Restoring rubber stair treads
 

I have rubber stair treads on my back entryway steps. They are black rubber
with many ribs on each tread(very very narrow space between each rib). They
are in excellent condition but although I vacuum and mop(with ammonia
solution) them often, they never really look that good.

I am going to be repainting the wood portion of the stairs and would like to
have the rubber treads look a lot better than they do. Removing them and
going to new ones is not an option, so any ideas about how to clean them,
restore them,etc would be much appreciated.

Thank you,

Bob

Restoring rubber stair treads
 

"Bob" wrote in message
. ..
I have rubber stair treads on my back entryway steps. They are black rubber
with many ribs on each tread(very very narrow space between each rib). They
are in excellent condition but although I vacuum and mop(with ammonia
solution) them often, they never really look that good.

I am going to be repainting the wood portion of the stairs and would like
to have the rubber treads look a lot better than they do. Removing them
and going to new ones is not an option, so any ideas about how to clean
them, restore them,etc would be much appreciated.

Thank you,

Bob

what about the stuff they spray on tires at the car wash?

Restoring rubber stair treads
 

On Nov 4, 4:36*pm, "charlie" wrote:
"Bob" wrote in message

I have rubber stair treads on my back entryway steps. They are black rubber
with many ribs on each tread(very very narrow space between each rib). They
are in excellent condition but although I vacuum and mop(with ammonia
solution) them often, they never really look that good.

I am going to be repainting the wood portion of the stairs and would like
to have the rubber treads look a lot better than they do. Removing them
and going to new ones is not an option, so any ideas about how to clean
them, restore them,etc would be much appreciated.


what about the stuff they spray on tires at the car wash?

That was my first thought as well, but isn't there silicone in there?
It would affect repainting and would might make the treads more
slippery.

R

Restoring rubber stair treads
 

Great idea

Thank you very much!

Bob

"charlie" wrote in message
...

"Bob" wrote in message
. ..
I have rubber stair treads on my back entryway steps. They are black
rubber with many ribs on each tread(very very narrow space between each
rib). They are in excellent condition but although I vacuum and mop(with
ammonia solution) them often, they never really look that good.

I am going to be repainting the wood portion of the stairs and would like
to have the rubber treads look a lot better than they do. Removing them
and going to new ones is not an option, so any ideas about how to clean
them, restore them,etc would be much appreciated.

Thank you,

Bob

what about the stuff they spray on tires at the car wash?

Restoring rubber stair treads
 

Bob wrote:
....top posting repaired--don't do that... :(

"charlie" wrote in message
...
"Bob" wrote in message
. ..
I have rubber stair treads on my back entryway steps. They are black
rubber with many ribs on each tread(very very narrow space between each
rib). They are in excellent condition but although I vacuum and mop(with
ammonia solution) them often, they never really look that good.

I am going to be repainting the wood portion of the stairs and would like
to have the rubber treads look a lot better than they do. Removing them
and going to new ones is not an option, so any ideas about how to clean
them, restore them,etc would be much appreciated.

Thank you,

Bob
what about the stuff they spray on tires at the car wash?

Great idea
....

see another's poster's comments on that before get _too_ excited...

--

Restoring rubber stair treads
 

On Wed, 4 Nov 2009 13:30:41 -0800, "Bob"
wrote:

I have rubber stair treads on my back entryway steps. They are black rubber
with many ribs on each tread(very very narrow space between each rib). They
are in excellent condition but although I vacuum and mop(with ammonia
solution) them often, they never really look that good.

I am going to be repainting the wood portion of the stairs and would like to
have the rubber treads look a lot better than they do. Removing them and
going to new ones is not an option, so any ideas about how to clean them,
restore them,etc would be much appreciated.

Thank you,

Bob



Just about any product used to "restore" rubber is also going to make
it slippery as hell.

Restoring rubber stair treads
 

Bob wrote:
I have rubber stair treads on my back entryway steps. They are black
rubber with many ribs on each tread(very very narrow space between
each rib). They are in excellent condition but although I vacuum and
mop(with ammonia solution) them often, they never really look that
good.
I am going to be repainting the wood portion of the stairs and would
like to have the rubber treads look a lot better than they do.
Removing them and going to new ones is not an option, so any ideas
about how to clean them, restore them,etc would be much appreciated.

Thank you,

Bob

There is an industrial product called "rubber rejuvinator", very volatile,
but it cleans rubber very well. Years ago I worked in a autobody shop and we
used "tire paint" to refresh the tires after we painted and cleaned the car.
It was thick out of the can, you thinned it to water consistency and painted
the tires, rubber car mats and foot pedals to make them all look new for the
used car lots that were our customers.

