Wheelchair Ramps · Service

Sometimes the whole problem is one door sill

A raised door sill, a sliding-door track or a single low step can stop a wheelchair as effectively as a flight of stairs — and a threshold ramp solves it for a tiny fraction of what a built ramp costs. Before anyone quotes you for a run of ramp, measure the actual obstacle. It is very often smaller than the conversation around it.

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In short

What is threshold ramp installation?

A threshold ramp is a short wedge that bridges a small rise — a raised door sill, a sliding-door track, a single low step at a garage or patio door. It sits on the floor or the ground rather than being built, and it is the correct answer far more often than the ramp industry lets on. If the obstacle at your door is a couple of inches rather than a couple of feet, this is the whole project, and it costs a small fraction of a constructed ramp.

Triggers

Signs you need threshold ramp installation

A wheelchair, rollator or scooter catches on the sill every single time it goes through the door
The patio or sliding door has a raised track that stops the front casters dead
There is exactly one low step between the garage floor and the house
Interior doorways between rooms have small level changes that catch small front wheels
A carer has to tip the chair back at every doorway, which is jarring for the person in it
A shower or wet room has a small kerb the chair cannot cross
The main entrance is already level and only the back or garage door is holding the household up

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

The job

How threshold ramp installation actually works

Measure the rise at the sill, precisely

Measure from the floor or the ground up to the highest point of the sill or track, and measure at both ends of the doorway — sills are often not level. Note whether the floor levels either side are the same too.

Watch for: Measuring at the middle only. A sill that is a quarter of an inch higher at one end will rock a rigid ramp and produce a lip on one side.
Measure the clear width, and where the door actually swings

The usable width when the door is fully open matters more than the frame size, and a threshold ramp must not stop the door closing. For an inward-opening door the ramp usually goes on the outside; for outward-opening, the reverse — and sliding doors are easier because nothing sweeps.

Watch for: A ramp that fouls the door leaf or the weatherstrip. It gets discovered the first time somebody tries to lock up for the night.
Choose interior or exterior — they are genuinely different products

Interior ramps are usually solid rubber or aluminium, sit on a hard floor, and matter mostly for grip and staying put. Exterior ramps live in rain, snow and UV, need drainage and a slip-resistant surface, and must not trap water against the door.

Watch for: An interior rubber wedge used outdoors. It holds water underneath, freezes, and slides — which is exactly the failure you cannot afford at a doorway.
Keep the weather seal doing its job

The sill and its weatherstrip exist to keep water and draughts out. A well-chosen threshold ramp bridges the sill without pinning down the seal, without holding water against the door bottom, and without blocking any drainage channel in the track.

Watch for: A ramp bedded in sealant across the drainage slots of a sliding-door track. Water then has nowhere to go except into the floor structure.
Fix it so it cannot move — or confirm it does not need fixing

Heavier rubber ramps often stay put by weight and friction. Lighter aluminium ones usually need fixing down. Either way, push it hard with a foot and with the chair before you accept it: a threshold ramp that shifts under load is worse than the sill it replaced.

Watch for: A ramp that creeps a few millimetres each time it is used. Over a week it opens a gap at the sill and becomes a trip hazard for everyone else in the house.
Test it in both directions with the real equipment

Go in and out in the actual chair, and push it with a walker or a rollator too if that is how it will be used. Coming down over a sill is where a small wedge with too abrupt a lip makes itself known.

Watch for: A ramp that works going in and jolts coming out. The two directions are not the same, particularly for a person self-propelling.

Money

What does threshold ramp installation cost?

Threshold ramps are the cheapest thing in this whole category by a wide margin — a small stock item rather than a construction project, and often the entire solution where the obstacle is a sill or a single low step. Size, material and whether the sill needs a custom fit set the range. The Cost Guide has current figures.

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

Straight answer

When threshold ramp installation is the wrong call

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

The rise is more than a small step. A wedge steep enough to bridge a big height change is a wedge nobody can control on the way down. Past a low step this becomes a run of ramp, not a threshold product.
The doorway itself is too narrow. A threshold ramp solves the height and does nothing about width. If the chair will not pass through the opening, the money belongs at the door — offset hinges, a wider leaf, or a reframed opening.
The floor beyond is not level either. Where there are two or three small changes in quick succession, individual wedges create a series of jolts. Relevelling the floor or the walkway is the better job.
It would block the only exit route in a fire. Anything at a doorway that could shift, jam a door or catch a foot in the dark has to be assessed as an escape-route item for everyone in the house, not just the person using the chair.
The sill is rotten or the door frame is failing. Bridging a decaying sill hides a repair that is only getting worse and more expensive. Fix the door first, then ramp it.
The door cannot close over it. If the only ramp that fits stops the door latching or defeats the weather seal, this is a door-alteration project. Do not accept a house you cannot lock.

