Step Nosing Can Effectively Protect People's Safety, Safeguarding Everyone's Security

During the snowy season, I had to be careful when going up and down the stairs every day, as I could easily slip and fall if I wasn't careful. If the staircase was short, it wasn't too big of a problem, but if it was long, I would likely fall hard. Some people thought that installing step nosings was unnecessary, but now it's clear that it's a good thing to have. At least it can prevent you from falling and potentially save your life in a critical moment, so those who install stairs should pay attention and make sure not to skimp on the protective strips. So, how do we calculate the size of the step nosing?

Calculation method for the size of step nosing

Installing anti-slip strips on stairs can not only prevent us from slipping but also protect the edges of the stairs. Common materials for step nosing include cement and iron shavings, diamond sand, metal strips, mosaics, and anti-slip tile cylinders. The anti-slip strips should protrude from the surface of the stair step, but not too high, around 2cm-3cm is good.

To avoid creating illusions while going up and down the stairs, it's best to keep the height and length of the anti-slip strips consistent on each step of the stairs. If some alteration is necessary, it should be limited to a few centimeters, preferably no more than 2cm-3cm. The length of the anti-slip strip on the stair step is generally calculated by subtracting 300mm from the distance between the two ends of the step. The standard length of the anti-slip strip is the same as the length of the step, unless there are other colors on the sides of the step.

Generally, most stairs have two different colored border tiles about 15cm-20cm on each side of the stair steps, with the actual step in between. The anti-slip strips should be installed on the inner side of the step, 3cm-5cm from the edge of the tile, with two strips being enough. It's best to keep a 3cm-5cm gap between the two anti-slip strips to make the look more coordinated.

Types of the step nosing

There are generally three types of anti-slip strips for stairs. One type is the corner covering, which is the most common L-shaped one that protects the side of the staircase. Another type is the I-shaped strip, which is fixed with screws and is usually just touching the edge of the step. The third type is the embedded anti-slip strip, which involves cutting two grooves into the stair step and inserting the strip into the grooves. For safety reasons, it's highly recommended to install anti-slip strips on stairs, so even on snowy or rainy days, you won't have to worry about slipping.