The Different Types of Threshold Wheelchair Ramp Surface Tractions

When purchasing wheelchair ramps for your home, it’s important to make sure they provide proper traction so anyone using them will not have to worry about slipping. This goes both for people in wheelchairs and for people who might have to walk up and over them when crossing thresholds.

There are many different types of surfaces that are designed to provide users with additional traction. Here are just a few examples of some of those traction types.

Punch Plate

Punch plate surfaces are exactly what they sound like—a plate of metal (usually aluminum or steel) with holes punched into them. These holes help to provide a no-slip grip, even if used in otherwise slippery conditions.

Punch plate ramps are used in a variety of settings, including threshold ramps for indoor/outdoor usage. But you can also find them for use with trucks, loading docks and other areas where ramps are commonly used.

Grit Coat

Another popular option, particularly with aluminum and metal ramps, is a grit coat surface. You will find threshold ramps made out of sturdy aluminum with an epoxy-based grit coat surface, which lends itself to providing outstanding traction in all conditions. The grits are very fine, so you don’t have to worry about it having a sandpaper-like feeling when stepping on it, but they still provide enough extra friction to prevent slippage and to make sure it is safe to use at thresholds.

Discount Ramps has several types of grit coat threshold ramps in stock, including this one that features a bright yellow edge painting to ensure high visibility.

Extruded aluminum grooves

Extruded aluminum ramps can also come with a groove surface construction that provides some extra traction. When looking at the aluminum surface from afar it might appear to be a smooth, solid aluminum surface, but as you get closer you will notice horizontal grooves at regular intervals spanning the width of the ramp, up its entire length.

These grooves provide increased traction for safer use in a wide range of settings, including for exterior usage. You can find these grooves on ramps designed to be both semi-permanent and permanent.

Rubber grooves

Aluminum isn’t the only material that may come with a grooved structure for better traction. There are also rubber threshold ramps featuring a grooved construction to provide outstanding traction and safety, both for indoor and outdoor use. The molded grooves can also serve as drain channels to ensure water does not accumulate on the surface.

Traction coating for THFS VersaRamps

Discount Ramps carries a line of VersaRamp products in varying sizes that feature a heavy-duty polyurethane non-slip surface. This offers outstanding traction for safer use in a wide range of settings, and is designed to hold up to long periods of use.

The VersaRamp line is appreciated for its portability and its excellent weight capacity, as well as the lack of assembly required. The non-scratch, non-slip coating is also safe for use on all types of interior floors.

Choose a threshold ramp that features a non-slip surface to ensure safe use in any setting.