Blog | Stairlifts Dublin | Mobility Shop

Wheelchair Ramps in Ireland – Buyer’s Guide

wheelchair ramp installation by Irish Stairlifts in Kildare

29Mar2018

Have you been searching for reliable wheelchair ramps in Ireland? Welcome to Irish Stairlifts & Bathrooms, a trusted provider of accessibility and mobility solutions since 1999. With over two decades of experience, we specialise in helping homeowners, businesses, and public facilities create safe, accessible spaces for wheelchair users and those with limited mobility.

Our expert team designs and installs custom-built wheelchair ramps that comply with all health, safety, and building regulations. Each ramp is constructed with meticulous attention to detail to ensure durability, safety, and ease of use.

Why Choose a Wheelchair Ramp?

A properly installed wheelchair ramp offers freedom, independence, and enhanced accessibility. Whether you need to improve entry to your home, office, or public building, a ramp allows smooth and safe movement for wheelchair users, mobility scooter users, and those using walking aids.

Ramps are an essential part of any accessibility plan — ensuring compliance with safety standards while also helping you or your visitors move freely.

Types of Wheelchair Ramps We Provide

At Irish Stairlifts, every ramp is custom-designed to meet your individual needs. Depending on your space and mobility requirements, we can build:

Permanent concrete ramps – Ideal for long-term use and outdoor installations. Built for strength, stability, and weather resistance.
Modular or portable ramp systems – Suitable for temporary accessibility needs or commercial settings that require flexibility.
Threshold ramps – Perfect for small doorsteps or interior-level adjustments within the home.

Our ramps are made with brush-finished concrete, providing an anti-slip surface for maximum safety in all weather conditions. Each slope is designed to be wheelchair compatible and built according to recommended gradients.

Understanding Ramp Gradients and Safety Standards

The ramp gradient (or slope) determines how steep your ramp will be. The recommended ratio is 1:20 where space allows, meaning for every 20mm of length, the ramp rises 1mm. In limited spaces, a 1:12 gradient may be used safely.

Example: If your step height is 100mm and the gradient is 1:20, multiply 100mm × 20 to get 2000mm (2 metres) ramp length required.

Following these standards ensures the ramp is comfortable and safe for daily use.

Level Platforms and Turning Points

Every accessible ramp must include level platforms at the top and at turning points. These platforms allow users to pause safely and manoeuvre wheelchairs or scooters with ease.

Longer ramps may also include intermediate resting points to ensure maximum safety and comfort.

Handrails, Edgings, and Finishing Details

All of our ramps include custom steel handrails, manufactured to order and finished in an anti-rust paint in a colour of your choice. These rails not only provide safety but also enhance stability for users.

Edgings are added to prevent mobility devices from slipping off the sides. These can be block edgings or integrated into the handrail system. Typically, edgings are 100mm high from the ramp surface to ensure protection.

Why Buy from Irish Stairlifts?

Over 25 years of experience in accessibility installations
Fully accredited and experienced builders and installers
Custom-designed ramps made to fit your property and mobility needs
Compliant with all Irish safety and building regulations
Options for handrails, finishes, and platform designs
Trusted nationwide by healthcare professionals, councils, and homeowners

From small domestic installations to fully integrated commercial access systems, our team ensures every project is managed professionally from start to finish.

Get a Free Consultation Today

If you’ve been looking for a trusted company to supply and install wheelchair ramps in Ireland, contact Irish Stairlifts & Bathrooms today.

Call: 016167079
Email: showroom@irishstairlifts.ie
Location: Dublin, serving homes and businesses across Ireland

Our experienced team will visit your site, provide personalised advice, and offer a no-obligation quote tailored to your property’s layout and accessibility goals.

Empower independence, improve safety, and enhance accessibility with a custom wheelchair ramp from Irish Stairlifts & Bathrooms – Ireland’s mobility experts since 1999.

