An Expert Guide to Carpet Stair Nosing Metals

Stair nosing goes on the edge of the steps and works as a protective layer against wear for each stair or step. People also call this stair edging or step nosing, but no matter what name you know it by, it all achieves the same goal. You can easily fit stairs with nosing of various materials, including plastic laminates and metals. Metal is often more appealing for its aesthetics and strength, but what are the different options?

Below, we have listed some common metals used for stair nosing, which are available to buy within our range of door bars, thresholds, and nosing. You will even get a free UK delivery when you spend over £75:

• Aluminium
• Brass
• Bronze
• Chrome
• Pewter
• Nickel

Each metal has its benefits, whether it is used on stairs with carpet tiles, wood or another floor covering. Here we will discuss the benefits and drawbacks of each of the carpet stair nosing metals we sell and where these metal carpet stair nosings are best installed. 

As leading suppliers of edge nosing trim, lips, and strips in various materials in the UK, we know the nuances of each carpet stair nosing metal quite well. Browse our products and buy our quality UK-made stair nosing online today. Feel free to get in touch if you have any product questions.

Pros & Cons of Different Carpet Stair Nosing Metals

Metal stair nosing comes with most of the same features as other materials (for example, laminate), such as anti-slip properties and easy cleanability, which will not detract from the aesthetics of each metal. However, metal can be more difficult to budget for in large installations.

Nonetheless, each type of metal has its advantages and disadvantages. We have discussed these in a little more depth here:

Aluminium Stair Nosing

Aluminium is lightweight, easy to recycle, and a very cost-effective carpet stair nosing metal. You can see anti-slip aluminium stair nosing in many public and commercial environments. Here, it will normally have small grooves to provide traction underfoot. The appearance can be a bit industrial, so it is not the most ornamental design. However, aluminium nosing is a very robust metal choice.

Using aluminium also gives you a chance to get a high tensile strength from a very thin piece of metal, so you can achieve an ultra-slim nosing profile that is almost fully flush to the stair steps.

Brass Stair Nosing

Using brass is a bit more regal in appearance and has a variety of finishes, including polished brass, satin brass, and antique brass. It has a warm, glowing look, which can create a nice radiating feeling of heat when light hits it, so it is useful for colder staircases that otherwise might be a bit drab and grey, such as stairs outdoors in a garden or the entranceway to a building.

Brass is a relatively soft metal so it is easy to find various shapes for the carpet stair nosing. These shapes may include pencil, square, round, and half-round (or bull nose), so it is a versatile metal option.

Bronze Stair Nosing

With bronze you get a similar appearance to the stair nosing as you would with brass, but it is a bit more costly. Bronze is composed of copper and tin (sometimes with a bit of aluminium) while brass is a mix of copper and zinc, so brass is a little bit stronger and has a bit more of a sheen. Copper, bronze, and brass are known as ‘red metals’, thanks to their warm appearance.

Bronze is a good option but beware of bronze-plated nosing pieces that may be available for cheaper, which are much more likely to scratch and unveil the material underneath.

Chrome Stair Nosing

Chrome is an electroplating technique, meaning that it is a covering for other materials such as steel, aluminium, copper, zinc, or even plastics. For stair nosing, this extra layer can provide benefits such as corrosion resistance and greater hardness. There are some advantages of the appearance, too, which is almost mirror-like to look at. There are also brushed chrome finishes available.

You will have to take cleaning into account with chrome; just think about how dirty a chrome tap or shower can get! You will then have to bear in mind that this is a key disadvantage for stairs outside or with heavy foot traffic.

Pewter Stair Nosing

Pewter is an ancient metal alloy commonly used for decorative items such as vases, rings, and figurines. As such, it has a very cosmetic silvery look, which is a great option indoors and will look like a shiny, reflective surface. Many pewter alloys also contain small amounts of silver. However, it is not a good option for the outdoors as it can become very slippery when wet.

Pewter is a slightly darker carpet stair nosing metal option, so it is a good low-maintenance choice in environments where it is likely to be scuffed or stained by errant or dragging footsteps.

Nickel Stair Nosing

Nickel is an element that will resist corrosion and high temperatures so it is often used as a plating for other materials. Nickel is a silvery metal but has an interestingly warm hue and a warm, gold-like tinge. We offer nosing in nickel with polished nickel and satin nickel finishes, which give a similar look to brass or bronze but with more hardness and weather performance.

As nickel is a warm-looking metal that is very hard and resists corrosion, it is an excellent choice for stair nosing outside and in a cold, plain, or sterile-feeling room.

What Are the Alternatives to Metal Carpet Stair Nosing?

Carpet stair nosing metals are wonderful for their robust designs and superb appearance, but there are some drawbacks when it comes to the expense involved. When you are fitting larger staircases you may prefer to use other materials, such as:

• Wood: Using wood is a cheap, effective way of protecting the stairs but it is not such a hard-wearing choice. Wood nosing will match solid wood stairs or provide a distinctive contrast for stairs of other materials or floor coverings such as carpet tiles.
• Laminate: Laminate is very soft and flexible compared to either wood or metal, so it  will resist heavy wear. It is also extremely cost-effective, corrosion-resistant, and super easy to clean, so it has many of the features of metal aside from hardness.

If budget is a concern then you could go for metal-plated nosing, which will still provide a nice metallic appearance. However, these are best suited for low-traffic indoor spaces as they are much more likely to develop scratches that will greatly detract from their appearance.

Carpet Stair Nosing Metals Explained

There is no ‘best’ carpet nosing metal type, but some are more suited to different environments. Brass, bronze, and nickel have a more showy appearance that is suitable for inside or anywhere a certain gravitas is desired, whereas chrome, pewter, and nickel are more understated and create a more industrial look, which is ideal for a commercial or public space.

We hope you understand and appreciate the subtle differences of the carpet stair nosing metals we offer for our customers, which are available with free UK delivery when you spend over £75. Our company has been delighting customers with quality products since 1997, so browse our selection and buy online today.

Please contact us if you have any questions.