Your options

Types of threshold ramp installation

Portable ramp setup

For a step rather than a sill

Ramp products and systems

What is available off the shelf

Universal design approaches

Level entries and threshold-free doors

Compare wheelchair ramps options side by side →

Straight answer

Can I do this myself?

Reasonable to DIY

Measuring the sill height at both ends of the doorway and the clear width with the door fully open
Choosing and buying an off-the-shelf rubber or aluminium threshold ramp for an interior doorway
Positioning it, checking the door still closes and latches, and confirming the weather seal is not pinned down
Fixing a light aluminium wedge down with the manufacturer's recommended fasteners on a solid floor
Testing it in and out with the actual chair, walker or rollator before accepting it
Checking every few weeks that it has not crept away from the sill and opened a gap

Call a licensed pro

Anything where the rise has turned out to be a step or more — that is a built ramp, not a wedge
Widening the doorway, reframing the opening or changing the door leaf to gain clear width
Replacing or repairing a rotten sill, a failing threshold or a leaking sliding-door track
Anything that involves altering the drainage of a sliding-door track or the flashing under a door
Custom-fitting a ramp to an irregular or out-of-level sill on an exterior door in a wet climate
Level changes at a fire-escape route, where getting it wrong affects everyone in the household

Before you sign

What to check when hiring for threshold ramp installation

What is the sill height at both ends of the opening?

Sills are frequently not level, and a rigid wedge on an uneven sill rocks. Two measurements, not one.
Will the door still close, latch and lock over this?

It is the failure that gets discovered at bedtime on the first day, and it is entirely avoidable by asking now.
Is this ramp rated for outdoor use in our climate?

Interior rubber wedges used outside hold water, freeze and slide. The product listing rarely makes the distinction clearly.
Does it block the drainage in the door track?

Sliding-door tracks drain deliberately. Sealing over the slots sends water into the floor structure instead of outside.
How is it held in place, and can I try to shift it with my foot?

A wedge that creeps opens a gap at the sill and becomes a trip hazard for the whole household.
What is the clear width once it is in, and does the chair fit through?

Height and width are separate problems. Solving one and assuming the other is the most common misstep at a doorway.

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Local pros

Threshold Ramp Installation near you

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Related work

Often done at the same time

Portable Ramp Setup

For a step or two, carried and placed

Wheelchair Ramp Installation

If the rise is bigger than a sill

Modular Ramp Installation

Fast, removable systems

All wheelchair ramps services →

FAQ

Threshold Ramp Installation — questions people ask

Still have a question? Talk to our team →

Do I need a threshold ramp or a full wheelchair ramp?

Measure before you decide, because the two are separated by an enormous price difference and people routinely assume the larger answer. If the obstacle is a raised sill, a sliding-door track or a single low step, a threshold ramp is very likely the whole solution. If it is a flight of steps or a porch standing well clear of the ground, it is a constructed ramp. The measurement takes two minutes: from the ground or floor to the highest point of the sill, at both ends of the opening.

Can a threshold ramp go outside?

Some can and some cannot, and the product listings are often unhelpfully vague. An outdoor threshold ramp needs a slip-resistant surface, materials that tolerate UV and freezing, and a shape that lets water drain rather than pooling under it or against the door bottom. An interior rubber wedge used outdoors traps water, ices up and slides. Check explicitly that the specific product is rated for exterior use in a climate like yours, and expect to check it seasonally.

Will a threshold ramp stop my door closing?

It can, which is why the door swing has to be part of the decision rather than an afterthought. For a door that opens inward the ramp normally goes on the outside; for an outward-opening door the reverse; sliding and pocket doors are the easiest because nothing sweeps across the floor. The other thing to protect is the weatherstrip — a ramp that pins the seal down or holds water against the door bottom will cause a draught or a leak, so make sure the door still closes, latches and locks properly before you accept the fit.

Can I fit a threshold ramp myself?

Yes — this is one of the few genuinely straightforward jobs in accessibility work. Measuring the sill, choosing a stock product, positioning it, checking the door still closes and testing it with the actual chair are all reasonable homeowner tasks. Where it stops being a homeowner job is if the rise turns out to be bigger than a small step, if the doorway needs widening, if the sill is rotten, or if fitting it means altering the drainage under a sliding door. Those are real building work.

What if the doorway is too narrow as well as too high?

Then the threshold ramp only solves half the problem, and it is worth knowing that before you buy one. Clear width when the door is fully open is the number that matters, not the size of the frame, because the door leaf and its hinges eat into the opening. Swing-clear or offset hinges recover useful width relatively cheaply on some doors; beyond that it is a wider leaf or a reframed opening. Measure the chair at its widest point, including the hands on the rims, and compare.