The floor is where trips begin

A shuffling step doesn't clear the small heights a younger step does. A raised threshold, the edge of a runner, a change from carpet to tile or a curled corner can stop a foot that's barely lifting. Wet or polished floors add slips on top of the trips, and walkers and wheels catch on the very same edges.

We walk every daily route looking down. Thresholds and transitions between rooms. Rugs and runners. Worn carpet and loose edges. Slick floors by the sinks, the tub and the doors. Steps whose edges disappear into the step below. Each one goes in the report with its fix and its place in line.

Transitions get leveled so the floors meet flush. Rugs that can't be held down come up, and carpet comes out where it's the hazard. Non-slip flooring goes in where water and wet feet meet, and contrast edging shows where each step ends. Often the cheapest fix is taking something away, and we'll tell you when it is.

A foot that catches on the same threshold more than once. A runner that gets kicked crooked and straightened every day. A walker that has to be lifted over the strip between rooms. A slip by the sink or the tub that didn't end in a fall this time. Each one shows you where the floor is working against the person walking on it.

A lot of floor hazards go away when someone removes a rug, secures an edge or levels one transition. New flooring is sometimes the right answer, especially in a bathroom or where wheels have to roll, but it's rarely the first one. The assessment ranks the floor fixes against everything else in the house, so the cheap, quick ones don't sit waiting while a bigger project gets planned and priced.