Review on 🚪 North States Toddleroo 47.85" Wide Swing & Lock Gate: Secure Hardware Mount for Standard Stairways by Jared Winebrenner

Good: (+2 stars) The gate itself is solid The bars are tight enough together to ensure that no child is safe gets stuck in between Bad: (-3 stars) gate brackets are plastic gate latches (one above, one below) plastic . The included hardware is not excellent quality screws. Installation requires a reasonably competent and handy man/woman as it is easy to get wrong. A: I bought this gate for the top of my stairs because I don't like the idea of the pole from the gate frame going through the floor as that would be a tripping hazard. I'm a carpenter and I also build homes for Habitat for Humanity, so I'm probably a bit more accommodating than the average homeowner. However, these gates were easy to install but difficult to install correctly. Hinged Fixing: Each of the 4 corners of the gate has telescopic screws giving you more flexibility in terms of the position of the gate relative to the wall and also the tilt. Very convenient for installation on uneven surfaces. You have to play with the screws to align the gate, which unfortunately means taking the gate 1-2 turns off the hinges for each adjustment to try again. The best way would be to mount all the gates on a single piece of hardwood and then use the clip-on handrail that I mention in the "Stair Assembly Recommendations" below. for fastening the upper and lower gate locks. You can position them by pushing the latches on the gate so that they barely touch the wall in the middle of the turn. Once you know exactly where the studs meet, it's just a matter of attaching the latches. Unfortunately, there are no markings on the latches showing where the gate should touch them when properly aligned, so you'll have to guess what the correct height looks like. This is a major source of potential problems for most installers. If the latch is offset 1/16" vertically, your gate will not latch or will latch poorly. The only way to fix this is to move the latch. If you've ever drilled a hole and then had to move it 1/16 of an inch, then you know why this is a horrible situation. You'll need to fill the hole with wood pulp and let it dry completely before attempting to reattach the latch. Latch Lever Adjustment: To compound these difficulties, the gate's telescopic latch arm must be the correct length to seat properly in the latch. If it's 2 turns too long or too short, it won't seat properly again, but visually it looks like it's torn. A tug on the gate and they open. This feature can make you think the latch is in the wrong place when in fact it's just the length of the lever. Recommendations: For drywall mounting: If you need to install this on a drywall, don't do this. If necessary, use a mounting plate. It can be any durable material, e.g. B. Plywood. The idea is that you screw the plate onto the studs on either side of the intended position of the gate and then mount the gate onto the plate. If you're concerned about the aesthetics (they are at my house) then try a hardwood plank, one on top, one on the bottom. You can stain or paint it to match. For the stair attachment: The contour and flair of my top railings were not "friendly" attachment points. I was able to trace the outline on the maple block and cut out the shape to fit perfectly, giving me a flat mounting surface. This required some woodworking skills. A very inexpensive method of attachment to stair railings is the clamp method. What you do is take two pieces of wood with a cut down the middle and holes in each end. You then place them around the railing and use long screws to screw them together. They act like a bracket. You can then attach your gate to the wooden block. This will also protect your railing from screw holes. There are many options on this site that follow this method http://www.babysafehomes.com/custom-gate-installation-kits/#prettyPhoto Plastic latches: I haven't figured out how to replace the latches yet. I have to because I know they won't last long, but I'll have to update this review if I find an elegant solution.