I saw some many years ago in an auto parts store, so I don't know if it is
still available now.

Restoring rubber stair treads
 

"Bob" wrote in message
. ..
I have rubber stair treads on my back entryway steps. They are black rubber
with many ribs on each tread(very very narrow space between each rib). They
are in excellent condition but although I vacuum and mop(with ammonia
solution) them often, they never really look that good.

I am going to be repainting the wood portion of the stairs and would like
to have the rubber treads look a lot better than they do. Removing them
and going to new ones is not an option, so any ideas about how to clean
them, restore them,etc would be much appreciated.

Thank you,

Bob


Hi Bob,

Why not try rubbing alcohol and a bristle brush? I use it to
rejuvinate the rubber ball on my mouse and the rubber comes back to new
again.... Jim

Restoring rubber stair treads
 

charlie wrote:
"Bob" wrote in message
. ..
I have rubber stair treads on my back entryway steps. They are black rubber
with many ribs on each tread(very very narrow space between each rib). They
are in excellent condition but although I vacuum and mop(with ammonia
solution) them often, they never really look that good.

I am going to be repainting the wood portion of the stairs and would like
to have the rubber treads look a lot better than they do. Removing them
and going to new ones is not an option, so any ideas about how to clean
them, restore them,etc would be much appreciated.

Thank you,

Bob

what about the stuff they spray on tires at the car wash?



That sounds like a bad idea... I think that's mostly silicone and while
it does an excellent job of making rubber look good and protecting it,
it also makes it slick...

nate

--
replace "roosters" with "cox" to reply.
http://members.cox.net/njnagel

Restoring rubber stair treads
 

Jim wrote:
"Bob" wrote in message
. ..
I have rubber stair treads on my back entryway steps. They are black rubber
with many ribs on each tread(very very narrow space between each rib). They
are in excellent condition but although I vacuum and mop(with ammonia
solution) them often, they never really look that good.

I am going to be repainting the wood portion of the stairs and would like
to have the rubber treads look a lot better than they do. Removing them
and going to new ones is not an option, so any ideas about how to clean
them, restore them,etc would be much appreciated.

Thank you,

Bob


Hi Bob,

Why not try rubbing alcohol and a bristle brush? I use it to
rejuvinate the rubber ball on my mouse and the rubber comes back to new
again.... Jim


Brush with a stiff brush, clean with spray cleaner, and treat with
armor-all or similar. Then to restore the non-skid properties, buzz the
non-skid bumps with a scraper and a rag dampened with alcohol. You want
to protect and shield the rubber surface everywhere except the high
spots where the smooth shoesoles hit.

At work, a few years ago, they put that non-skid decking stuff in all
the elevators. The next week, the cleaning crew waxed it. Those little
raised dots became like walking on marbles in wet weather. So the
trimmed a huge commercial doormat to fit and laid it over that. A few
months later, they ripped all that out, and put in indoor-outdoor carpet
squares. (Don't laugh too hard- your taxes paid for all of it.)

--
aem sends...

--
aem sends...

Restoring rubber stair treads
 

In article ,
wrote:

On Wed, 4 Nov 2009 13:30:41 -0800, "Bob"
wrote:

I have rubber stair treads on my back entryway steps. They are black rubber
with many ribs on each tread(very very narrow space between each rib). They
are in excellent condition but although I vacuum and mop(with ammonia
solution) them often, they never really look that good.

I am going to be repainting the wood portion of the stairs and would like to
have the rubber treads look a lot better than they do. Removing them and
going to new ones is not an option, so any ideas about how to clean them,
restore them,etc would be much appreciated.

Thank you,

Bob



Just about any product used to "restore" rubber is also going to make
it slippery as hell.

Sorry, I have to disagree on that, Salty. Rubber rejuvenator was
commonly used on VCR tires that had begun to get hard and brittle. It
restored, to a degree, the resilience and grip of the tires. Not every
product is as useless as Armor All.

Restoring rubber stair treads
 

On Nov 4, 3:30*pm, "Bob" wrote:
I have rubber stair treads on my back entryway steps. They are black rubber
with many ribs on each tread(very very narrow space between each rib). They
are in excellent condition but although I vacuum and mop(with ammonia
solution) them often, they never really look that good.

I am going to be repainting the wood portion of the stairs and would like to
have the rubber treads look a lot better than they do. Removing them and
going to new ones is not an option, so any ideas about how to clean them,
restore them,etc would be much appreciated.

