Functional Stairs fabricates custom vinyl, SPC, WPC and laminate stair treads and risers for commercial buildings — apartment blocks, offices, schools, clinics, hotels and retail — from our shop in Livonia, Michigan. We bend the same plank already specified for the floor into matching treads on a high-speed automated machine we designed, engineered and built in house, so the stairs finish in the building’s own flooring instead of a stair product that never quite matches.
What we do, and what we don’t
Being clear about this saves everybody a phone call.
We do: fabricate finished stair treads, risers and nosings from vinyl plank — any manufacturer, any style — in standard sizes that your crew cuts to fit on site, in volume, with a square wrapped nosing in one continuous piece.
We don’t: build or install staircases, fabricate metal or concrete stair pans, or carry out structural stair work. We are a fabrication shop that supplies the finished treads. Your own crew or contractor installs them.
If you need someone to build a staircase, we are not that company. If you have stairs and need them finished in the same flooring as the corridor, that is precisely what our machine does.
Why vinyl treads suit commercial stairs
- They match the floor exactly. Commercial specs usually settle on one LVT or SPC product for the whole building. We bend that product into the treads, so the stairwell stops looking like an afterthought.
- One piece, not a cap over a cap. The tread, the nosing and the return are the same plank. No glue-on overlap nosing to work loose underfoot in a high-traffic stairwell, and no metal edge strip in a different color.
- They go over the existing step. Our treads are formed to fit over what is already there, which usually means less demolition and a shorter closure.
- Anti-slip where you need it. We supply anti-slip tape as an add-on for stairwells that want extra grip.
- Repeatable. Every tread comes off the same machine with the same profile, so a property with twelve stairwells gets twelve staircases that match.
Volume, lead time and pricing
Fabrication is $32 per tread when you supply the plank, $64 per tread for XL treads over 48 inches, $63 per tread for laminate treads, and $16 per EverWhite riser. A standard 13-step flight runs about $624 in fabrication.
For multi-stairwell and multi-building work we set volume pricing and a standing account, so a property manager or GC can quote a job without calling for a number every time. Tell us how many flights and how many steps per flight and we will price the run.
Pickup and delivery is free across Metro Detroit on orders over $800, and we ship nationwide.
What we need from you to quote
- How many flights, and how many steps in each
- Tread width — anything over 48 inches is an XL tread
- The flooring product being used, or a sample if it is already on site
- Whether you want EverWhite risers (bright white vinyl, non-porous, no painting) or risers clad in the same plank as the treads
- Whether the existing nosing is square or rounded — we cover both, and the finished edge is square either way
A photo of one staircase is usually enough to start. You can also see the finished result on your own staircase before ordering — send a photo and pick the plank.
Common questions from facility and property managers
Can you match flooring we already installed years ago?
If the product is still made, yes — send us the name or a spare plank. If it has been discontinued, we bend whatever you can still source and match as closely as the current range allows. We will tell you honestly if the match will be visible.
Do you work from our measurements or come out?
Neither. Treads and risers come in standard sizes: treads are made to the size of the plank you supply, risers are 48 inches long, and your crew cuts each one to fit the step on site. That is what keeps volume pricing possible. Our template tool helps your crew mark each step accurately.
How long does a multi-stairwell order take?
It depends on the size of the run and the plank arriving. Tell us your deadline when you inquire and we will tell you straight whether we can hit it, before you order.
Can you do treads without risers?
Yes. Plenty of commercial stairs keep painted risers and only change the treads. Risers are priced separately.
Are these suitable for a fire escape or an exterior stair?
Ask us before you specify. Vinyl treads suit interior stairwells; exterior stairs and anything with a code requirement attached need checking against the plank manufacturer’s own ratings, and we would rather look at it with you than guess.
Talk to us about a building
Call (734) 245-8444 or come to 16911 Middlebelt Road, Livonia, MI 48154. Tell us how many flights you have and what is on the floor, and we will price it.
