Wheelchair Ramps · Service

Aluminium does not rot — the decking you choose is the real decision

Everyone selling aluminium leads with "no maintenance", and the corrosion story is genuinely good. What almost nobody discusses is the surface you will actually roll on: open mesh sheds rain and snow but rattles and can catch a small caster, solid decking is quieter and smoother but has to shed water some other way, and dark metal in full afternoon sun gets hot to the touch.

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In short

What is aluminum ramp installation?

An aluminium wheelchair ramp is built from extruded aluminium sections that arrive prefinished and are assembled on site. The material argument for it is straightforward and mostly true: aluminium does not rot, does not need staining or sealing, and forms its own oxide layer rather than rusting through. The trade-offs are on the surface and in the details — decking type governs traction, noise and how much heat the ramp holds, and aluminium is light enough that the ramp depends on being properly anchored rather than on its own mass.

Triggers

Signs you need aluminum ramp installation

A previous timber ramp on the property has already rotted, splintered or gone soft at ground contact
The house is coastal, or in a climate with long wet seasons where nothing wooden stays sound for long
Nobody in the household is in a position to take on annual staining, sealing or board replacement
The ramp is needed quickly and there is no appetite for waiting on weather, cure times or lumber delivery
A landlord or an HOA will permit an accessible route only if it can be removed cleanly later
Snow and ice clearance on the current steps or ramp has become the household's recurring winter worry
The plan is to take the ramp with you, or recover value from it, when it is no longer needed

Seeing something not on this list? Browse wheelchair ramps problems by symptom →

The job

How aluminum ramp installation actually works

Measure, then choose the decking before anything else

Once the rise and the run are settled, the surface is the next real choice and it is easier to make deliberately than to change later. Open-mesh or punched decking lets rain, snowmelt and grit fall straight through. Solid or slip-resistant plank decking is smoother and quieter but relies on slope and edges to clear water.

Watch for: A dealer who treats decking as a colour option. Ask specifically what happens on this decking with a small front caster, and what happens with a cane tip or a walker foot.
Sit the layout on ground that will not move

Aluminium ramps are usually carried on adjustable posts on pads, piers or footings. Because the structure is light, its stability comes from anchorage and from a base that does not heave or wash out, not from the weight of the ramp itself.

Watch for: Legs set on paving slabs bedded in soil. It looks fine on handover day and produces a wobble and a step at the landing after the first freeze-and-thaw cycle.
Assemble the sections, rails and edge protection

Sections bolt together, handrails and edge guards fit to the frame, and the whole thing goes up quickly because the parts are manufactured rather than cut on site. Alignment at each joint is what determines whether the finished surface is continuous or has small lips at every seam.

Watch for: Small height differences at panel joints. They are barely visible and they are exactly what a front caster catches.
Deal with the electrical bonding and galvanic detail

Aluminium in contact with certain other metals or with some treated timbers can corrode at the contact point rather than across the surface. Isolation washers, correct fastener alloys and separation from treated lumber are the standard remedies and a competent installer does them without being asked.

Watch for: Bare aluminium bolted straight onto pressure-treated timber, or mixed fasteners used because that is what was on the van. This is where an otherwise corrosion-proof ramp corrodes.
Set the ramp so it does not trap water at the house

The top landing sits at the threshold, which means it sits at the most water-sensitive part of the building. Flashing, standoff from the siding and a clear path for water off the landing all matter more than they look like they do.

Watch for: A landing pinned tight against wood siding with no gap and no flashing. The aluminium will be fine. The wall behind it will not.
Test it wet, and test it in the sun

Go up and down in the actual chair while the surface is wet. Separately, put a hand on the decking on a hot afternoon. Dark finishes in direct sun get warm, which matters for anyone who transfers by hand or steadies themselves on the rail.

Watch for: Signing off on a dry, cool morning. The two conditions you most need to know about are wet and hot, and neither shows up at handover.
Get the removal and resale position in writing

One of aluminium's genuine advantages is that it comes back apart. Establish now whether the supplier will remove it, whether they will buy it back, and what condition they require.

Watch for: A verbal "we usually take them back". Usually is not a commitment, and you are asking at the only moment when you have leverage.

Money

What does aluminum ramp installation cost?

Aluminium sits above site-built timber and below poured concrete on upfront outlay, and the case for it is lifetime rather than day-one: no staining, no sealing, no board replacement, and a structure that has residual value when it is removed. Length, decking type and handrail specification set the range. The Cost Guide has current figures.

See the full aluminum ramp installation cost guide — by material, size and region →

Straight answer

When aluminum ramp installation is the wrong call

Everyone else ranking for this is paid when you say yes. Here's when you shouldn't.