Thank you,

Bob

Check out the products at an autobody supply store. Second source, the
catalogues of auto restoration companies like Eastwood. 3M has a large
listing of amazing stuff available at such places. Janitor supply
stores should also have things that might do what you want. Good luck
shopping.

Joe

Restoring rubber stair treads
 

On Wed, 04 Nov 2009 19:30:47 -0800, Smitty Two
wrote:

In article ,
wrote:

On Wed, 4 Nov 2009 13:30:41 -0800, "Bob"
wrote:

I have rubber stair treads on my back entryway steps. They are black rubber
with many ribs on each tread(very very narrow space between each rib). They
are in excellent condition but although I vacuum and mop(with ammonia
solution) them often, they never really look that good.

I am going to be repainting the wood portion of the stairs and would like to
have the rubber treads look a lot better than they do. Removing them and
going to new ones is not an option, so any ideas about how to clean them,
restore them,etc would be much appreciated.

Thank you,

Bob



Just about any product used to "restore" rubber is also going to make
it slippery as hell.

Sorry, I have to disagree on that, Salty. Rubber rejuvenator was
commonly used on VCR tires that had begun to get hard and brittle. It
restored, to a degree, the resilience and grip of the tires. Not every
product is as useless as Armor All.

I'll have to disagree with that. Re-Grip, which is the product you are
referring to, would make for a very slick walking surface. It was only
a temporary fix for VCR tires, anyway. It also comes in a very tiny
bottle for several dollars. To use it on an entire stair tread, you
would spend hundreds of dollars, befor discovering just how slick a
surface it would leave.

Restoring rubber stair treads
 

"Bob" wrote in message
. ..
I have rubber stair treads on my back entryway steps. They are black rubber
with many ribs on each tread(very very narrow space between each rib). They
are in excellent condition but although I vacuum and mop(with ammonia
solution) them often, they never really look that good.

I am going to be repainting the wood portion of the stairs and would like
to have the rubber treads look a lot better than they do. Removing them
and going to new ones is not an option, so any ideas about how to clean
them, restore them,etc would be much appreciated.

Thank you,

Bob


What I use to rejuvenate auto windshield blades is lacquer thinner. Takes
off the oxidized rubber and they are soft again and look good. WW

Restoring rubber stair treads
 

On Nov 4, 9:21*pm, aemeijers wrote:
Jim wrote:

Brush with a stiff brush, clean with spray cleaner, and treat with
armor-all or similar.

Danger Will Robinson!!!

Don't use Armor-all unless you have a pair of golf shoes to wear while
climbing the stairs. (I've never tried it on stair treads, but I've
made the mistake of putting it on a motorcycle seat before. It made
riding "interesting".)

Restoring rubber stair treads
 

In article ,
wrote:

On Wed, 04 Nov 2009 19:30:47 -0800, Smitty Two
wrote:

In article ,
wrote:


Just about any product used to "restore" rubber is also going to make
it slippery as hell.

Sorry, I have to disagree on that, Salty. Rubber rejuvenator was
commonly used on VCR tires that had begun to get hard and brittle. It
restored, to a degree, the resilience and grip of the tires. Not every
product is as useless as Armor All.

I'll have to disagree with that. Re-Grip, which is the product you are
referring to, would make for a very slick walking surface. It was only
a temporary fix for VCR tires, anyway. It also comes in a very tiny
bottle for several dollars. To use it on an entire stair tread, you
would spend hundreds of dollars, befor discovering just how slick a
surface it would leave.

Ha. Well, I wasn't advocating trying to restore the rubber treads with
anything. I think the OP should live with them or replace them. I was
just taking exception to your blanket statement about slipperiness and
restoration. Two observations:

1. I never walked on a restored VCR tire, but if it were slippery, it
wouldn't pull tape. You're meant to saturate the tire, allow it to soak
in some, then wipe off all excess. It always worked well for me and
didn't leave a slick surface.


2. Anything that comes in a two ounce bottle originally came in a 55
gallon drum, and the price difference is not proportional by volume.
Most of the price of liquids is packaging and distribution, not
ingredients.

Restoring rubber stair treads
 

"Larry Fishel" wrote in message
...
On Nov 4, 9:21 pm, aemeijers wrote:
Jim wrote:

Brush with a stiff brush, clean with spray cleaner, and treat with
armor-all or similar.

Danger Will Robinson!!!

