Pressure-mounted gates are definitely hit or miss, especially with determined little ones. I’ve had one that held up for months, and another that my kid toppled in under an hour—depends on the brand and the wall, I guess. Barricading with furniture isn’t elegant, but honestly, during renos, you do what you have to. I’ve even used a stack of paint cans once... not pretty, but it kept curious hands out of the mess. Sometimes function just has to win over form for a while.
“Barricading with furniture isn’t elegant, but honestly, during renos, you do what you have to.”
Yeah, I’ve seen folks get creative—paint cans, chairs, even a mattress once. But honestly, if you’re mid-demo and worried about safety, here’s what I’d do:
1. If you can, screw a temporary plywood panel across the doorway. It’s not pretty, but it’s solid and quick to remove later.
2. For pressure gates, make sure both sides are anchored to something sturdy—not just drywall. If there’s no stud, they’re basically useless.
3. Tape down any loose cords or tools every night. Kids find the weirdest stuff interesting.
It’s not about looks during renos—just keeping everyone in one piece till it’s done.