what to place on top of bannister

12 years ago

Hello! We have a low bannister on our 2nd floor, looking down onto our 1st floor. I have young kids and I'm concerned they will try to lean over. What are some good ideas you might have to prevent my kids from leaning over? Placing a railing on top of the bannister is too expensive. Any other thoughts?

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Sandy G. ltd.

12 years ago

last modified: 12 years ago

-- You could make a galley rail all along the hallway using closet hardware - it all comes in different finishes. Attach the flange that holds the pole to the wall, to the top of the railing - close enough together so that a child cannot fit shoulders through - glue in a chunky dowel that fits snugly and is cut to the height you need -

Top railing boards: Attach flanges the same distance apart to another board [1"x 4"], flip it upside down and insert the dowels from below into these flanges. Glue/screw these dowels into the flanges Paint it all to match your woodwork.
If you ever remove this contraption, you will have holes to fill but that is about all the damage that would be done.

There are also the kind shown below with a ring on top of the bracket. Might not be tall enough for protection though.

Remember that the underside of the top board will be visible to people on the first floor as well as walking up the stairs.

I am not a handyman so if there are any of you out there, I'm sure you would have a better way to do this - or be able to describe this solution better!

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Comments (24)

abbyjean
12 years ago
last modified: 12 years ago
Not sure if this would be cost effective, either, but you could make a larger top for it that extends more on the inside part which might make it harder for them to get up there because of the extension.....but do not want to lose walking space, either. It could be black or white. Barbed wire is just not a good look in a home!
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tovae
Original Author
12 years ago
thanks so much - what do you mean by "make a larger top for it"? You mean, make the actual ledge part wider?
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studio10001
12 years ago
last modified: 12 years ago
Along that line, an area of shallow shelving along the wall could create enough depth to make leaning unattractive.
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Jim Wiley
12 years ago
Depending on the natural light, hanging vines. Pothos are fast growing and hardy. Of course it's not a true barrier.
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abbyjean
12 years ago
last modified: 12 years ago
Yes, I mean making a larger top for it, with the inside being wider as no reason to have it hang over on the stairway part.
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abbyjean
12 years ago
Shallow shelving would be an invitation to climb for the little ones we would have around our home.
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ruthmand
12 years ago
Exactly what height is the low wall? It looks to be the same, if not a bit more, than your stair railing which I am sure is made to code. If you are seriously concerned you should remove any items, such as the piece in the background (speaker?), from near the railing and thus eliminate any opportunity for your kids to climb up and then go over. I am not sure that little ones can actually pull themselves up on a short wall like this without the help of an item to step on.
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ruthmand
12 years ago
And if the ledge stuck out further into the hallway it again would give them something to grip and pull up on.
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Patrick Mills
12 years ago
i would leave it clear...( it looks cleaning and neat without anything) i would add a bench in back...
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ruthmand
12 years ago
Honestly, by the time your kids are tall enough to lean over enough to take a header they should be old enough to realize that would not be a good move! Just don't leave anything around that the littler ones could step on to check out the lower floor.
studio10001
12 years ago
Nice -good idea for when grandparents visit as well.
katbarnes231979
12 years ago
I am interested to hear if there are any other ideas...our new home which we will move into in about a month has this too. I've been very worried about it! We tried to get the builders to change it to a full wall, but they said no. Unfortunalt I can't put anything at all against it because my 2 year old would use that as a step stool! Keep me posted what you do in your home!!
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tovae
Original Author
12 years ago
thanks for all the great ideas - keep them coming. The ledge is up to code and is normal height but it's very easy for a kid to take a stool, put it against the wall, and try to stand on top of the ledge or lean over. The other option I had is to close up the space by making a wall and making another room but then that room would have no windows and is probably a fortune to do....
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Sandy G. ltd.
12 years ago
-- Another thought - you could install cafe rods for little curtains gathered [or not] top and bottom that would block the ledge They could start a couple of inches above the ledge and be as tall as you feel necessary. Any home sewer could make these. They could end up being decorative too.