Vertical Home Lifts Ireland | Buyer’s Guide 2025

The Wessex VE Through-Floor Enclosed Home Lift

29Mar2018

If you’ve been searching for a company that can install a vertical home lift in Ireland, you’ve come to the right place. At Irish Stairlifts, we’ve spent over 19 years helping hundreds of customers across Ireland regain independence and comfort in their own homes. From compact enclosed lifts to luxury through-floor systems, our team can help you find a lift that perfectly suits your mobility needs and living space.

What Is a Vertical Home Lift?

A vertical lift is a motorised platform or cabin that travels directly between floors, providing easy and barrier-free movement for users who use wheelchairs or have limited mobility. Unlike stairlifts, which follow a track along the stairs, vertical lifts move straight up and down—making them ideal for homes, offices, and public buildings where space or design prevents stairlift installation.

Vertical lifts can be:

Through-floor lifts: Installed between two floors by cutting a small section of the floor, allowing the lift to travel vertically.
Enclosed cabin lifts: Lifts with a surrounding shaft or enclosure for added safety, such as the Wessex VE model.
Open platform lifts: Ideal for users who prefer an unobtrusive design without a full cabin.

Why Choose a Vertical Lift?

Choosing a home lift can significantly enhance independence and improve accessibility. Whether for residential or commercial use, a well-installed lift allows:

Effortless travel between floors for wheelchair users
Safe transport for carers and family members
Smooth, quiet, and reliable operation
Modern design integration without major structural alterations

Our vertical lifts are built with safety, flexibility, and independence in mind, combining compact design with durability and advanced safety systems.

Popular Models – Wessex Thru-Floor Lifts Range

At Irish Stairlifts, we supply and install the Wessex range of lifts, known for their engineering excellence and versatility.

Wessex VE Enclosed Home Lift

This model builds upon the successful VM design, offering an enclosed cabin that safely carries standing passengers, wheelchair users, or multiple occupants between floors.

Key features include:

Free-standing design (no wall required)
Fast installation (1–2 days)
Door interlocking safety system
Accommodates a wheelchair user and carer
Optional seat and interior colour choices
Travel height up to 3.5m

Its compact design makes it ideal for most homes, with models available in various sizes to suit different floor heights and room layouts.

Wessex VM Open Home Lift

A practical solution for wheelchair users, the VM range features an open-front platform design, perfect for users seeking easy access and minimal footprint. It’s suitable for both domestic and light commercial environments.

Wessex Elesse Luxury Home Lift

For homeowners seeking a stylish solution, the Elesse combines modern finishes, ambient lighting, and high-end materials with functional accessibility. It’s a true enhancement to any home interior while maintaining the reliability expected from Wessex lifts.

Buying & Installation Process

When you choose Irish Stairlifts, we guide you through each stage of your lift installation:

Initial Consultation: We’ll assess your space and needs to recommend the right model.
Free Home Survey & Quotation: Our advisors measure and provide a transparent quotation.
Professional Installation: Our trusted engineers ensure fast, disruption-free fitting.
Aftercare & Maintenance: We provide ongoing support to keep your lift performing reliably.

Why Choose Irish Stairlifts

Over 19 years of experience in Ireland’s mobility sector
Fully certified installers and mobility experts
Local support and servicing across all Irish counties
Trusted brands including Wessex, Access BDD, and Platinum Stairlifts

Get a Free Quote Today

If you’re considering installing a vertical home lift, get in touch with Irish Stairlifts today. Call us on 016167079 or fill out our quick online enquiry form. A member of our team will respond promptly to help you find the right lift for your budget and mobility needs.

Reclaim your independence with a lift solution designed around you — safe, stylish, and built to last.

