Making a step more obvious

[k3am]

We have a sunken living room. It’s stupid, but it’s there and the cost to raise it is prohibitive, especially as it would involve rerouting AC vents. So stupid, but it’s also a bit of a hazard.

Photo here: ibb.co/QfqFDbh

In the long run, all of this flooring will be replaced, but it won’t happen anytime soon.

We had some friends over last weekend and one of them managed to trip over it multiple times. Wine was involved, so there’s that, but definitely no where near college inappropriate “fall down drunk” amounts of wine. It really is just hard to see unless you know it’s there.

Any suggestions for making the step more apparent? Preferably that don’t involve neon colored reflective tape. Looking for short term (for now) and longer term options for when we finally get around to replacing.

[maudefindlay]

Oof, that is hard to see. Could you put a runner up against the lower level? Or maybe stencil a design on the edge of the step. Either of those may help or putting some object there to draw attention, but wouldn't add to the tripping hazard.

[whattheheck]

I also have a sunken living room that many people have tripped over. My solution was anytime anyone new came over I moved some of the dining room chairs to the living room and backed them up against the ledge as a visual reminder. Not particularly classy but effective.

[rubytue]

You need something visual on the edge. Best would be high contrast, but even running something perpendicular to the rest of the wood would be good (this would be much easier if the wood ran the other direction. Less useful given your direction). But some sort of contrasting bull nose edge.

[af1212]

Where is the level change? I cannot see it!

[af1212]

If the level change is in this photo then for sure it is hard to see. I think I would paint it or stain it. Painting would obviously be easiest but would require more upkeep.

[mrsukyankee]

That's super hard to see. Definitely need something to define the step down. Something either up against the step or a pattern on the step down or up.

[aprilsails]

I would stain the last slat of the level change to a darker colour for contrast. You could always sand or replace the last slat later when you level the floor.

[bubbler]

Rearranging your furniture to separate the living room from the dining room would help make the step more obvious. Rather than having an open flow, create a narrower walkway at the step. Having the back of a couch or potted plant up against the step will highlight the height difference.

[mrspez07]

In the long term, with new flooring, run them in opposite directions.
I think painting or staining that edge is a good idea, as is placing furniture, rotate the couch by the window 180-degrees.
I had angled step down on both sides of a living/den space in a condo, it wasn’t possible to add furniture there, as it was the direct walkway through the place, darn 80’s!

[rubytue]

Here is another idea. Forgive this picture, this was literally moving day. But we have a sunken sunroom that had way too much open drop for my comfort. We put two free standing bookcases to add definition and make a “doorway” into the room. No one has fallen yet (including me!)

edit: ugh. Sideways?! Why?! But hopefully if you zoom on it, you can see the area we are talking about. There is zero lighting* on the right side of the room, and it’s raining now. So I can’t take a better picture. 

* well, obviously there is some light. But that corner in front of the couch is super dark when there isn’t bright light coming in from the sun room. Heck, it’s dark on a bright day, but super bad when it’s raining. 

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[clairebear]

We also have a sunken room and so many people have tripped. We started putting down a strip of duck tape as a visual reminder when we have people over. Now everyone remembers and if we have new people I just warn them to watch their step. It's a tiled floor and there really isn't anything I can do to make it more obvious, at least without permanent damage to my flooring which I'm not willing to do.

[definitelyO]

we have the exact same situation - the floors are the same throughout and it's right at the front door entry - so if you take 2 steps back when you walk in the door - you're down into the LR. We warn people all the time when they come over. I've also put a light colored runner up against the step in the sunken LR - it provides the contrast in color and texture. that has seemed to work the best for us. I'll see if I can find a photo to share.

Although after 15 years of living here and having MIL here multiple times a month - she tripped and fell a few years ago and broke her pelvis

[lessel]

I would stain the last plank of wood darker--like to match the darkest color in the current stain.

[definitelyO]

k3am,
here is our Living Room - it is one step down from the entry and the floors are all the same color wood.  We put a runner in to help with the visual.

[nicolewi]

Oh, man, that is SUCH a hazard. I couldn't even see it the first couple of times I looked at your photo. I agree with painting or staining the edge-of-the-step area. Maybe you could do something cool that kind of goes with the room? Like a narrow multi-colored pattern? I'm guessing painting would be a lot easier than staining. I think you definitely need to do SOMETHING.

Also, I have that same rug in my finished basement and I love all the colors.

[cosmowife]

We have a similar step and used a white threshold piece of wood that runs the entire length of the opening.

[lolalolalola]

I’d put a rug on the sunken area, right up to the step so that it’s more obvious.

[macmars45]

The house I lived in until I was 14 had a sunken living room next to the dining room. My parents carpeted the living room. The dining room was tile flooring.

[deadwing]

I don't think a rug or runner would be very helpful. To me, it just looks like the floor goes up to the rug without a level change. As tacky as it would look, the most obvious signal for the level change would be to add a little handrail to the area where most people enter/exit the sunken space.

[kitty]

I think you need to go lighter (with paint) or darker (with stain) at the edge. I think changing up the furniture to guide people to a smaller step down area could be useful too.

I wonder if a large potted plant with a contrasting color pot placed on the lower level at one edge would make the height change more obvious?

Are people only tripping on the way down or is it hard to see on the way up too? For the way up, you could put LED strip lights underneath the lip of the step on the living room side.

[k3am]

kitty, I actually think I like the idea of a plant the best so far.. I wish we were handy enough to deal with staining/painting on our own.

It honestly hasn't been an issue since we've lived here. My mom has tripped on it, but she is a fall risk and trips on EVERYTHING. And walks around in houses she's only been in one time on her phone and is shocked when she trips over something she "didn't expect" to be there.

This friend (who did it multiple times) was the first person who's tripped off it. Went from dining room to living room each time. It's really obvious if you're "down" in the living room. And the time of day/year and lighting comes into play. The photo I posted was from the same time of day, but generally, it seems more obvious (although it is.. not good).

[glw]

Our friends' house has a similar step down into the living room and I trip over it all.the.time even though I am there often. They finally added a piece of painters tape across the edge and that solved it for me.

[wildrice]

Sept 7, 2022 11:38:27 GMT -5 k3am said:

kitty , I actually think I like the idea of a plant the best so far.. I wish we were handy enough to deal with staining/painting on our own.

It honestly hasn't been an issue since we've lived here. My mom has tripped on it, but she is a fall risk and trips on EVERYTHING. And walks around in houses she's only been in one time on her phone and is shocked when she trips over something she "didn't expect" to be there.

This friend (who did it multiple times) was the first person who's tripped off it. Went from dining room to living room each time. It's really obvious if you're "down" in the living room. And the time of day/year and lighting comes into play. The photo I posted was from the same time of day, but generally, it seems more obvious (although it is.. not good).

I think the plant is a good solution in this case. If you have it right against the step, someone who is looking where they are going will be able to see that half the pot is hidden and that will be a good cue that there is a step down.

I can't even see the step in the pic so I'm surprised people aren't tripping more often! I feel like I definitely would.

[k3am]

wildrice, the only people who are regularly going from the dining room to our living room are our family, our neighbors (who have the exact same floor plan), and another set of neighbors that spend enough time to expect it.

And to be fair, to be fair, it's just not a common traffic pattern for some reason. When we have other guests, we usually end up in the kitchen and family room. It takes effort to get people to go into the living room if they're not over all the time, and if they do, most of the time the enter it from another direction. Which is weird, because I think our living room is the best room in the house.