We have a half wall on the top floor of our stair case. It is very easy for our two little children to climb up and possibly fall at least 15 feet over the half wall. I am looking for decorative ideas to put up some kind of protection to keep them from climbing up and over and falling. I have considered installing wooden poles 1.5in diameter evenly spaced, but don't know the proper terminology and installation techniques. Any ideas?

There are temporary gates you can install which would screw to the wall. Might not be pretty but you can interweave the slatswith plants, like english ivy or pothos.

If I follow you, the half wall is on the landing, so a gate across the top of the stairs wouldn't help (should have one of those as well).

I would go to a Home Depot or Lowe's and explain the problem to someone in their lumber department. You should be able to find posts used to support a stairway banister to build on top of the half wall.

Here's an easy option:

Get a nice piece of 1x4 or 1x5 to mount on the top of the wall and directly above it on the ceiling. Into both of these pieces, drill holes for the dowels and mount them... then just set the whole thing in and screw it in place.

Does that make sense?

If I follow you, the half wall is on the landing, so a gate across the top of the stairs wouldn't help (should have one of those as well).

I would go to a Home Depot or Lowes and explain the problem to someone in their lumber department. You should be able to find posts used to support a stairway banister to build on top of the half wall.


Thank you for the reply; I am going with part your idea and part another's for mounting pickets onto a 1 x 4 on top of the wall.