Black, Bronze & Mirror Aluminium Stair Nosing 62x56mm Square Edge

The deep-riser square-edge nosing in the darker and mirror finishes

This is the same 62mm x 56mm square-edge stair nosing we supply in mill and polished aluminium, offered in the four finishes people specify when the step edge is meant to be seen: Dark Bronze, Satin Black, Mirroflect Silver and Mirrorflect Gold. The section is identical: 62mm across the tread, a 56mm front face down the riser, 5mm gauge aluminium alloy, a single channel with one replaceable PVC insert, and a place in the manufacturer's DDA stair nosing range. What changes is the surface, and on a feature stair that is the part everyone looks at.

If you want Mill Finish, Bright Polished, Satin Gold or Satin Bronze instead, they are on the standard finish listing, which starts a good deal lower.

Why the finish is the decision here

Dark Bronze and Satin Black draw the step as a line. Against a pale stone, timber or light carpet the 56mm dark face reads as a deliberate horizontal on every riser, which is exactly the effect the 55mm guidance is after, and it does it without a painted band that the next redecoration loses. Specifiers reach for these where the handrail, balustrade fixings and door furniture are already dark and a mill-finish nosing would be the one silver element left in the scheme.

The two mirror finishes do the opposite. Mirroflect Silver and Mirrorflect Gold throw light back, so the step edge is picked out by whatever is lighting the flight. That is a strong look on a hotel, restaurant or retail stair and a difficult one in a dusty service stairwell, where every mark shows. Be honest about the traffic before you specify one.

One thing worth saying plainly: the finish is a surface, not a wear layer. The PVC insert takes the footfall and is replaced when it wears; the finish cannot be renewed without renewing the nosing. On a service route rather than a front-of-house stair, the darker finishes hide scuffing far better than the mirrors.

The slip figure is the same as the standard listing: the manufacturer's safety pack reports 70 PTV dry and 58 PTV wet to BS 7976-2 with the Four-S slider, Floor Safe Ltd report FS10174, on a sample described as a linished stair tread. We carry it as stated and have not tested the profile ourselves.

Where it is used

Hotel and restaurant stairs, retail fit-outs, office receptions, refurbished apartment communal stairs and feature flights in schools and public buildings where the stair is part of the interior rather than a fire escape, and where the access statement still asks for the full 55mm band on tread and riser. The same section is also used on short platform steps where only a handful of lengths are needed and the cost of the finish is a small part of the job.

Specifications

Choosing the right option

Work the insert colour first. If the stair has to meet a visual contrast requirement, the number that matters is the difference in light reflectance value between the insert and the tread covering either side of it, so pick the insert against the floor and not against the metal. The manufacturer's figures run from Premium Black at 4.48 to White at 73.69, which gives you room to hit a 30-point target on almost any floor. Hazard is the black and yellow striped insert for plant rooms and single steps that have to shout.

Then pick the finish for the interior, remembering that the 56mm face is itself the riser contrast, so a dark finish wants a pale riser behind it and a mirror finish wants a matt one. Then the length: order the next stock length up from your widest step and cut down, rather than butting two pieces on one tread.

Installation, use and care

The manufacturer's guide: make good the step edge, clean and dry the substrate, push the nosing hard against the riser and mark through the pre-drilled holes, drill and plug, adhesive to the underside, screw down and cap the screw heads. Clean with warm water and a neutral detergent. Avoid abrasive pads and solvent-based cleaners on the mirror and coloured finishes; they will dull the surface, and unlike the insert the finish cannot be replaced without replacing the nosing.

Frequently asked questions

Is the section the same as the mill-finish version? Yes. Same 62mm x 56mm profile, same 5mm gauge, same single channel and the same 19 insert colours. Only the surface finish and the price differ.

Will the mirror finishes scratch? They mark more visibly than mill or the darker finishes, as any reflective surface does. On a high-traffic or dusty stair the darker finishes are the more forgiving choice.

Does a dark finish still count as riser contrast? It can, provided the riser decoration behind it is pale enough to give the 30-point LRV difference. The manufacturer does not publish LRV figures for the metal finishes, so measure or sample before you rely on it.

Can I replace the insert later? Yes. The PVC insert is a replaceable wear part and can be changed without lifting the nosing.

Ordering and delivery

Choose finish, insert colour and length above; each combination is a separate stock line priced from the manufacturer's current trade list, so the price shown is for the exact nosing you have configured. Lengths over 2.4m travel on a long-length or pallet service rather than a standard parcel carrier. If you are ordering for a whole flight and want the quantities checked against a drawing, send it over before you place the order.