Stairlifts & Home Lifts

Vertical lift

The Wessex Elesse Luxury Home Lift kitchen

8Mar2018

Have you been looking to install a vertical lift into your home? We are Irish Stairlifts, a mobility access company based in Ireland. We are specialists when it comes to providing the elderly or disabled with products to assist them with their mobility. We have been established since 1999 and since then we have helped hundreds of people across Ireland to carry out adaptations within their home. To enquire about having a vertical lift fitted, get in touch today. Here at Irish Stairlifts, we have a team of fully qualified and well experience professionals that can give you helpful information on how you could benefit from a vertical lift. We offer an all inclusive deal for a lift which includes the installation, testing and 24 month warranty on parts and labour. With all of our lifts, you are guaranteed complete safety and we offer an emergency call out service within 24 hours, whilst under warranty. We have a range of models to choose from and our vertical lifts can be fitted to match your flooring, so it is unnoticeable. The advanced design of the Wessex Home Lift, our most sought after product, enables you to safely and comfortably move between the levels of your home. This lift features free standing tracks, milti-handed doors and controls, safety edges, sensors underneath the lift, controlled lights, integrated fire seal, grab handles and an emergency back up systems to lower the lift to the ground. If you liked the look of our vertical lift, you may be interested in some of our other products such as wet rooms, shower rooms, stairlifts, ramps, mobility scooters, wheelchairs, walk-in baths, sitting aids and much more. Not only can we provide our services for domestic premises, but we can also work with commercial businesses to make their building more accessible for the disabled and elderly. If you would like to enquire about having a vertical lift fitted, do not hesitate to get in touch today. Give us a call on 1850 88 5000 and speak to one of our advisors. Alternatively, send us an email to showroom@irishstairlifts.ie and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

Seating Solutions

The History of Riser Recliners

7Mar2018

The History of Riser Recliners

Have you ever wondered where the Riser Recliner chair came from? Rise and recliner chairs have actually been in existence for over 150 years and have now become one of the most popular living room ideas to help older people remain independent.

How They Began

The history of chairs stretches back as far as to Ancient Egypt, with ornate chairs found in tombs and depicted in drawings. Chairs only became a common feature in the 16th century, but even then recliner chairs were still a number of years away. The first ever recliner chair can be credited to the French, who developed a . The original reclining chair was a fantastic idea for those who wanted their furniture to have a number of uses; the camp cot could function as a chair, bed and even a chaise longue. It was comfortable, portable and durable, consisting of a steel frame and padded cushions and armrests. Whilst not owned by the famous Napoleon Bonaparte, the first ever recliner chair was owned by his nephew, Napoleon III.

The Morris Chair

The British were also experimenting with living room ideas. The Morris chair emerged in the 1860s, which had a hinged back that allowed the reclining chair to be adjusted. The Morris chair was hugely popular; songs were even written about it, including the 1919 hit ‘You’d Be Surprised’ by Irving Berlin. The recliner chair really began to become more advanced in America. A patent on a wooden recliner chair was granted to Edward M. Knabush and his cousin Edwin J. Shoemaker in 1928, which resembles the design of the recliner chairs we see in homes today. The American cousins used orange crates to design a chair that they thought would help people to relax, the prototype being a slatted folding chair that could be used for sitting up or reclining backwards. Unlike the modern rise and recline chairs of today, the chair reclined when the user leant backwards. The cousins then hired an upholsterer to add stuffing and upholster the chair, which they then named the ‘La-Z-Boy’. Built-in footrests were added a number of years later, pioneered by Barcaloungers, whose reclining chairs came with footrests in the 1940s. The recliner chair was developed further and propelled into the spotlight in the 1960s by Daniel F. Caldemeyer, a furniture maker who had spent some time in the U.S. Air Force. Whilst footrests could be found on other chairs, it was Caldemeyer who developed the classic foot-lift rest. He designed the ‘rocket recliner’, which was reportedly based on the science of kinetics, and the chair gained popularity amongst homeowners across America and even caught the eye of NASA as a great living room idea. Caldemeyer’s military experience won him approval from NASA, which led to the space agency using his design to make seats for the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo projects. The popularity of his rise and recline chairs did not stop there; the Secret Service reportedly bought 50 chairs for President Lyndon Baines Johnson for Christmas, with one currently on display in the Smithsonian.

