Aluminium Stair Nosing 59x30mm Slimline Square Back, 1m & 2m

A slimline square back stair nosing in aluminium, 59mm across the tread and 30mm down the nose, supplied in 1m and 2m bars. Same fine 2.5mm edge line as our raked-back profile, but finished square at the rear — the version to use when the floorcovering is being laid up to the nosing rather than under it. This page carries the three architectural aluminium finishes: mill, satin and polished.

Why fitters choose this profile

Square back gives you a clean butt joint. The rear of the tread plate finishes square, so a new LVT, vinyl or laminate floor can be laid tight up against it and the junction reads as a deliberate line rather than a transition. On a new stair, or a refurbishment where the going is coming up anyway, that is the neater detail and the faster one to fit.

A fine edge line, and an honest limit. At 2.5mm gauge this is a lighter extrusion than a heavy-duty nosing, which is exactly what keeps the sightline slim. The trade-off is real and we would rather you heard it from us: it is made for low to medium traffic, and sustained heavy footfall or impact can wear the surface finish back to bare aluminium. Offices, apartment blocks, shops, homes — yes. School corridors and station stairs — specify something heavier and we will point you at it.

Anti-slip performance you can quote in a spec. The insert does the gripping, and the manufacturer publishes pendulum figures for each one: castellated PVC at SRV 76 wet / 85 dry, Olympic Grip at 71 wet / 102 dry, smooth textured at 56 wet / 65 dry. Those are insert test figures rather than a test of your finished stair, but they are real numbers you can put in front of a specifier.

Three finishes here, three more alongside. Mill, satin and polished cover the usual silvers and are on this page. Black anodised, bronze and light bronze come from the designer range — the bronzes read as aged brass at a fraction of brass money, and they are on the bronze and black anodised version of this nosing.

Where it is used

LVT and vinyl stairs in offices, apartment buildings and lighter commercial interiors, and timber stairs where the nosing is rebated in to finish flush. For external steps or heavy commercial traffic the manufacturer builds the same profile in mill aluminium with a glass-fibre reinforced (GRP) insert — we do not stock it, but we can quote it.

Specifications

Choosing the right option

Insert first, because it decides both grip and colour. Castellated PVC is the default and the one most jobs end up with: highest wet figure, widest colour range. Smooth textured trades a little grip for a surface that mops clean, which matters in food and healthcare settings. Olympic Grip is an aluminium-oxide surface for the hardest-worked stairs on this profile and costs more accordingly. The aluminium inserts are a design decision, not a grip decision — specify them when you want the whole nosing to read as one piece of metal.

Then the carrier finish. Mill is the untreated extrusion and the cheapest; satin is the architectural default; polished is the brightest. Match it to the ironmongery, not to the floor — that is what makes a stair look designed rather than patched.

Then length. A 2m bar cuts to two 900mm domestic treads with an offcut; 1m suits a single standard going. Bars ship undrilled so you can set out fixings to your own centres; the manufacturer will pre-drill for concealing plugs or a retro-fit infill and charges 5%, which we quote with your order rather than loading onto every price here.

Visual contrast. Approved Document M asks for the step edge to be visually distinguishable. Set a light insert against a dark floor, or the reverse, and check the two materials together in daylight rather than on a screen — order free samples if there is any doubt.

Installation, use and care

Fix mechanically with size 6 screws. We do not supply screws and plugs because the right ones depend on your substrate — concrete, timber and screed all want something different. Pre-drill and countersink before fixing. The profile can be rebated into timber steps to finish flush, and is designed to abut LVT or vinyl at the nose. Cut with a chop saw and a non-ferrous blade, then deburr the cut end. Clean with warm water and a neutral detergent; keep abrasive pads away from anodised finishes, which cut through faster on a light gauge than on a heavy one.

Frequently asked questions

Square back or raked back?

Square back butts against a floorcovering laid up to it — the neater option when the going is being relaid. Raked back angles down onto an existing floor and closes the joint, which suits refurbishment over a floor that is staying put.

Where are the bronze and black anodised finishes?

On the companion listing for the same profile. We split the range across two pages because one page cannot offer six finishes, thirty-two inserts and both bar lengths at once without some combinations becoming unselectable at the checkout.

Is this suitable for a busy commercial stair?

No. It is specified for low to medium traffic, and the manufacturer warns that heavy impact or constant footfall can wear through the finish. For a stair that takes real punishment, choose a thicker-gauge profile — ask us and we will recommend one.

Can I have the bars pre-drilled?

Yes, quoted rather than sold here. The manufacturer offers drilling for concealing plugs and drilling with a retro-fit infill at 5%. Bars on this page ship undrilled; tell us what you need and we will price it with your order.

Can I get a length other than 1m or 2m?

Yes — use our cut-to-size listing and specify the exact millimetre you need between 700mm and 3200mm.

Will it work outside?

Not this version. There is a GRP-insert build of the same profile for external and wet areas; ask us and we will quote it.

Ordering and delivery

Choose finish, insert colour, then bar length. Need an exact size? Use our cut-to-size slimline square back stair nosing, priced per centimetre from 700mm to 3200mm. Free samples are available so you can hold the insert colour against your floor before you commit. UK mainland delivery is a flat rate shown at checkout.