My daughter has a hallway like this. She also has twin boys who are now teens, but when they were small, she never had an issue with this. Now, throwing things over the 1/2 wall, yes - that was just too much fun - but no children were harmed because of climbing up in the ledge, and this includes cousins and playmates. They just didn't think of doing that.
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tennisanyone
12 years ago
Money should not be an option from keeping your kids safe. I would call in a contractor and see if they have any ideas. I would worry everyday too.
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ASVInteriors
12 years ago
We used a series of cheap Japanese shoji screens up to the top of the wall. This allowed light but the children never even considered the possibility of it for climbing or other
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Adrian J. Naquin Interior Design L.L.C.
12 years ago
The wall should be 42" tall to be code, this will keep someone from falling over if tripped the other concern regard using it as a seat which you could address by placing something on top of the wall to preclude someone siting on the top of the wall as is done in many commercial spaces ( malls) this could be something simple as someone mentioned a railing on top of the wall or possible a element such as resin panels 4' to 6" tall mounted on top of wall - check out manf> like 3form they make some really cool looking resin panels which could make sitting on difficult and add a unique design element to the interior.
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lucidos
12 years ago
Kids, gotta love 'em. Teenagers will try and attempt short cuts too. So, we have a viable issue. Funds are minimal and you need to keep the little buggers safe. You do not want to block the light or enclose the area.

We're all familiar with outdoor lattice fence tops. Frankly they look great - outside. Yes, it would let the light through and keep the kids safer but the design is less then suitable for your home. No matter how you tweak it, it will still have awful lines.

I feel the safest option (other then inflatable suits and helmets for the children) would be to put in a full wall and add cut-outs at a height where you deem them safe. This would still give you the spatial feel of the area, allow light to enter and give you total piece of mind with out conjuring demons of vertigo and littleones attempting to fly.
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Denita
12 years ago
last modified: 12 years ago
This one might be extreme, but you get the idea. On this inspiration pic there is literally a wall above the stairs, but in your case it would be the bannister. You could modify the style and make it removable if you prefer
https://www.houzz.com/photos/100k-stair-wall-industrial-staircase-philadelphia-phvw-vp~94757

In this one there is a barrier so the kids can't access the bannister

Last one, which might be the best solution and most cost effective, and probably the easiest to execute, (remember to hover over each photo)
Eureka Street House · More Info

This is similar to the one next to it, just different materials
Townhouse Renovation in San Diego · More Info
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Mari O'Connor
12 years ago
We have contractors coming in tomorrow morning to do the final measurements for something similar to your problem. Our son is 22 but functions at the 18-month range. In a heart beat he would lean over that wall and fall to the floor below. After tons of research, and asking on Houzz for suggestions (look up my name to find posts, and pictures of my open second floor bridge, on suggestions for our house) we have decided on glass. The cost to close up our second floor bridge with glass and brass poles will be around $15,000. Ouch but worth it, to keep our son safe. He'll never understand to not hang over the open space so our fix must be forever. Of the options that Denita posted I like the 'Townhouse Renovation in San Diego' the best. It would be fairly inexpensive, easy to remove when your kids grow up, too. Good luck!
Mari O'Connor
12 years ago
Another option that might work for you, but isn't strong enough for our needs (remember, my son is 22-years old, full-size adult and strong) is the lattice work that lucidos posted. You can buy nice lattice work at Home Depot and Lowes, I think. The trick would be to connect it to your existing railing without doing too much damage. I suspect that the 'Townhouse Renovation' idea would be easier. Bascially thin strips of wood placed a few inches apart (not to allow a child's head to fit in), connected to a piece of wood that would be connected to your ceiling (and later repaired when removed) and at the bottom connected at the inside of your existing top of railing. Place a gate at the top of the steps. One other fairly inexpensive idea that we considered was to line the upstairs, railing side, hallway with open-baced, not very thick, bookcases. Look at IKEA for some ideas. Your hallway isn't very wide though, so a bookcase could take up a lot of valuable walking space. GOod luck!
coconuts1234
12 years ago
You don't know it yet, but your biggest issue is going to be kids wanting to throw things over the ledge. :)

The second floor of our last house had a railing in the loft of the second floor which was open to the first floor great room. Every single child who came over wanted to throw things over the railing. They would spend lots of time making, throwing and retrieving paper airplanes!

How old are your kids? We moved into that house when our youngest was 7 months and never had issues. We would occasionally tell them not to lean in the railing, but that was about all we had to do.

Good luck!
Andrew
7 years ago
This is the best answer I’ve been able to find: https://www.antigrabbity.com/
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what to place on top of bannister

Sandy G. ltd.

Comments (24)

abbyjean

tovae
Original Author

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studio10001

Jim Wiley

abbyjean

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ruthmand

ruthmand

Patrick Mills

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katbarnes231979

tovae
Original Author

Sandy G. ltd.

tennisanyone

ASVInteriors

Adrian J. Naquin Interior Design L.L.C.

lucidos

Denita

Mari O'Connor

Mari O'Connor

coconuts1234

Andrew

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what to place on top of bannister

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