The ramp will live in permanent full sun and the household transfers by hand. Metal surfaces in direct afternoon sun get hot. If someone pushes their own rims or steadies on the rail with bare hands, discuss finish and shading before you order, or look seriously at a decked alternative.
Noise matters more than you think it does. Open-mesh decking under hard casters is genuinely loud, and it carries through a wall. In a small home, a shared duplex, or where someone is sleeping near the entrance, this is a daily irritation people do not anticipate.
The look is going to bother the household. An aluminium ramp reads as equipment. On a period house or in a household that is already struggling with what the ramp represents, a timber structure that reads as a deck can matter more than any technical argument. That is a legitimate reason to choose differently.
The rise is small enough that no ramp system is warranted. A single low sill is a threshold ramp, not an engineered aluminium structure, and the price difference is not marginal.
Somebody has offered you a free timber ramp build. Volunteer and nonprofit ramp programmes build in lumber. If your household qualifies, a free timber ramp now beats a better material you cannot afford this year — and a timber ramp can be replaced later.
Very small front casters are the everyday equipment. Some open-mesh patterns are unkind to small hard casters. Take the actual chair to a dealer and roll it on the actual decking before ordering.

Your options

Types of aluminum ramp installation

Modular ramp installation

Rent-versus-buy on bolt-together systems

Wooden ramp construction

The site-built timber alternative

Compare ramp materials

Side-by-side material comparisons

Ramp products and systems

What is available off the shelf

Compare wheelchair ramps options side by side →

Before you sign

What to check when hiring for aluminum ramp installation

Can I roll our actual chair on a sample of the decking you are proposing?

Caster size, rim grip and cane tips interact with mesh patterns in ways no brochure photograph shows. Five minutes on a sample answers it.
What is the decking like when it is wet, and what do you recommend in ice?

Traction is the property you will care about every winter morning, and the answer differs between mesh and solid decking.
How hot does this finish get in direct sun, and do you offer a lighter option?

It is a real consideration for anyone who self-propels by hand, and it is almost never volunteered by the seller.
How are you isolating the aluminium from treated timber and from other metals?

Contact corrosion is the one way an aluminium ramp genuinely degrades. The answer should be immediate and specific.
What supports the ramp, and what stops it moving in wind or frost?

A light structure is only as stable as its anchorage, and this is the part that gets valued down on a competitive bid.
What does the warranty cover, and does it cover the finish as well as the structure?

Structural aluminium and its coating are two different durability stories. Ask about both explicitly.
Will you remove it later, and will you buy it back?

Recoverable value is one of the strongest arguments for aluminium. It is only an argument if the supplier commits to it in writing.

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Local pros

Aluminum Ramp Installation near you

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Related work

Often done at the same time

Modular Ramp Installation

Rent or buy a bolt-together system

Wooden Ramp Construction

The site-built timber comparison

Wheelchair Ramp Installation

Start from the rise measurement

Ramp Repair

Keeping an existing ramp sound

All wheelchair ramps services →

FAQ

Aluminum Ramp Installation — questions people ask

Still have a question? Talk to our team →

Is an aluminium ramp slippery in the rain or ice?

It depends on the decking, which is why the decking is the decision. Open-mesh and punched decking is designed so water, snowmelt and grit fall through rather than sitting on the surface, and the punched texture gives grip. Solid decking generally has a slip-resistant surface applied or extruded into it and relies on drainage off the edges. Neither is immune to ice — nothing is — so ask specifically what the supplier recommends for winter, and factor in that a mesh surface is far easier to clear than a solid one.

Does an aluminium ramp get too hot to touch?

A metal surface in direct sun holds heat, and darker finishes hold more of it. Whether that matters depends on the household: someone who transfers by hand, pushes their own rims or grips the handrail firmly will notice, while someone in a powered chair with a carer may never think about it. It is worth raising directly with the supplier, asking about lighter finishes, and thinking about whether the ramp can be sited or shaded to avoid the worst of the afternoon.

Do aluminium ramps corrode?

Aluminium forms an oxide layer that protects the metal underneath, which is why it does not rust through the way steel does and why coastal properties favour it. The realistic corrosion risk is localised rather than general: where aluminium sits in contact with certain other metals or with some treated timbers, the contact point can corrode. Competent installers isolate those contacts with the correct fasteners and washers as a matter of routine, and it is a fair question to ask before you sign.

Is an aluminium ramp noisy?

Open-mesh decking under hard wheels is noticeably louder than a solid surface, and the sound carries — several times a day, right outside the door. Most people adapt to it, but in a small house, a shared wall situation, or where someone is sleeping near the entrance, it becomes a genuine complaint. If quiet matters, say so at the quoting stage; solid decking is the answer and it is a straightforward substitution.

Can an aluminium ramp be moved or taken with us?

Yes, and this is one of its real advantages over anything site-built. The sections bolt together, so a system can be dismantled, transported and reassembled — sometimes reconfigured for a different rise. Whether your specific supplier will do the removal, whether they will buy the components back, and what condition they require are commercial questions rather than technical ones, so settle them in writing at purchase rather than assuming.

How much maintenance does an aluminium ramp really need?

Far less than timber, but not none. What it needs is washing so grit and organic debris do not build up on the surface, clearing leaves out of mesh decking where they can mat and become slick, checking that the bolted connections are still tight, and confirming the supports have not shifted with frost. That is an occasional half hour rather than a weekend of sanding and staining, which is the honest version of the "maintenance-free" claim.