stairs perhaps into an abyss or long fall.

In terms of outdoor stair treads their are many options, but let's first note that outdoor stair treads provide one additional function beyond safety, decor, and protecting your stairs: they also function to catch dirt and moisture before it enters the interior, keeping floors cleaner and drier.

Rubber is a common material for outdoor stair tread and may be permanently attached of may just lie down on a non skid backing, much like welcome mats, and can be as inexpensive as these basic less than $5 non slip rubber stair treads They often have decorative patterns, sometimes cutouts which also function to catch dirt and debris. I can see some of these from where I sit on the back porch stairs of my mother in laws house leading to the garden. Some are even designed to look like stained glass which is pretty cool.

Some to consider are Heated Rubber Stair Treads. They plug in to a normal plug and melt snow and ice, and are ideal where I live in New England!

Also popular are various types of carpet and rug treads. Sometimes these be rubber or vinyl tread with carpet on top, made entirely of a piece of outdoor carpet that it cut and attached to the stairs in one contiguous piece, or individual rugs placed on each step.

I've also recently noticed many outdoor stair treads made of mats of various types on material. Perhaps these are an up and coming fashion?

You can find outdoor stair tread in many places, including department stores like Walmart and Target, hardware stores, home supply and department stores like Lowes and Home Depot, and any more places.

Online is a great place to look as you can find great prices and an enormous selection.
Click Here to see the selection and Amazon.