How do you care for your ATAB staircase?

An ATAB staircase is made to beautify your home for many, many years, but to retain its freshness it requires some maintenance.

Clear lacquered surfaces:
Wash the planks with a cloth dampened in lukewarm water and synthetic detergent without alkalis.
Stains that cannot be removed by washing should be removed with a cloth dampened in white spirit. The liquid must not be poured onto the treads as it may damage the glue in the joints.
As it is the varnish that forms the wearing surface, you should take care to improve worn stair treads before the wooden surface is damaged. Before repair, the surface has to be clean and dry. Shiny areas that are to be treated should be roughed up first by rubbing lightly with fine grit sandpaper.

Factory oiled surfaces:
Factory oiled surfaces are treated once with Timberex Natural – Heavy Duty on delivery.
After the staircase has been assembled, additional oil should be applied and worked in using a sander or similar. Use a very fine sandpaper, and work in small areas at a time (e.g. half a step at a time)
Apply and spread oil twice more at intervals of one hour.
Before removing the excess after the three coats, work in as much oil as possible with the sander.
Hard-to-reach areas should be wiped by hand with a soft cloth. Always work in the direction of the wood grain.
Avoid walking on the surface on the first day!
When 12-18 hours have passed after the first priming, the surface should be machine polished.

Daily cleaning should be appropriate to how much the staircase is used. As a rule, dry cleaning applies.
In the event of heavy wear and tear and damp soiling, daily cleaning can be supplemented by damp wiping or damp mopping the surface. Use only a little water. Two decilitres of flooring soap is recommended with ten litres of lukewarm water.

Normal maintenance is done after cleaning with a thin layer of Satin Oil (approx. 1 liter / 15 m2)
Work the oil in along the wood direction with machine, let dry approx. 20 minutes, remove the excess, let dry again before dry polishing with machine. Finish by hand-polishing with a cloth in the direction of the grain.

Extremely dirty surfaces need to be inspected before treatment. Ask for special instructions from the oil manufacturer’s head office.

Note! All rags and sandpaper that have come into contact with the oil must be soaked for at least 24 hours and then disposed of in sealed packaging, otherwise there is a risk of spontaneous combustion!

Stained/Lacquered surfaces:
Stain/Lacquer is a coloring of the outer wood structure with a wearing surface of clear lacquer on top. In the event of deep damage where the wood has also been damaged the surface has to be sanded and possibly filled to repair the damage. A new coat of stain/glaze can then be applied. Note that it is important also to put a new coat of varnish on top of the stained surface.

Painted surfaces:
Painted surfaces should be protected extra well from dirt and materials that can make difficult marks (e.g. gravel) on the painted surface. Mild damage that has not penetrated far enough to damage the wood may be dealt with by a light application of paint. Where there is more serious damage, such as deep scratches that have penetrated and marked the wood, the whole surface has to be sanded and if necessary repaired until no marks remain visible. The surface can then be treated with a new top coat.
Even daily wear and tear can cause wear and tear over time, so all contact surfaces should be particularly well protected.

Steps covered with linoleum carpet:
Cleaning is done with lukewarm water added with liquid synthetic detergents or soap flakes. Make sure that the water does not run. Marks that cannot be removed by washing should be removed with white spirit/cleaners’ naphtha. The liquid must not be poured out onto the treads. It can damage the glue in the joints.
If necessary, treat the carpet with polish or washing wax. Use strong wax-removing agents with caution.

Steps covered with carpet:
Cleaning is done with a vacuum cleaner. Remove sand and grit as quickly as possible before it gets under the pile. If the carpet on the treads is very dirty, foam-wash it. Remove spots immediately making sure only to treat the area of the spot. Where the carpet is badly spotted obtain advice on appropriate methods of removal from the carpet manufacturer.