Glossary
- Adhesives tapes – Double sided self-adhesive contact tapes for general application of flooring accessories.
- Aluminium – Light weight corrosion resistant metal extracted from bauxite. Used for stair nosing carrier/channel
- Anodised – Electrolytic coating applied to aluminium to give a variety of colours and finishes e.g. brass or silver
- Base(s) – Under profiles into which QFS Topline transition profile tops are clipped
- BRE IP 15/03 – Building Research Establishment paper covering Proprietary Nosings for non-domestic stairs
- BS5395, BS8300, BS8493 & BS9266 – British Standards which include guidelines for the designs, shapes and identification of stairs, steps and stair nosings
- Buffer Strips – PVC flat strips used to protect the bottom sections of walls and doors
- Building Regulations Part K – National Building Regulations covering ‘Protection from Falling’
- Building Regulations Part M – National Building Regulation covering ‘Access to and use of Buildings
- Bull and bull nose – A rounded shape to the nose of a step(s) on a stair. Also, the profile shape of a stair nosing that fits a bull nose step
- Caps and/or Capping Strips – PVC and uPVC profiles used to finish off vinyl floorcovering that has been ‘coved’ up the wall
- Channel – Metallic or uPVC stair nosing profiles that hold the tread material on the upper surface
- Chevron – A ‘kinked’ shape to the riser portion of a stair nosing. Enables the stair nosing to be fitted with straight, raked or bull nose step profiles
- Coiled Skirting – PVC skirtings produced in coils of lengths up to 32m. Enables skirtings to be fitted in longer lengths without joins
- Contact Tapes – See adhesive tapes
- Counter sunk – Drill holes (in stair nosing treads) with the upper part enlarged so the screw head can be sunk below the surface
- Cove Cap – A combination PVC profile of cove former and capping strip
- Cove Formers and/or Cove Base – A radiused PVC profile fitted at wall/floor junctions to provide back support for vinyl/lino floorcoverings that are curved up the wall
- Curveable on site – Ability of a flooring accessory profile to be curved by an installation contractor on site. Usually applicable to PVC profiles
- Curving – The fabrication to template in the factory of accessory profiles (stair nosings and trims) to fit curved shapes on steps or floorcovering edges
- Cut to size – Stair nosings that have been cut to the size of measured steps on a stair
- Cuts – See ‘Cut to size‘
- DDA – See ‘Disabled Discrimination Act’
- Disabled Discrimination Act – The Disabled Discrimination Act (DDA:1995) was the original Act that served to protect the rights of disabled persons. As such it included the rights of the partially sighted, and guidelines were set out which indicated how stairs should be made safer for them. These included requirements for stair nosing designs and colours. Subsequently the DDA guidelines have been incorporated into the Equality Act 2010
- Drilled and Plugged – Installed stair nosings fitted with screws where the counter sunk screw holes are fitted with PVC plugs to hide the screw heads are called drilled and plugged’
- Drilling – The process of creating a countersunk hole for screws in the tread of a stair nosing
- External – Any location outside of a building
- Fabrication – Factory made shapes to template of stair nosings and or transition strips. Usually in the form of curved stair nosings
- Filled – Stair nosing channel that is factory filled with tread material
- Fixing or Fitting – The application or installation of flooring accessories to stairs and or floors
- Flat – See Flat Skirtings
- Flat Skirtings – PVC skirtings without any form of curved ‘foot’ or base
- Flexible PVC – Soft and malleable poly vinyl chloride (PVC) profiles without plasticisers.
- Floor Trims – Flooring accessories that finish-off floorcovering edges and or joints
- Flooring Accessories – Any product (usually a profile) that helps complete a floorcovering installation.
- Gauge – The thickness of a stair nosing
- Going – The horizontal distance on the tread of a step between the base of the riser and nose of the step
- Heavy Duty – The gauge or thickness of a stair nosing above 4.0 mm. Stair nosings in this category are suitable for use with carpets and carpet tiles
- H-Range – The range code for Heavy Duty stair nosings
- Infill or Insert – Alternative term for the tread material applied into or onto the channel(s) of a stair nosing.
- Infill Plugs – Small PVC discs stamped out of stair nosing tread (infill) material used as cover caps for screw heads in counter sunk holes
- Installation – See Fixing or Fitting
- Internal – Reference to locations within a building – not outside
- Lean – Principle of driving business processes to reduce waste, improve value, give customers what they want and always learn to be better
- Light Reflectance Value – Measure of light reflected from a surface (coloured). Used as datum to establish contrasting colours between Black (0) and White (100)
- Lipped – Description of the back edge of stair nosings with a feature that overlaps the edge of vinyl on the step tread when it meets the stair nosing
- LRV – the abbreviation for Light Reflectance Value (see definition)
- Matting or Entrance Matting – Heavy duty durable mats that help remove moisture and dirt at entrances to commercial and public premises
- Measure Request – Request for a QFS surveyor to visit a project site to measure steps for stair nosings, or entrances for matting
- Measuring Service – The service of site measures to measure steps for stair nosings or entrances for matting
- Mill Finish – The natural smooth finish on the surface of an aluminium profile extrusion e.g. the surface finish of an aluminium stair nosing
- Nose – See Stair Nose
- Open String Stair – A stair or stairway with one side open and the other closed to a wall edge. In some cases, both sides can be open.
