News — hardwood floors

Stair Treads vs. Stair Noses: What's the Difference?

If you're planning a staircase renovation, you've likely come across the terms stair treads and stair noses. While these components work together to create a safe, durable, and attractive staircase, they serve different purposes. Understanding the difference can help you choose the right products for your flooring project.

What Are Stair Treads?

Stair treads are the horizontal surfaces of a staircase—the part you step on when walking up or down the stairs. They provide the primary walking surface and contribute to the staircase's durability, comfort, and overall appearance.

Benefits of Stair Treads

• Provide a durable and stable walking surface.
• Enhance the overall look of your staircase.
• Available in hardwood, laminate, vinyl, and engineered wood options.
• Built to withstand heavy foot traffic.
• Can be customized to match your home's flooring and interior design.
• Create a seamless, high-end appearance by matching the stair surface with your flooring.

Consideration: Stair treads generally provide the most seamless look, but they may cost more than using stair noses, depending on the material and installation requirements.

What Is a Stair Nose?

A stair nose (also called stair nosing) is the trim piece installed along the front edge of a stair tread. It extends slightly beyond the riser, protecting the edge of each step while creating a smooth transition between the stair and the flooring.

Benefits of Stair Noses

• Protect stair edges from chips, cracks, and everyday wear.
• Improve safety by making the edge of each step more visible.
• Provide a clean, professional finish.
• Help extend the lifespan of both the stairs and the flooring.
• Available in coordinating finishes to complement your flooring for a cohesive appearance.

Consideration: While stair noses are designed to match your flooring, slight color variations may occur due to differences in manufacturing batches, wood grain, material composition, or lighting conditions.

Tigerwood Flooring

Exotics woods are very popular flooring options, and among them there is Tigerwood. Tigerwood is especially well-liked because of its boldness. It has a very dramatic look which is sure to catch visitors attention. Here are a couple of reasons why Tigerwood might be the best option for you:

1. This type of wood follows a consistent pattern and its vibrant colors give a tense appearance to ensure a unique look.
2. Tigerwood is durable by providing solid protection against wear.
3. This wood comes in long planks, great for a clean look. 
4. And finally, Tigerwood is highly resistant to pest infestation.  

Something to keep in mind is that Tigerwood’s color can darken if exposed to too much sunlight, but this isn’t uncommon for exotic flooring. Tigerwood has fairly simple maintenance needs. Vacuuming to remove debris and cleaning spilled liquids should be done regularly to ensure longevity.

If you have any questions please call our office at (408) 333-9771 or email us at info@evergreenhardwoodfloors.com.

Advantages of Oak Flooring

Tips for Maintaining Hardwood Floors

Knowing how to properly take care of your flooring is vital. Here are a couple of ways to maintain your floors, so that'll last long.

- Use hardwood products designed specifically for your flooring type.
- Don't use ammonia-based products or any other harsh chemicals to clean the floor.
- Don't apply topcoats to your floor before consulting with a hardwood floor specialist.
- Place padding under furniture legs, don't drag furniture or heavy objects and trim pet nails to avoid scratches.
- Sweep or vacuum regularly to get rid of dust particles.
- Limit your floors from direct sunlight to avoid color fades.

If you have any questions feel free to contact us at (408) 333-9771 or (408) 509-8627. You can also visit our showroom in 1190 Mountain View-Alviso, Ste N, Sunnyvale, CA 94089