Raven Black G684 granite treads and risers, exfoliated. Treads are 1210x350x30mm in two edge profiles, bullnose or pencil edge. Risers are 1210x170x20mm. All sold per piece.
Bullnose or Pencil Edge
This is the choice to get right, because it changes how the whole flight reads and it cannot be altered later.
A bullnose is a fully rounded front edge. It is softer on shins, sheds water cleanly, and suits pool steps, family gardens and traditional landscaping. A pencil edge is squared with the arris just eased off. It gives a crisp shadow line under the nosing and a much more architectural result, which is why it turns up on contemporary builds with rendered walls and strip lighting.
On a black stone the difference is amplified. A pencil edge in Raven Black reads as a sharp dark line; a bullnose reads as a solid, softer step.
Exfoliated Finish on Steps
The exfoliated face is flame-treated, which opens the surface into a fine texture that grips when wet. On stairs that is not a nice-to-have. Polished black granite outdoors is genuinely dangerous in rain, and it is worth checking that any black granite tread you are comparing has a flamed or exfoliated face rather than a honed one.
Ordering and Fixing
Count the flight and order that many treads and risers. At 1210mm long, flights wider than that will need joined treads, so decide where the joint sits before ordering rather than on the day.
Bed treads on a full bed of adhesive over concrete or blockwork, never spot-fixed. Granite is strong but a void underneath concentrates load and cracks it. Set the nosing to overhang the riser by 20 to 30mm.
Dark granite gets hot in direct sun. On poolside steps that customers walk barefoot, a sandstone tread will be considerably more comfortable, and there are Himalayan White and Teakwood options for that.
Matching the Range
Raven Black also comes as pavers and tiles and cobblestones. If you are comparing against Diamond Black, that is a separate carbon-black granite listed under Diamond Black pavers and tiles; it runs darker and more uniform than G684. More options on the treads and risers page.
Direct import into Keysborough, Melbourne, with freight quoted Australia wide. Samples are free.
