Stair renovation for homeowners associations and commercial properties

A shared staircase has entirely different requirements than a residential staircase. Safety, liability, maintenance management, and long-term performance together determine whether a renovation is successful — not just on day one, but over the full operating period.

When a staircase is more than a staircase

In a private home, the staircase is a daily route. In an apartment building, it is something fundamentally different: a shared circulation space used by dozens or hundreds of people per day, forming part of an escape route, cleaned by an external company, and for which a VvE (Dutch homeowners' association) board bears liability.

That context changes everything. A strip that comes loose on a residential staircase is an annoyance. On a shared staircase in a flat building entrance, it is a liability risk. A coating that stains after five years on a private tread is a cosmetic problem. In a care facility or public building, the same problem means a management crisis.

Yet many renovations in apartment complexes, VvE (Dutch homeowners' associations), and public buildings are still carried out with systems originally developed for residential applications. That mismatch between system and application is the most common cause of disappointing performance in project-based stair renovation. This page explains exactly what that difference entails — and what requirements a serious project system must be able to meet.

What makes a stair renovation suitable for project use?

How a small material choice becomes a major management problem

Suppose: a VvE (Dutch homeowners' association) of a 1978 apartment complex has its shared staircases renovated. Budget is the driving factor. A standard coating system also used in homes is chosen. For the first two years it looks fine. Then the problems begin: dark wear paths that can no longer be fully cleaned, wear around the stair nosing, and in the stairwell on the street side — where grit and salt are tracked in during winter — the coating starts peeling in the third year.

The VvE has it renovated again. Again the lowest tender price. Again the same system. Two years later, the same story. After eight years the VvE has paid three times for the same problem, and residents have endured the disruption of renovation three times.

A VvE that chooses on purchase price pays on average twice. A VvE that chooses on Total Cost of Ownership pays once — and properly.

That is not the contractor's failure. It is the consequence of applying a system outside the scope for which it was developed. A residential system on a project staircase is as misplaced as a passenger car on a construction site.

The concrete laitance — why many coatings come loose on concrete staircases

Many VvE (Dutch homeowners' associations) see the pattern: a painted or coated staircase starts to peel after two to three years. The coating detaches — not randomly, but precisely at the most heavily loaded points: the stair nosing, the central walk line, the corners at the risers. It is repainted. The same problem recurs.

A common technical cause is the concrete laitance — also known as cement skin or laitance. During the curing of concrete, a thin, weak cement layer rises to the surface. This layer has no structural strength: it consists of fine cement dust that detaches from the load-bearing concrete core. When a renovation system is applied to this layer without prior mechanical preparation, it adheres not to strong concrete but to a weak intermediate layer.

Under the load of daily intensive use — foot traffic, vibrations, moisture, temperature fluctuations — that intermediate layer eventually gives way. It is not the renovation system that detaches, but the layer beneath it. And that pattern repeats with every subsequent renovation applied to the same substrate, unless the cause is addressed.

Building movement and elastic bonding

A building moves continuously. Temperature differences, settlement, traffic vibrations, and daily use cause micro-movement in the structure. Rigid systems — coatings or adhesives without elasticity — cannot absorb that movement. Over time, cracks, detaching sections, and stress points develop precisely at the most heavily loaded zones.

Omnistair EverStep Solid, Signature Solid, and GripStep Pro are combined with structural elastic bonding that absorbs micro-movements of the structure. This is particularly relevant in older apartment complexes, gallery-access flats, and existing commercial properties — where building movement is greater than in modern new construction.

Escape routes, fire safety, and the requirements that actually apply

A staircase in an apartment building is in most cases part of the escape route. That makes it fundamentally different from a residential staircase — even if the daily function is the same. During an emergency, use changes completely: larger groups, more urgency, less control, moisture from sprinklers or fire hoses, and reduced visibility due to smoke.

