Handi-Treads Review with Discount Code

I was recently contacted by Handi-Treads and asked if I would like to review their Puppy Treads product for my readers. I was enthusiastic about doing so, but the Puppy Treads are best designed for indoor use, and the stairs I needed traction on are outdoors. The company agreed to let me review their outdoor-use stair treads instead.

You need an electric drill as well as the stair treads and screws that are sent to you.

The steps in question here are on the house I grew up in. With years of experience living in this house, I know that not only have I ended up in Urgent Care after slipping on these steps on the way to school one morning, but that my sister and my mom have as well, not to mention any number of more minor injuries from slipping. We ended up attaching shingles to the steps with screws to stop the slip, but they weren't ideal. They trapped water, making the boards of the steps rot, they looked pretty terrible, and they kind of shed sand onto your shoes sometimes. But they stopped people from slipping on the stairs for the most part.

We laid out the treads along the walking path on the stairs to get an idea of about where we wanted them to be attached.

The first impression of these Handi-Treads is that they are pretty heavy duty. They have an industrial look that doesn't quite go with the overall front of the house, but then, they look better than old shingles on the steps.

We measured where the treads were that we liked, and then used those measurements to get all of the treads consistent on the stairs.

The round bumps on the treads have a hole in the middle of them, which is what provides the traction. They do have all smooth edges, so I have no worries that they will cut the dogs going up and down the stairs, or my own bare feet in the summer. Though being metal, I have a feeling they may get hot in full sun. In our case, the treads are just on one half of the staircase next to the handrail, so if they do get hot in the summer and we are barefoot, we can always just use the other side of the stairs, or step onto the wood in front of the treads.

Then we started screwing them on. Each tread is attached with eight screws, so it certainly isn't going anywhere.

As we were installing these, we were noticing the traction they provide. It was almost impossible to slide over to to the screws on the other half of the tread, you had to lift yourself up and set yourself down, because the already installed treads on the lower stairs provided so much traction. Also, we (meaning me) mismeasured two of the treads, meaning we had to take it off and put it back on again, an inch over from the first place it was attached. But it was pretty fast and easy to do. You absolutely need an electric drill for this job, though, as I can't see it being possible with just a handheld screwdriver. And though there were no instructions included in the package, it was pretty self explanatory, and other than the measuring issue, we didn't have any problems.There is an installation guide available online, though, if you want to check it out. Including taking pictures, these were all installed in about 30 minutes.

Lots of screws, like I said. Two on each side, two in the middle, and then one halfway between the end and the middle on each side. But even with this many screws, a single charge of the drill battery got us through all of them, even with our not-so-reliable battery.

Once we had the stair treads all installed, we started having a little fun trying to get pictures of the dogs going up and down the stairs. I know for a fact the dogs have slipped on these stairs in the past, as well as all of us humans. Especially because the dogs, of course, take the stairs at a run.

Going up!

We basically sent the dogs up and down the stairs over and over to get some good photos. It seemed like they actually were deliberately using the treads after a few passes, though I could have imagined that.

Going down!

I didn't see the dogs slip at all while doing this, though later in the day when we got home from a trip to the beach, Koira missed the treads and slipped while running up to get into the house. I think the design here works well for dog feet getting traction as well as human feet and shoes.

Pallo always had to put some flair into it by launching off from a few stairs up.

As we were installing these, it was obvious that they are going to work well. The real test, of course, will be when it rains, and next winter, when the steps get icy. But I really don't think it is going to be a problem. And while I was sent this product for free in exchange for my review, my review is honest, and completely my true opinion of the product. If these had come out of the box and they were horrible, I would be telling you that. But they seem to be great, and I absolutely would consider they for any slippery steps, pathways, or decks that were an issue.

My feet, going up.

And of course, if you have indoor stairs that are an issue for you or your pets, or that might become an issue as your pets age, the Puppy Treads are a great option. I haven't seen them in person, but if this product is an indication, I wouldn't hesitate to purchase this company's other products.

Going up!

We actually sort of had fun testing these out. And they installed fast enough and easily enough that we had time to get two more projects done before we headed out to the beach- post about the beach trip to follow soon, when I finish up with the 400+ photos I took while there.

Going up, followed by dog.

If you would like to get some stair treads of your own, either Handi-Treads for outdoor use or Puppy Treads for indoor non-slip stairs, here is a discount code for 10% off: BLOG2015

If you know of a place where slipping is an issue, you can enter "Stop the Slip" which is a contest where HandiRamp will fix a problematic public access area for free. Out of a pool of contestants they will pick a problem location 4 times a year and fix it for free. It seems like a pretty neat deal if you know of somewhere in your town, at a park you visit, etc, that could use the help.


Disclosure: I was sent these Handi-Treads for free in exchange for an honest review. I was not compensated in any other way, and the opinions expressed here are entirely my own.