Are stair nosings really necessary?
Are Stair Nosing Really Necessary? Seemingly simple, or maybe even an afterthought, is the installation of stair nosings in your facility really a necessity? Within high-rise buildings, stairways act as one of the facility’s biggest safety features, allowing occupants to exit safely in any condition.
How much does stair nosing cost?
The pricing model for hardwood stairs nosing varies depending on the product and brand you pick. Typically, the cost ranges from less than $2 per square foot for trims to over $5. Risers are the vertical boards or sections of the step. They function to connect and support successive treads.
How to make a stair nosing with a router?
How to Make a Stair Nosing With a Router
- Cut three pieces of flooring to several inches longer than the required finished length. ...
- Set the table saw up to rip 3 1/2 inches. Rip the glued up blank to 3 1/2 inches with the grooved side next to the fence.
- Set up table saw for a 1 1/2-inch rip width. ...
- Apply wood glue to the cut face of the the 1/2-by-1 1/2-inch trim board. ...
How to choose a style of Stair tread nosing?
- Made for pedestrian and industrial traffic
- Can be used indoors or outdoors
- Able to mount over existing stone stairs
- Usable on oily or greasy areas
- Made of materials that do not absorb liquids, common contaminants, or dirt
- Very easy to clean
- Developed for stairways with mass foot traffic
- Able to stand severe impact
Do you need stair nosing?
A stair nosing (extension of the tread past the front face of the riser below) is only required when a tread is less than 11 inches, according to the International Residential Code (IRC 311.7. 5.3). Since the minimum tread allowed is 10 inches, a nosing is only required for treads between 10 and 11 inches.
Why is nosing used in stairs?
Stair nosing, especially in commercial and industrial settings, are typically fitted with a non-slip surface to increase traction and prevent injury or even death from slips, trips, and falls. The National Safety Council reports that there are over one million stair-related accidents every year.
Why do stairs have noses?
The stair nosing can provide extra safety to your staircase. It overhangs the top of the tread and provides extra space for you to step on. It also helps protect the edge of your treads from getting damaged and wearing down over time.
Do you need overhang on stairs?
Stairs must have an overhang between 3/4″ to 1-1/4” to increase the depth of the step, making it better for descent while maintaining a clear 10-inch going for the ascent. Treads that are 11-inches deep or greater do not require an overhang.
Why do stairs have an overhang?
The main purpose of a nosing is to improve the safety of the staircase. As it protrudes a little over the edge of the tread, it provides some extra space for users to place their feet.
Do carpeted stairs need nosing?
However the choice to not use stair nosings will only be relevant if you are using broadloom carpet ( Rolled carpet ) as all other types of commercial flooring cannot be installed on stairs without a stair nosing being used.
What is a stair nose transition?
A wood flush stair nose connects on the same level as the flooring surface and creates a smooth and flush finish on the edges of your step where the laminate flooring meets the transition. It uses the tongue and groove configuration to secure the nose to the floor overlay and the stair underlayment.
What is the difference between stair tread and stair nosing?
Stair treads are the full horizontal surface that a person steps upon while the nosing is the leading edge of the tread.
What is the nosing of a stair?
Staircase nosing refers to the very edge of the stair tread where we usually put our feet as we walk up and downs stairs. Besides offering a bit of extra space for walking on each tread, carefully chosen staircase nosing can also help protect the overall wear and tear of the tread.
How far should stair nose stick out?
Nosing Requirements Nosings are required to overhang a minimum of ¾-in. to a maximum of 1-¼-in. Also the maximum nosing radius cannot exceed 9/16 of an inch.
Do stairs have to have a Lip?
Stair lips/nosings are one of those design interventions. Stairs have nosings to make the stairs easier to use. Specific benefits of adding nosing to a stair include making the stairs safer, more visually appealing, and generally more functional.
Does tread depth include nosing?
A step tread is the flat, horizontal surface that you walk on. The tread depth is the distance from the front edge, or nosing (a tread projection that overhangs the riser below), of one step to the front edge or nose of the next step, measured horizontally. This distance must be at least 10 inches.
Why do we need stair nosing?
Stair nosing helps protect the most exposed areas of the stair tread from damage and general wear. In the case of wooden or concrete stairs, this is especially important as the tread may chip or break if heavily used.
What is stair nosing made of?
Made using a variety of different materials including wood, vinyl and aluminium, stair nosing, especially in commercial and industrial settings, is typically fitted with a non-slip surface to increase traction and prevent injury or even death from slips, trips, and falls.
How much overlap is required for stair nosing?
In a private setting, regulations require a nosing overlap of at least 16 mm. Building inspectors are now asking for no stair nosing in offices, flats or other public stairs.
Does stair cladding come with nosing?
All our stair cladding comes with nosing. If you are unfamiliar with stair cladding, it is the latest innovative solution for home-owners looking to transform their staircase without the expense of buying and installing a brand new staircase entirely . We stock several different stair cladding systems, including Oak Stair Klad and Solid Oak Cladding to create that desirable and modern oak staircase effect at a fraction of the cost.