- Packs – Alternative term for ‘Boxes’
- Plugs – See Infill Plugs
- Polished – An additional process applied to the surface of an aluminium stair nosing that gives a high-quality silver finish. See also Quicksilver
- Pre-Taped – Double sided contact adhesive tape applied to profiles in the factory and supplied as part of finished goods
- Profiles – Extruded lengths of products in 2 dimensions i.e. not moulded. Examples: stair nosings, skirtings, caps & coves and transition strips
- Punched – In a flooring accessory, punched refers to an aluminium profile flange which has teeth stamped into it. The purpose being to grip a carpet edge.
- PVC – Poly vinyl chloride – flexible plastic
- PVC Accessories – The generic term for all flooring profiles made from poly vinyl chloride (PVC)
- PVC Skirting – An extruded profile in poly vinyl chloride (PVC) used as a strip covering the junction between floor and wall
- PVC Transition Profiles – Profiles made from PVC (poly vinyl chloride) that act as a joining and protective strip at floorcovering joints
- QFS – Quantum Flooring Solutions
- Q-Range – A unique selection of stair nosings from QFS with a patented ‘all-over’ tread design that meets Building Regulation and BS guidelines
- QSMS – The Quantum Specialist Measuring Service (QSMS) offers free site visits and digital measures for stair nosings and entrance matting
- Quicksilver – The QFS trade name for aluminium stair nosings with a highly polished finish with a stainless-steel look
- Rake back – An angled shape (usually 83 deg.) to the nose of a step(s) on a stair. Also, the profile shape of a stair nosing that fits a rake backed nose step
- Ramp Back – A ramped edge to the back/rear of a stair nosing. Used when there is no floorcovering on a stair, or the stair nosing is fitted on top of vinyl.
- Ramp Trims – PVC Accessories extruded in the shape of a ramp used to finish off the edges of floorcoverings and reduce the risk of a trip hazard
- Release Paper – Protective strip of paper on double sided adhesive tape. Peeled off when adhesive is to be exposed for use.
- Riser – The vertical portion of a step between the tread and nose
- Satin etched finish – Special anodised finish to Q-Range aluminium stair nosings. Glare free and scratch resistant
- Secret Fixing – The method of fixing stair nosings to a step where the tread material is inserted into the channel after the channel has been screwed and
- Secret Fixing – fixed to the step nose. All screw heads are therefore un-seen.
- Set-in Skirtings – PVC skirtings that are installed with the skirting foot welded to the adjacent vinyl or lino floorcovering
- Sit-on Skirtings – PVC skirtings that are installed after the floorcovering is laid. The skirting foot then sits ‘on top’ of the floorcovering
- Skirting – A profile that is positioned at the junction between floor and wall to protect the floorcovering edge and conceal the base of the wall finishes
- Slenderline – The gauge or thickness of a stair nosing below 4.0 mm. Stair nosings in this category are suitable for use with vinyl, lino or no floorcovering
- S-Range – The range code for Slenderline stair nosings
- Stair Edging – See Stair Nosing
- Stair Edging Trim – See Stair Nosing Trims
- Stair Nose – The line at which the tread and riser of a step meet
- Stair Nosing Trims – Profiles that trim the edge of steps on the open side of an open string staircase
- Stair Nosing(s) – A profile (usually of aluminium or uPVC) with a slip resistant tread surface, that is placed on the nose of steps. This highlights, and protects the nose of steps and is important for meeting Building Regulation and BS guidelines
- Stair Treads – See Stair Nosings
- Staircase – A flight or series of steps that constitute a stair or stairway
- Stairnosings – See Stair Nosing
- Stairtread – See Stair Nosing
- Stairway – See Staircase
- Stairway Approach – The floor area immediately before the top or bottom of a stair or stairway
- Steps – The combination of the risers and treads on a stair or stairway. Usually refers to the flat tread surface on which foot fall is placed
- Stock Lengths – 2.44m; 2.75m; 3.2m, The standard lengths of stair nosing available ex-works from QFS
- Straight – A straight or flat shape to the nose of a step(s) on a stair. Also, the profile shape of a stair nosing that fits a straight or flat nose step
- Tactile Surface – A ribbed or ‘blistered’ surface positioned in a floor or walkway to give the partially sighted advance notice of a potential hazard. Blister versions are used on pavements at crossing points and platform edges, ribbed on approaches to stairs. external only.
- Tape – See Adhesive Tapes
- Topline – QFS trade name for the range of transition profiles with clip-in tops
- Tops – The QFS PVC profiles that are clipped into the bases of the Topline range of transition profiles
- Transition Profiles – Extruded profiles that finish-off and protect edges and joins in floorcoverings
- Tread – The horizontal surface on a step between the base of the riser and nose of the step on which foot fall occurs
- Treadsteps – The QFS trade name for slip-resistant rubber strips used as inserts into the nose portion of steps. An alternative to stair nosings
- Trimitre – Moulded PVC cove former pieces used as pre-formed support at internal and external wall/floor corners
- Trims – Flooring accessories that finish-off floorcovering edges and or joints
- Undrilled – Stair nosings supplied without pre-drilled screw holes
- Un-filled – Stair nosings supplied without the tread material fitted into the channel. The tread material is supplied loose for on-site application
- Un-punched – Aluminium trims supplied without ‘gripper’ teeth punched into the profile
- UPVC or PVCU – Un-plasticised poly vinyl chloride – rigid plastic
- Weld Rod – Flexible (soft) PVC ‘rod’ used to weld joints (including where they abut set-in skirtings) in vinyl or lino floorcoverings.
- Z-Range – A budget range of best value QFS stair nosings
