"Rich" wrote in message
news:egH3h.1063$244.638@trnddc01...
My wife is handicapped and needs to have the wooden hand rails on the
stairs "roughed up" so she can grip better.(They are stained wood) I have
tried the textured paint but she says it actually makes it worse...as does
sanding with rough sandpaper. Anyone got any ideas how to make wood rails
less slippery? Is there a product that can be painted or sprayed on?

Rich Haynes

Here's an idea that'll involve more work than textured paints, but would
probably make for a more pleasant surface to grab. First, look at the
picture of wooden buttons at the link below, provided only for illustration.
You can buy these buttons at hardware stores, and probably Home Despot, too.
They're normally used for covering screws that've been countersunk in wood.

http://www.widgetco.com/hardware/woo...FQtwVAod2iBUhg

Remove your handrail, drill shallow holes into the top of it, tap buttons
into place with a bit of wood glue, and refinish-repaint the handrail,
including the buttons. Test your drill bit size with a couple of buttons in
a piece of scrap wood first. They should be slightly snug, but not so tight
that you need to hammer so hard that you damage them. Use a rubber mallet,
or a finishing hammer and a thick piece of fabric held over the button.

If you know someone with a drill press, you could mark the series of holes
along the top of the handrail, and have all the holes drilled very quickly.
I'd space them every six inches, or maybe closer.