How did stair nosings become a standard feature on stairways?

The origins of the product known as a stair nosing (a protective safety edge on the nose of steps) is not important enough to be officially recorded. However, a clue to its known history is in one of its key functions namely safety. In particular slip resistance, since it was from the company of Ferodo that specialised in the manufacture of friction materials that stair nosings first appeared during the 1950’s – and we cannot be more precise than that!

Based in Chapel en-le-Frith in Derbyshire, as friction product specialists, Ferodo was the world’s most renowned producer of braking materials for anything that moved; cars, trucks, trains, planes (when on the ground!) industrial equipment etc. Initially all the friction materials produced were made of woven asbestos impregnated with resins; well proven to dissipate the heat generated by braking. Asbestos continued to be the base material for brake linings and pads until Health and Safety caught up with the serious risk posed by this material.

An early product development programme came up with another use for the woven asbestos cloth. Strips cut to step widths and put around the nose of steps considerably reduced the risk of slips on stairs…...and to stop fraying at the edges an aluminium ‘carrier’ soon followed. The stair nosing as we know it was born.

Asbestos has long since been removed from the treads used in stair nosings; pvc or rubber based materials now provide the slip resistant surface needed for products to perform their safety function. Durability is another performance function of these products since their installation also protects floor coverings used on step treads from unnecessary wear. Aluminium is still a favoured carrier material, although PVCu is an alternative that is becoming more and more acceptable.

Despite the shortcomings of the original treads, Ferodo nevertheless introduced a product that has been proven to enhance the safety of stairways around the world, where British trained specifiers become involved in construction projects, for over 50 years. The brand of Ferodo stair nosings is no more – other companies have taken over the baton, and through product design have developed profiles that accommodate all modern step shapes, sizes and floor coverings.

The features that stair nosings offer to the finish of stairways have now become embodied as guidelines in current Building Regulations, British Standards and BR papers.

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