AU2015101274A4 - Stair Tread - Google Patents

Abstract

Abstract A hardwood stair tread has a nose with a corner in its reverse face which receives a riser in the finished staircase and is rendered non-slip by the inclusion of a channel in the contact face of the tread and a ribbed plastic strip in the channel the exposed face of the strip being slightly above the surrounding tread surface. 2~~. FR> I a' * U A C"' - . .7~. ,* 7 7 7' -N "-4 '-N 4- "N (4<., ~$K

Description

STAIR TREAD FIELD OF THE INVENTION This innovation relates to stair tread construction and modifications which improve stair safety. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In residential buildings hardwood flooring continues in popularity and the provision of matching hardwood staircases improves the appearance of the room interior. The treads and risers are commonly each made from a single board but the introduction of bamboo as a flooring species required that the treads at least were made from two or three narrower, side by side, edge jointed strips. The density of bamboo boards compensates for the need to use narrow boards and the same density resists dimpling by stiletto heels. The hardness of the bamboo leads to polished surfaces with a low coefficient of friction and this results in slippery steps. The prior art shows that staircase treads are made safe by covering with stair carpet or fixing strips of wear resistant metal to the area of the tread once the staircase was installed. These components change the appearance of the staircase reducing its appeal moreover the expense and declining efficiency of the strips over time add extra problems. The introduction of adhesive tape having a contact adhesive on one face and a frictional particulate coating on the exposed face gave only temporary improvement in non-slip performance of the tread. Children and old people can be at constant risk unless the stairs are rendered non-slip for the working life of the stairs. SUMMARY OF THE INNOVATION This innovation provides a stair tread wherein the contact face of the tread has a channel adjacent the leading edge of the tread and a wear resistant strip of frictional 1 composition fixed in the channel having a frictional top face above the contact face of the tread. The tread may have a nose and a reverse face with a corner for location of a riser. Instead the tread may have a snap in type of leading edge and trailing edge for use as the intermediate portion of a three part tread. The top face of the strip may be longitudinally ribbed. Preferably it lies 1mm above the face of the tread. The strip may be secured in the channel with double sided adhesive tape. The strip may be 20-50mm wide. While vinyl resins such as pvc are adequate, other resins can be substituted. ADVANTAGES 1. Preserves the overall timber appearance of the stairs. 2. No modification to the treads are needed once the stairs are installed. 3. A choice of strip colour is possible. 4. The strips are easily replaceable during the life of the staircase. DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is a side view of a three part bamboo stair tread. Figure 2 is an enlarged view of the leading tread showing the friction strip. DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS Referring now to Figure 1, the inclined end boards 1 of the staircase are routed in zigzag manner to accommodate the treads and risers. Each tread consists of three 2 parts being the leading tread 2, the intermediate tread 3 and the trailing tread 4. The leading tread is slid partially into the horizontal tread housing 5. This has a nose 6 and a corner 7 to meet with riser 8. The front edge 9 of the intermediate tread 3 is snapped into the rear edge of the leading tread 2 and slid partially into the housing 5. The trailing tread 4 is snapped into the rear edge of the intermediate tread.3. The composite tread accordingly has two parallel friction strips 10, 11. Referring now to Figure 2, the leading tread is 1840mm long, 100mm wide and 14mm thick except for the nose 6 which is 25mm thick. The tread's trailing edge terminates in a lock profile 12. The top face 13 of the tread has a shallow channel 14, 3mm deep and 50mm wide extending down the length of the tread. The channel 14 is filled with an extruded pvc strip 10, secured in position by adhesive tape. The strip's top face has multiple ribs 15 which collectively lie 1mm above the face 13 which bears the user's weight. The strip's bottom face 17 has flutes 18 allowing the strip to flex and lie coplanar with top face 13 under load. 3

Claims (5)

1. A stair tread wherein the contact face of the tread has a channel adjacent the leading edge of the tread and a wear resistant strip of frictional composition fixed in the channel having a frictional top face above the contact face of the tread.

2. A stair tread as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the tread has a nose and a reverse face with a corner for location of a riser.

3. A stair tread as claimed in Claim 1 or 2, wherein the top face of the strip is longitudinally ribbed.

4. A stair tread as claimed in any one of Claims 1-3, wherein the strip is polymeric and 20-50mm wide.

5. A stair tread as claimed in any one of Claims 1-4, wherein the tread timber is bamboo.