What is the minimum tread depth for a nosing?
Exception: A nosing is not required where the tread depth is a minimum of 11 inches (279 mm). So, since the minimum tread size is 10”, a nosing will extend the tread depth to between 10-3/4” and 11-1/4”.
How deep should a tread be for a stair riser?
It’s really simple: when the tread is less than 11 inches deep, you have to add a nosing to extend it slightly past the front face of the riser below it, which allows enough additional surface to solidly plant most of your foot on the stair.
What happens if you walk on a short tread?
This is dangerous and makes it easier to lose your balance.
Can you extend a nosing too far?
However, extending the nosing too far, which was sometimes done on excessively steep stairs of old houses, creates a protrusion that is a trip hazard when ascending or descending the stairs.
Increase Safety
The main purpose of stair nosing is to increase the safety of your stairs. Stair nosing slightly increases the surface area which helps to reduce the risk of missing a step or losing your footing while going up or down. This in turn reduces the risk of falls and makes your staircase safer (especially for those wearing heels or who have large feet).
Protects Your Stairs
Because it covers the join in materials and provides a place to put your feet (other than on the actual step) stair nosing protects your staircase. This improves the longevity of your staircase and helps reduce maintenance requirements.
Boosts Visibility
Stair nosing also helps to increase the visibility of your stairs. Our brains can better process where each step ends when it is highlighted by stair nosing that pokes out slightly making it a great safety feature. This is important in low light areas.
Easier Repairs
Another great benefit of installing stair nosing is that if anything does go wrong and your staircase gets damaged for some reason, it will most likely actually be your stair nosing that is damaged, not the actual stair structure.
Can Be A Design Feature
Because stair nosing is designed to match the flooring of your staircase, it can be used as a design feature. If you want a cohesive look, simply select nosing that matches the flooring from which your stairs are crafted.
What is stair nosing?
Stair Nosings Complete the Look of Your Stairs. Stair nosings also provide a great aesthetic finish to the step - it’s sort of like adding that perfect tie to your suit or those shoes that exactly match your dress.
Why does the edge of a step wear down faster?
This is because most people walk on the front surface of the step.
Do I need to install new flooring on a stair nosing?
You simply choose an appropriate stair nosing (based on width, thickness, finish, etc.), pull back the carpet or flooring, and install the stair nosing on the edge of the step. The existing flooring on the rest of the step would butt up to the back of the stair nosing and there would be no need to install new flooring.
Is it safe to step on a stair nosing?
When the correct stair nosing is chosen, the step is much safer. Most stair nosings either have ridges or an anti-slip property on the tread portion of the profile. This gives you a solid, sturdy surface to step on instead of the slippery finish of carpet, vinyl, or tile.
Why do people use stairs nosing?
3. Stair nosing helps to improve the visibility of wooden stair edges. According to numerous researches, many people get seriously injured on a yearly basis by falling from the stairs or by missing a step completely.
Why do stairs have nosing?
Why? Because it provides you with some extra space as you walk up and down the staircase.
Is it safe to put wood flooring on a staircase?
image courtesy by: coswick.de. Stair nosing as the name indicates, is a safe way to finish your wood or laminate flooring on your staircase, by hiding the edges of the wood flooring, where the two wood floors meet. They are designed to blend in with your floor and to be safe.
Can you have a stair nosing with different colour?
By fitting stair nosings with alternative colouring you can easily avoid this happen to you or a member of your family. Their different colouring will provide you with a great support in improving visibility of each step. Installing stair nosing with bright colour in dark wood staircase for example will ensure your safety and at the same time it will make it easier to spot each step even when there is little light.
How nosing help stairs work
When it comes to thinking about designs and finishes for stairs, an architect/designer has to look at the stairs from going upstairs and going downstairs. These might sound trivial or unimportant, but there’s a reason why different types of stairs have different types of nosing.
Different types of stair nosings
Different types of stair nosings each have their own distinct look and benefits. There is no better or worse, only what best applies to the current context (usage, design, etc.) of your stairs.
Requirements for stair nosings
Stair nosings, just like any part of a building, are standardized within a set range of measurements by your local building code.
Adding stair nosing to stairs
We’ll now be going into a brief step-by-step outline as to how nosing is installed onto stairs. This is not an installation guide. This is to give you a general idea of how nosings are installed on a staircase.
Conclusion
Stair nosings play a role in improving the safety and usability of a staircase. They follow a standardized range of measurements and shapes. There are different types of stair nosings that each provide their own benefits for users. Nosings should not have any edges, as edges can end up damaging the nosings.
Why do stairs have a nosing?
I thought this would be a really dumb question to ask until I found there is no definitive answer online. Houzz has been a great resource to capture the latest design and architectural trends. That's why I'm posting the question here.
Comments (5)
i think this may answer your question http://ux.stackexchange.com/questions/78842/why-do-stairs-have-overhangs