Don't use Armor-all unless you have a pair of golf shoes to wear while
climbing the stairs. (I've never tried it on stair treads, but I've
made the mistake of putting it on a motorcycle seat before. It made
riding "interesting".)

Hey Larry...I did that years ago. Bike moved out with out me. WW

Restoring rubber stair treads
 

"WW" wrote in message
. ..

"Larry Fishel" wrote in message
...
On Nov 4, 9:21 pm, aemeijers wrote:
Jim wrote:

Brush with a stiff brush, clean with spray cleaner, and treat with
armor-all or similar.

Danger Will Robinson!!!

Don't use Armor-all unless you have a pair of golf shoes to wear while
climbing the stairs. (I've never tried it on stair treads, but I've
made the mistake of putting it on a motorcycle seat before. It made
riding "interesting".)

Hey Larry...I did that years ago. Bike moved out with out me. WW

everyone does that.....once...

Restoring rubber stair treads
 

charlie wrote:
"WW" wrote in message
. ..
"Larry Fishel" wrote in message
...
On Nov 4, 9:21 pm, aemeijers wrote:
Jim wrote:
Brush with a stiff brush, clean with spray cleaner, and treat with
armor-all or similar.
Danger Will Robinson!!!

Don't use Armor-all unless you have a pair of golf shoes to wear while
climbing the stairs. (I've never tried it on stair treads, but I've
made the mistake of putting it on a motorcycle seat before. It made
riding "interesting".)

Hey Larry...I did that years ago. Bike moved out with out me. WW

everyone does that.....once...


That is why I said to wipe down the high ridges with alcohol or
something, and scrape them, to take the sheen off.
That would still leave the anti-skid properties of the rubber, but make
the rest look not so nasty.

But yeah, the proper cure is replacement.
--
aem sends...

Restoring rubber stair treads
 

In article ,
wrote:

On Thu, 05 Nov 2009 09:05:24 -0800, Smitty Two
wrote:



1. I never walked on a restored VCR tire, but if it were slippery, it
wouldn't pull tape. You're meant to saturate the tire, allow it to soak
in some, then wipe off all excess. It always worked well for me and
didn't leave a slick surface.


What can I say, other than that you are wrong. Re-Grip leaves the
surface wet and sticky just like honey would.

Sure. Then you wipe it off. You keep ignoring that step. But please,
make up your mind. Does it leave it slippery, or sticky? You seem to be
waffling on your own assertion.



2. Anything that comes in a two ounce bottle originally came in a 55
gallon drum, and the price difference is not proportional by volume.
Most of the price of liquids is packaging and distribution, not
ingredients.

I assume you have a contact where I can order a 55 gallon drum of
re-grip for a price that would make it economically feasible to use
for rejuvenating some stair treads that really should be replaced?

I agree the treads should be replaced. But if I needed a 55 gallon drum
of re-grip, I could find it quite easily.

Restoring rubber stair treads
 

Ammonia was probably not the product to use on rubber treads. Ammonia
probably caused permanent color change to the rubber. Contact a
janitorial supply store for the proper products. A cleaner called
"Profi" is recommended for cleaning rubber. Then there are specific
coatings for rubber that won't crack or flake like those made for
vinyl tile floors. Rubber generally doesn't have a high shine but more
of a satin sheen. If rubber needs to be stripped of coatings be sure
to get a stripper made for use on rubber.

Restoring rubber stair treads
 

On Wed, 4 Nov 2009 13:30:41 -0800, "Bob"
wrote:

I have rubber stair treads on my back entryway steps. They are black rubber
with many ribs on each tread(very very narrow space between each rib). They
are in excellent condition but although I vacuum and mop(with ammonia
solution) them often, they never really look that good.

I am going to be repainting the wood portion of the stairs and would like to
have the rubber treads look a lot better than they do. Removing them and
going to new ones is not an option, so any ideas about how to clean them,
restore them,etc would be much appreciated.

Thank you,

Bob

mAYBE YOU'D HAVE luck at a janitor supply store. I went to one when I
heard they sold stuff that removed soot. They told me what they sold
me was what janitors used, but it didn't work in the place I tried it.
Maybe becaues I'd already tried something else.

Now I see someone sells treated sponges for soot. Maybe that will
worrk better.

But that I had bad luck, doesn't mean you will. The place in
baltimore is called Sterling Chemical. No mention of janitors, but I
think that's who they sell to, and janitors with longer names.