In those circumstances, grip and fire behaviour of the tread surface are not nice-to-haves but a direct safety factor. A tread surface that provides adequate grip under normal conditions may fall short in wet evacuation situations. And a material with an unknown fire classification can form an uncontrollable risk in an escape route.

Which requirements exactly apply is always dependent on building type, use function, escape routes, and project specifications. A specialised advisor or installer determines per project what applies on the basis of the Dutch Building Decree (Bbl) and project-specific fire safety requirements.

Commonly used stair finishes in apartment complexes and commercial properties

The following comparison is based on behaviour in project applications — not on product descriptions but on practical performance under intensive daily use.

Why maintenance load is the biggest cost that VvE underestimate

In an apartment building, a shared staircase is cleaned on average more frequently than a residential staircase — and with more intensive methods. Professional cleaning crews use industrial cleaning machines, higher concentrations of cleaning agents, and higher water pressure. Systems designed for residential use are structurally not built for this.

An open coating system that lasts five years in a home may already show visible wear in a VvE stairwell after two years — not due to a poor product but due to a wrong application assessment. And the additional cleaning required due to dark wear paths and dirt penetrating the structure costs more per year than the purchase price difference between a basic product and a project product.

The UV-cured surface of EverStep Solid, Signature Solid, and GripStep Pro is specifically developed for this use: a sealed top layer that bonds less quickly with dirt, withstands professional cleaning without coating degradation, and where anti-slip values are maintained even after repeated cleaning cycles.

MJOP optimisation — stair renovation as part of building management

Within the multi-year maintenance plan (MJOP) of a VvE or housing corporation, stair renovation is typically scheduled based on condition measurement. A condition measurement according to NEN 2767 provides insight into the technical state of building elements — including circulation spaces and stair finishes. Systems with a demonstrably longer service life and lower maintenance frequency extend the maintenance cycle and reduce the contribution to the reserve fund required for interim retreatment.

This makes material selection in stair renovation also an operational decision. A system that lasts ten years longer and requires fewer cleaning hours per year has a direct impact on the building's operating budget. Housing corporations and property managers who apply a sustainable renovation vision — focused on extending the life of existing buildings, circular renovation, and reducing demolition waste — find an additional argument in this for ultra-thin renovation systems that leave the existing structure intact and place less burden on the reserve fund.

Entry zone — the forgotten cost item

The largest share of contamination on a shared staircase does not come from the residents themselves, but from the entrance. Sand, grit, street dirt, and small stones are tracked in under shoes — and these cause abrasive wear on the walk line of the lower treads. A good entrance mat or dirt-trap zone at the entrance significantly reduces the maintenance load on the staircase, regardless of which system has been chosen.

Renovation of existing steep staircases in former industrial housing

Staircase and landing as one architectural whole

In modern apartment complexes and commercial properties, the staircase is increasingly seen as part of the total circulation space — not as a separate element. Architects, VvE (Dutch homeowners' associations), and property managers look at unity between staircase and landing, consistent material experience throughout the building, and maintenance of the full circulation route as a system.

Omnistair systems are not limited to stair treads. The same materials and finishes are applicable to landings, entrances, gallery walkways, porticos, and surrounding circulation floors. This creates one coherent architectural whole from entrance to upper floor — consistent in appearance, consistent in maintenance, and consistent in technical performance.

This approach also aligns with the broader trend in building management: no longer treating circulation spaces as the back of the building, but as the first impression for residents and visitors. In an era where quality of life, ESG reporting, and property value increasingly converge, the condition of shared spaces is a direct reflection of the quality of the property portfolio.

Which system suits which project?

Omnistair offers multiple systems for project applications, each tailored to a specific combination of use intensity, architectural requirements, and technical specifications.

This encyclopaedia page has been compiled by Omnistair on the basis of technical product information, practical experience, and market overview. Regulatory information is indicative — the applicable requirements per project are always dependent on building type, function, and local building regulations. Omnistair is the manufacturer of the EverStep, GripStep, and Signature system in recycled natural stone composite (patent NL2039653). The Bodegraven case study is based on a completed project.