Threshold for new concrete on existing concrete

[Bill Gebhardt]

I need to build a ramp to over come a 5" step into the shop. This will enable me to ride my mobility scooter in to the shop. The issue is how to deal with the concrete when it tapers off to 0 at the low end of the ramp where it meets an existing concrete path. Are there metal thresholds on the market? Not excited on cutting space on existing.
Bill

[Rob Luter]

Good morning Bill -

I work in the building products industry and have to deal with ADA and accessibility issues periodically. Do a Google search for "ADA Threshold Ramp" and you'll be amazed at the breadth of products available. Most are aluminum or molded rubber. There are all types available that allow for the smooth transition from one elevation to another.

- Rob

[Maurice Mcmurry]

Concrete patching mortar with acrylic bonding adhesive painted on the old concrete and mixed into the patching mortar can be feathered down to zero. It works fairly well. Epoxy grout it also available. It is vary permanent. For wood ramps I use 1/8 inch thick X 6 inch wide steel flat bar to transition from a rabbit in the 3/4 inch wood down to the concrete.

[Jim Becker]

Honestly, without physically removing a section of walkway to tie in a newly poured concrete ramp, I'd use another material for this application, such as what Rob mentions. Any kind of "feathering to nothing" is going to present a challenge, even with materials like Maurice mentions. A ramp added on top of existing will look better and be less likely to break apart at the low end where the ramp meets the existing walkway. For a permanent solution, I'd definitely cut out a section of walkway and pour in a ramp to match using normal techniques to tie the new into the old including an expansion joint with rebar pins between the sections.

[Bob Riefer]

My mother recently progressed to needing a ramp on concrete steps at their house and went with the aluminum approach and has been very happy with it. Very solid, doesn't rust, looks nice etc.

[Maurice Mcmurry]

+1 for aluminum, steel, or wood. Unless you have a good concrete guy or like to do concrete yourself.

[Charles Lent]

I have a handicapped adult son who weighs 300 lbs and his heavy duty electric wheelchair to contend with here. We have the aluminum ramps of different sizes for all of our transition problems. They have been working fine for him for about 5 years now. The largest transition height is 8" high, and he manages fine with a ramp that is about 30" long. Because of his and chair combined weights, this ramp has bent up sides 2" high to add strength to it. The ones for house to porch, etc are just flat aluminum with slight transition bends so the ends lay flat on the two floor levels. I anchored the big high transition ramp in place by drilling into the edge of the high floor and dropping toilet flange bolts through the ramp holes and into these holes. They aren't threaded in, just used as pins with large flat heads. This makes it easy to remove and replace the ramp when needed and it has stayed in place well. Before the aluminum ramps I had build wooden ramps, but they didn't work all that well. The aluminum ramps have proven to be a far better choice.

Charley

[Alan Lightstone]

I happened to look into this a few years ago when I bought a ramp to gain access to my raised access floor in my workshop to move in large machines (which we wound up doing by forklift, but that's another story).

I believe the ADA requirements are for no more than a 1:12 slope (about 5 degrees of incline) which is very shallow and therefore long. Now Charles' son successfully navigates on a much steeper slope, so this is obviously a very conservative slope. If you don't need to get any zoning approval, you could, of course, choose whatever works for the area. A 5' long slope, which would be called for for your 5" step, is quite long for many areas. Mine by code would have required 18', which would have been a total non-starter.

And I agree that aluminum or steel would be best for your situation.

[Dwayne Watt]

I suspect ADA slope requirements are based on manual wheelchairs and limited mobility walkers, not powered mobility devices.

[Bill Gebhardt]

Thanks all, went with a 35" x 5' aluminum ramp from Allegro Medical Sales.
Bill

[Rob Luter]

Glad to hear it worked out for you.

[Jim Becker]

Thanks all, went with a 35" x 5' aluminum ramp from Allegro Medical Sales.
Bill

That was likely a very good choice for this application...designed for the task for sure.

[Alan Lightstone]

Sounds like a great choice. Does it work out well for you with your mobility scooter?