Restoring rubber stair treads
 

On Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:22:11 -0800, Smitty Two
wrote:

In article ,
wrote:

On Thu, 05 Nov 2009 09:05:24 -0800, Smitty Two
wrote:



1. I never walked on a restored VCR tire, but if it were slippery, it
wouldn't pull tape. You're meant to saturate the tire, allow it to soak
in some, then wipe off all excess. It always worked well for me and
didn't leave a slick surface.


What can I say, other than that you are wrong. Re-Grip leaves the
surface wet and sticky just like honey would.

Sure. Then you wipe it off. You keep ignoring that step.

No, I am not ignoring that step.

But please,
make up your mind. Does it leave it slippery, or sticky? You seem to be
waffling on your own assertion.


I'm not waffling at all. spread a gallon of Re-Grip on a rubber floor
and walk on it. I think you will find that it is sticky, but doesn't
exactly enhance traction. The slight stickiness of partially dissolved
rubber left by RE-Grip is what temporarily makes a glazed rubber wheel
able to move mylar tape.



2. Anything that comes in a two ounce bottle originally came in a 55
gallon drum, and the price difference is not proportional by volume.
Most of the price of liquids is packaging and distribution, not
ingredients.

I assume you have a contact where I can order a 55 gallon drum of
re-grip for a price that would make it economically feasible to use
for rejuvenating some stair treads that really should be replaced?

I agree the treads should be replaced. But if I needed a 55 gallon drum
of re-grip, I could find it quite easily.

I've challenged you to prove that, not speculate.

Restoring rubber stair treads
 

In article ,
wrote:

On Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:22:11 -0800, Smitty Two
wrote:



I agree the treads should be replaced. But if I needed a 55 gallon drum
of re-grip, I could find it quite easily.

I've challenged you to prove that, not speculate.

I'm not interested in proving it to you. And, I'm not speculating.
Here's a little story for your amusement, while you gum your soggy toast:

A multi-national corporation decides to build a large new manufacturing
plant. They want to generate their own power onsite, and they want to do
it using generators that burn used tires. A half dozen or so of their
top lackeys spend three months searching the internet, calling and
emailing everyone they can find, and turn up empty handed.

Finally they call a guy who says he can find things. A professional
researcher, who has spent his entire life in the field. Sure, the guy
says, I can find that. It'll cost you $3500. Agreed. The guy spends 1.5
hrs. on the project, and returns the names of 3 companies, along with
the phone numbers and email addresses of the president of each company,
who manufacture generators designed to burn used tires.

The guy, by the way, works at home, in his underwear. And that story
isn't unique, it's just representative. So, if I needed a 55 gallon drum
of regrip, which I don't, I'd just call him, since he's one of my
closest friends. The info would probably cost me lunch.

Restoring rubber stair treads
 

In article ,
wrote:

On Fri, 06 Nov 2009 06:36:59 -0800, Smitty Two
wrote:

In article ,
wrote:

On Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:22:11 -0800, Smitty Two
wrote:



I agree the treads should be replaced. But if I needed a 55 gallon drum
of re-grip, I could find it quite easily.

I've challenged you to prove that, not speculate.

I'm not interested in proving it to you. And, I'm not speculating.
Here's a little story for your amusement, while you gum your soggy toast:

A multi-national corporation decides to build a large new manufacturing
plant. They want to generate their own power onsite, and they want to do
it using generators that burn used tires. A half dozen or so of their
top lackeys spend three months searching the internet, calling and
emailing everyone they can find, and turn up empty handed.

Finally they call a guy who says he can find things. A professional
researcher, who has spent his entire life in the field. Sure, the guy
says, I can find that. It'll cost you $3500. Agreed. The guy spends 1.5
hrs. on the project, and returns the names of 3 companies, along with
the phone numbers and email addresses of the president of each company,
who manufacture generators designed to burn used tires.

The guy, by the way, works at home, in his underwear. And that story
isn't unique, it's just representative. So, if I needed a 55 gallon drum
of regrip, which I don't, I'd just call him, since he's one of my
closest friends. The info would probably cost me lunch.

So, now you are speculating that for $3500, someone will tell you
where to find a 55 gallon drum of Re-Grip that you will still have to
pay for.

Game, set ,match. Don't bother with any more lame responses that don't
actually prove anything. I think I now know where to look if I need an
endless supply of hot air.

Do you work at being a knothead, salty, or does it come naturally? What
part of "the info would probably cost me lunch" didn't you get? I didn't
say YOU could find a reasonably priced drum of regrip, I said I could
find one. I could, you couldn't. See? Game, set, match my ass.

And while we're on the subject of hot air, please link me to your
thesaurus that lists "sticky" as a synonym for "slippery," as you've
repeatedly claimed.