How is rubber flooring fitted to stairs?

Rubber flooring for stairs is fitted by bonding precisely cut rubber tiles to the horizontal treads and, where risers are present, to the vertical risers.

Before installation, the steps must be structurally sound, clean, dry and free from dust. Existing coverings are removed, and damaged front edges are repaired beforehand.

Square standard rubber tiles can be cut on site to suit each individual step. WARCO can also manufacture a ready-to-install stair covering in the factory from a DXF file containing the exact step dimensions. A single stair tile can be up to 103 cm wide; wider steps are covered with several sections joined by a precisely cut puzzle interlock, leaving an almost seamless connection.

The required thickness depends on the location. For internal stairs, rubber tiles with a thickness of 1 to 2 cm are suitable. For external stairs, rubber tiles with a thickness of 1.8 to 3 cm are recommended. Outdoors, the stair covering must be water-permeable so that rainwater can drain through the rubber tiles.

The thickness of the rubber tiles alters the relative heights at the bottom and top of the staircase. Within the flight, the rises remain the same because every tread is raised by the same amount. If the floor in front of the stairs and the upper landing remain uncovered, the height difference to the first covered tread increases at the bottom of the stairs, while the height difference to the landing becomes smaller at the top. Both adjoining surfaces should therefore also be covered or structurally adjusted.

Installation starts at the lowest step and continues upwards. The accurately cut section is bonded to the riser with permanently flexible PU adhesive, followed by the rubber tile on the tread above. The tread tile covers the upper cut edge of the covering on the riser. A stair nosing profile is then bonded to the front edge of the tread to protect the rubber covering from premature wear. The stairs must not be used until the adhesive has fully cured.