ABMarathon Rubber Stair Treads

A practical choice for Australian and New Zealand commercial stairwells

Stairwells are one of the most heavily used areas in a commercial building. Every step takes repeated foot traffic, the nosing receives concentrated wear, and the stairwell needs to remain visually clear, straightforward to manoeuvre through and easy to maintain. For architects and designers, the stair tread is not a minor flooring detail. It affects safety, appearance, durability and the way a building is experienced between its main spaces.

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ABMarathon rubber stair treads provide a purpose made solution for commercial stairwells across Australia and New Zealand. The range combines homogeneous vulcanised rubber with defined stair profiles and a visual insert that identifies the leading edge of each step. It is a material choice based on what a stairwell has to withstand, not simply how a sample looks in the hand.

What makes ABMarathon work on stairs?

ABMarathon is made from homogeneous, vulcanised rubber. In practical terms, colour runs through the full thickness of the material, so normal surface wear does not expose a different printed layer. That matters on a stair because the front edge of the tread is where use is concentrated. The material remains a consistent rubber surface rather than relying on a thin decorative wear layer.

Unlike a broad floorcovering installation, a stair concentrates traffic on the same narrow walking line and at the same leading edge. That concentration is why a stair product needs a stable, resilient surface rather than a finish chosen only for its colour. The tread has to keep its profile, support the front edge and remain visually clear as people move through the building. ABMarathon is engineered around that use rather than adapted from an unrelated floorcovering application.

Rubber also provides the physical qualities expected in a high traffic stairwell: traction underfoot, resilience, footfall sound absorption, and resistance to stains and chemicals. These are material properties that support the daily use of the stairs. They are the reason ABMarathon is used in demanding commercial environments, including stairways, rather than being selected only for its appearance.

Performance and visual insert

The tread options are P3 or P4, depending on the product selected, and the visual insert is P5. Together, the tread and insert address the two things that matter at the step: slip resistant performance and a clear visual edge.

The visual insert must provide at least 30% visual contrast with the tread surface. With five colours available: black, white, red, yellow and Nightglow, the insert can be selected to achieve the required contrast without unnecessarily limiting the choice of tread colour.

VIT-22-Black

VIT-52-Red

VIT-82-Nightglow

VIT-72-Yellow

VIT-15-White

A material with a long service life

ABMarathon is intended for high-traffic commercial environments. Its homogeneous construction means that the stair is not depending on a surface print to retain its appearance, while vulcanised rubber provides a resilient material at the point of .

repeated impact. The product also has resistance to stains and chemicals, which supports routine cleaning and ongoing use.

The manufacturer provides a 10 year limited wear warranty. That gives the design team a defined reference point when comparing stair finishes. The more important whole of life question is whether the tread is suited to the conditions it will face: repeated footfall, concentrated nosing wear, cleaning and the need to retain a consistent appearance. ABMarathon is engineered for that use.

ABMarathon is a one piece stair tread system, the nosing, tread and riser are formed as one continuous component. By comparison, alternatives assembled from separate nosing, tread and riser sections introduce junctions between each element. Those junctions are potential weak points where breakdown can begin over time. Because the main stair elements are not joined together as separate finishes, the detail presents fewer potential weak points to consider. That is useful in high traffic areas, where movement and repeated impact are concentrated at the nosing and along the tread edge itself.

Hammered Surface

Round Surface

Material health and environmental credentials

For projects where material transparency matters, ABMarathon carries a Declare Label and is Red List Free. That means the rubber is free from PVC, chlorine and other halogens, phthalates, PFAS, formaldehyde and crystalline silica. It is also FloorScore certified for VOC emissions and covered by a product-specific Type III Environmental Product Declaration.

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Red List Free is an ingredient statement, not a general sustainability slogan. The Declare Label provides transparency to 100 ppm; FloorScore addresses VOC emissions; and the EPD records product-specific life-cycle information. Those documents answer different specification questions and give the specifier evidence to support the project without relying on a broad environmental claim.

ABMarathon is CO₂ neutral upon request, allowing production using 100% renewable natural gas made from organic waste in the manufacturing process. The cradle-to-gate position is verified through the product-specific Environmental Product Declaration. This gives architects and designers specific information to place beside the product’s performance and colour information when preparing a schedule or sustainability submission.

Custom colour is available

A standard colour is not the only option. ABMarathon can be produced in a custom colour for qualifying commercial projects over 200 m². Pantone or NCS references can be submitted, a physical sample is produced for approval, and there is no upcharge for the custom colour on qualifying projects. That gives the design team a route to match a brand colour, school identity, healthcare palette or heritage scheme without moving to a different stair product.

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A practical stairwell specification

For architects and designers, the ABMarathon decision can be kept straightforward: select the stair tread profile, choose the rubber colour, choose the visual insert colour and confirm the required contrast. The supporting performance and environmental information can then sit alongside the finish selection in the project documentation. Bring this information into the project early, alongside the landing finish and stair geometry. The tread profile, insert colour, contrast check and any custom colour request can then be coordinated before the material schedule, samples and procurement decisions are fixed for approval.

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ABMarathon brings together a homogeneous rubber surface for repeated use, P3 or P4 tread options, a P5 visual insert in five colours, a 30% contrast requirement, long-term wear performance and environmental documentation that supports a commercial specification. It can also be made in a custom colour when the project demands it.

GEO Flooring supplies ABMarathon across Australia and New Zealand and can support the design team with samples, colour guidance and current technical information.