Railing or no railing?

[Cephrael]

Honestly, having the railing is a personal choice. Do you have people that will need it to get in and out of the pool? If not, then you don’t need the railing on the stairs. My builder said it was just as easy to add later if I changed my mind, but I’m not sure how much to believe him.

Definitely do a bench or stairs in the deep end, especially if that is where the kids will be doing most of their swimming. Mine love hanging out on the stairs in our deep end. I skipped the ladder because I remembered it just being an obstruction in my grandfathers pool when I was a kid. 9/10 I would use his stairs or just climb out the side.

 

[Fuldo]

I added a railing at the exit stairs of my pool about a year ago. It is primarily for a few people who visit who are elderly and who weren't comfortable getting in and out without it. To me it's a nuisance in every other way, at least with my pool where the steps are shallow and the surfaces rough enough for good traction.

On the other hand, my daughter has vinyl pool with plastic steps in two locations. The steps and all pool surfaces are fairly smooth and can get slimy and slippery making entrance/exit a little dicey. She doesn't have any railings and if I owned her pool I'd put them in, I consider her steps somewhat hazardous.

 

[Chickinvic]

We don't have a railing (inground vinyl pool with steps in the corner of shallow end). I see no need for one in our case. We have a ladder in our deep end, so I guess is someone really wanted to hold onto a railing they could hoist themselves down on that.

 

[Chickinvic]

I added a railing at the exit stairs of my pool about a year ago. It is primarily for a few people who visit who are elderly and who weren't comfortable getting in and out without it. To me it's a nuisance in every other way, at least with my pool where the steps are shallow and the surfaces rough enough for good traction.

On the other hand, my daughter has vinyl pool with plastic steps in two locations. The steps and all pool surfaces are fairly smooth and can get slimy and slippery making entrance/exit a little dicey. She doesn't have any railings and if I owned her pool I'd put them in, I consider her steps somewhat hazardous.

Our vinyl liner pool with acrylic stairs aren't slippery at all. The stairs have sort of a textured surface - do hers not have that?

 

[Shirker]

But now I am also considering a bench in the deep end. They didn’t have any hard numbers for me but thought it would be an extra $2k

Not sure if a bench is the same thing or not, but this is what our pool builder called a deep-end swim-out. Ran about $1,600 for us.

 

[l1ltaral1l]

I talked to our builder today and am convinced that I should just have the handrails. I was also considering vinyl steps instead of a ladder but I’m thinking maybe we should stick with a ladder. But now I am also considering a bench in the deep end. They didn’t have any hard numbers for me but thought it would be an extra $2k. Is it worth it? I was thinking on the long side of our L pool. We are putting in a vinyl pool.

For reference, our 11' grey Roman walk out steps were $4,000 each

 

[Rocket J Squirrel]

After 2 years of not having rails, my wife and I installed a pair ourselves. It was not difficult. Our pool was built with an auto-cover in 1988, and perhaps return-to-deck rails hadn't been invented yet. Obviously an auto-cover precludes the use of ladders and rails which have one end underwater.

After 2 years, I can tell you that everyone, regardless of age or health, uses the handrail getting in or out of the pool.

You took the words right out of my mouth. This is exactly the case in my pool.

If anything, I think it makes entering the pool there seem a little more "inviting", if that makes any sense.

Yup. One of my rails is for my in-ground spa. It is not obvious to new visitors where to step to get into or out of the spa (there is only one usable step). The hand rail provides a visible cue where to get in and out of the spa.

 

[Chickinvic]

Not sure if a bench is the same thing or not, but this is what our pool builder called a deep-end swim-out. Ran about $1,600 for us.

We were quoted $4,700 just to replace our slightly worn (in a couple spots) acrylic stairs in our pool. We didn't do it (the old ones are just fine for now).

 

[Chickinvic]

I love the look of vinyl steps (especially @Cephrael 's), but we have dogs, foster dogs and have a petsitting business - so they were a no-go for us. We opted for two grey 11' Roman steps on each end (one in the shallow end, one in the deep end). They are HUGE! I have a feeling they will be the seating/hang out spot in the deep end. We did not do a climb out ladder - just the two walk in steps.

I have zero desire for the vinyl covered stairs. Just seems to me like a spot that will end up needing lots of patching.

 

[ivparker]

I have zero desire for the vinyl covered stairs. Just seems to me like a spot that will end up needing lots of patching.

So would a vinyl bench probably have the same issues?

 

[Fuldo]

Our vinyl liner pool with acrylic stairs aren't slippery at all. The stairs have sort of a textured surface - do hers not have that?

Her stairs are embossed in an effort to give some traction but all wet plastic seems fairly slippery to me, far more so than even smooth plaster.

 

[Chickinvic]

Her stairs are embossed in an effort to give some traction but all wet plastic seems fairly slippery to me, far more so than even smooth plaster.

Mine have ridges and aren't slippery.

 

[lazygirl1978]

After one season of use with a pool-loving 60 lb dog, our vinyl-covered stairs and deep end benches are fine. They're textured and seem sort of tougher than I expected (my builder assured me they'd be fine with the dog). But if I had a lot of dogs using the pool, I'd be REALLY nervous. I'm a little nervous as it is, but I have a vinyl repair patch kit on hand for when I need it.

 

[SBall]

Handrails and ladders are easily removable, so there is really no reason not to at least get the mounts installed. I bought a modern, cool looking handrail off Amazon and I love how it looks so much that I never ended up removing it.

 

[DJFaninTN]

 

[Jimrahbe]

Here is what one can look like if you don't have it installed when the pool is being built..

Although it works great, it does look like an ugly afterthought...

Pool Railing.jpg

• Jimrahbe
• May 15, 2017

Jim R.

 

[YippeeSkippy]

@Jimrahbe , does that handrail get hot? It doesn't look terrible like you make it out to be!
(My handrail gets scalding hot and I'm too cheap to buy a $75 cover for it.)

Maddie

 

[Jimrahbe]

Maddie,

If it does, I have never noticed it.. Maybe because whatever the railing is made of is covered with a coating of some kind. This coating is the reason the railing is not required to be bonded. It does get dirty, but kind of our fault.. We will put on suntan lotion and then get in the pool. The lotion gets on the railing and attracts the dirt.

It is how it is mounted that looks a little ugly, but as I've said before, I don't care how it looks as long as it works. I do wish I had thought of it while building the pool..

Jim R.

 

[Rocket J Squirrel]

@Jimrahbe , does that handrail get hot? It doesn't look terrible like you make it out to be!
(My handrail gets scalding hot and I'm too cheap to buy a $75 cover for it.)

I also have powder-coated Saftron rails and they don't get hot. I guess yours is bare metal? Maybe slice a pool noodle lengthwise and place it over the rail?

 

[Arizonarob]

@Jimrahbe , does that handrail get hot? It doesn't look terrible like you make it out to be!
(My handrail gets scalding hot and I'm too cheap to buy a $75 cover for it.)

Maddie

Just wear oven mitts while swimming.