Do you need a stairlift for difficult stairs? We specialise in providing stairlifts which can accommodate difficult and awkward staircases. Is your staircase particularly narrow? Or do you have a doorway or corridor which limits space around your stairs? Even if a stairlift company has been unable to fit a stairlift, we might still be able to help you. Give us a call or visit our contact page for more information: telephone 0800 046 3438.

Stairlift For Difficult Stairs

We specialise in stairlifts for narrow stairs. That’s because a few years ago we were turning away work because our stairlifts wouldn’t fit on certain staircases. We knew we were letting people down who desperately needed a stairlift in their home for their independence.

So we looked into stairlifts for difficult stairs and came up with a solution. We found a particular brand was superb at making stairlifts which were nimble and versatile. Most importantly, their stairlifts would fit on narrow and awkward staircases.

The model we often use for such scenarios is the Flow X stairlift from Access BDD (formerly Thyssen). Here’s a picture of the Flow X:

The Flow X has a number of features and benefits which make it the best stairlift on the market for difficult and tricky installations. For starters the stairlift is very thin. It sits back against the wall and folds down to just 38cm in width when not in use. It can navigate staircases as narrow as 61cm in width, too!

But this isn’t the best thing about the stairlift. It has a patented technology called ASL (Advanced Swivel and Levelling). This means it can pivot and ascend/descend simultaneously, which is something most other stairlifts cannot do.

This feature allows it to navigate past awkward newel posts and bannister rails where other’s cannot fit. It can even manage spiral staircases:

Stairlift For Difficult Stairs – Doorways

Often a stairlift installer might decline a fitting because of an awkward doorway. With certain makes and models of stairlift, you need more space for the stairlift to pivot, and the rail to allow room for the run-off, after completing the staircase.

But this isn’t needed with the Flow X. The rail can be custom built to accommodate for tricky doorways and corridors. Here’s an example of one of our recent fittings. As you can see, the door is still able to open, without the rail obscuring it. With some other models of stairlift, this wouldn’t be possible.

The same can be said at the top of the stairs too, if there’s a difficult doorway. With certain makes and models of stairlift, you need more space at the top/bottom to park the lift. But with certain models, such as with the Flow X, you can park the stairlift anywhere on the rail and call with with a remote control. This means there’s no need for the rail to protrude into the corridor, or potentially block doorways.

Stairlift For Difficult Stairs – Downward Facing

One of the best features of the Flow X is its ability to face the user downstairs. This in itself is the genius of this model and one of the stairlifts most important tricks! With many stairlift models, the chair faces outwards at a 90 degree angle to the wall.

This means the ability to install a stairlift is dictated by the dimensions of the staircase width and the user’s back to (knee or toe) measurement (whichever is the greater). See below.

The Flow X’s genius is that it circumnavigates this problem by facing the user downstairs (or upstairs). This removes the limitation of leg room which many stairlift models will have.

Stairlifts For Difficult Stairs – The Flow X

We have fitted the Flow X stairlift on many staircases over the last few years. Without the Flow X’s agility, a stairlift installation would likely have been un-doable in many of them. Still, not all staircases are able to house a stairlift, but most of them are. Even the Flow X has its limitations! But if you’re struggling with a narrow or difficult staircase, we believe the Flow X is likely your best shot!

Give us a call on 0800 046 3438 and book a free assessment. Or visit our contact page and leave your details.

We can offer you a stairlift at an affordable price too, with our range of reconditioned stairlifts. Reconditioned stairlifts are specially chosen for their quality and thoroughly refurbished in our workshop. We give all our refurbished stairlifts a 2 year guarantee, that’s how much we believe in their quality. This means you’re covered for call-outs parts and labour for a full 2 years from purchase. 

If you’re specifically after a Flow X stairlift, for an awkward staircase, let us know. We often carry stock for reconditioned stairlifts in the Flow range. So even if we don’t have a reconditioned Flow X stairlift, we may have an earlier model in this range, such as the Flow 2 stairlift which has similar features and benefits to the Flow X.

A reconditioned stairlift can shave thousands off your purchase price. Give us a call on 0800 046 3438 to learn more.