Caring for your metal stair parts

Incorporating metal into your staircase can both add a great deal of charm to a period style staircase and bring a fashionable and fascinating look to a more modern property. 

In our online shop we have many popular metallic styles to choose from, both traditional and modern stair parts, including black metal, brass, chrome, and nickel. While all are really durable materials, it’s important you properly care for and maintain your metallic stair parts to keep them looking and feeling sleek and beautiful.

Below we share our top tips for taking care of and maintaining your metal stair parts:

Routine cleaning

Routine cleaning is quick and easy and will help to sustain the shine and cleanliness of your stairs as well as removing any stains or fingerprints. We encourage you to build it into your household schedule at least every couple of weeks. 

The best method for cleaning your metal stair parts is using a soap or mild detergent in warm water – we’d recommend around a 1 to 4 ratio of cleaner to water. It’s best to use a soft cloth or sponge, and gently wipe the metal stair parts. Follow this up by rinsing with warm water before either wiping dry the stair parts or letting them dry naturally.

It is not recommended to use furniture polish on your metal stair parts, while any cleaning solutions that contains harsh chemicals are also best avoided. 

Regular dusting

As well as regular cleaning, you should dust your metal stair parts regularly. You can do this with either a microfibre cloth or feather duster. 

Monitor and address any rust 

While regular cleaning and dusting of your staircase should help protect your metal, it doesn’t mean rust will stay away forever. If left unmonitored it can lead to corrosion, which could prove dangerous. So, monitoring for any rust during your regular maintenance is important.

Should rust start to build up anywhere, the best thing you can do is acquire a wire brush and lightly wipe it away. Once the rust has been rubbed away, give the area a clean and ensure it’s given plenty of time to dry. You can then apply a protective coating.

Giving your metal a lick of paint

Over time you may feel that your metal stair parts are ready for a new coat of paint. Like other frequently used parts of your household, they may require a bit more prep work because they get so much traction. So, before you paint, you'll want to remove any existing paint that may be bubbling or flaking, and then thoroughly clean your stairs.

Before putting on your fresh coat of paint, you’ll need to apply some rust-resistant primer, unless of course the paint your using is good quality and has primer pre-mixed into it. Once the primer is fully dry, you can apply your metal paint to the stair parts to give your staircase a new lease of life.