Modern Riser Recliners

Since then, modern recliner chairs have become more luxurious, offering those with mobility difficulties a living room idea that is as supportive as it is comfortable. Today’s riser recliner chairs are powered by electricity and have a battery back-up so that it can be used if there is a power cut, and dual motors allow users to operate the headrest and footrest of the chair independently from each other. This allows the user to sit, recline or lie down in a much more comfortable fashion than with the original French camp cot. Click Here For More Riser Recliners Contact Us Request Quote

Stairlifts & Home Lifts

The Benefits of Servicing & Lubricating Your Stairlift

14Feb2018

Just like any household equipment, your stairlift needs regular cleaning and maintenance to ensure it runs smoothly and lasts longer. Knowing how to care for your stairlift properly will help reduce breakdowns and keep it safe to use every day. Some tasks can be carried out by yourself or with the help of a friend or family member, while others are best left to a qualified stairlift engineer.

Cleaning Your Stairlift

A stairlift should be cleaned regularly to prevent dust and dirt from affecting its performance.

Seat and Carriage: Wipe down weekly with a dry cloth or feather duster. For stubborn dust, use a slightly damp cloth but always dry thoroughly afterwards.
Track: Lightly dust the track, but for more thorough cleaning, it’s best to ask a family member or professional technician.
Safety Tip: Always clean the stairlift when it is parked at the bottom of the stairs to avoid tripping hazards.

Lubricating the Track

The stairlift track should be lubricated every few months to keep the movement smooth and quiet.

Always turn off the stairlift before lubricating.
Start with a clean track—dust and residue should be wiped away using a damp cloth.
Apply a very small amount of stairlift-specific lubricant. Too much lubricant can cause rollers to slide instead of roll, creating safety issues.
Avoid lubricating the chain, as this can damage the mechanism.

Tip: If you experience finger or joint pain, ask a family member or a professional engineer to assist, as this process requires precision.

Listen to the sound of a stairlift before it is serviced and lubricated in the video below.

After Servicing & Lubricating Your Stairlift

Listen to the sound of the stairlift after it is serviced and lubricated in the video below. It sounds a lot cleaner and smoother.

Lubricating the Track

The stairlift track should be lubricated every few months to keep the movement smooth and quiet.

Always turn off the stairlift before lubricating.
Start with a clean track—dust and residue should be wiped away using a damp cloth.
Apply a very small amount of stairlift-specific lubricant. Too much lubricant can cause rollers to slide instead of roll, creating safety issues.
Avoid lubricating the chain, as this can damage the mechanism.

Tip: If you experience finger or joint pain, ask a family member or a professional engineer to assist, as this process requires precision.

Why Servicing is Essential

Even with regular cleaning, stairlifts benefit from an annual professional service. A trained engineer can:

Carry out deep cleaning and correct lubrication
Spot worn or damaged parts early
Ensure safety features are working correctly
Prevent costly emergency repairs

Just like a car service, routine stairlift maintenance greatly reduces the risk of unexpected problems.

What Not to Do

One of the most common mistakes is using the wrong cleaning products.

Never use solvents, bleaches, or abrasive cleaners; they can damage delicate parts, reduce roller friction, and even cause the stairlift to shut down.
Only use soft, non-abrasive cloths and stairlift-safe cleaning solutions if needed.
Always refer to the manufacturer’s manual before attempting any maintenance.

Professional Stairlift Servicing in Ireland

A well-maintained stairlift ensures years of safe, reliable service. Regular cleaning, proper lubrication, and annual professional servicing will keep it running smoothly while giving you peace of mind.

👉 At Irish Stairlifts, we don’t just provide stairlift services — we offer complete mobility solutions to help you live comfortably and independently at home. From stairlifts, wet rooms, and through-floor lifts to ramps, rails, wheelchairs, mobility scooters, and electric wheelchairs, our team is here to support every need.

👉 Call us today on 016167079 or 045 892696, or book online today.

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