Paul McCracken suggested that I use Advance Chrome Connection in Ft. Worth,
Texas (see
https://www.advancechromeplating.com/).
(CSOB1 Note: they may not be in business anymore,
however, find a reputable chrome shop in your area to work with)
They were great to work with and to my surprise they were very experienced
with the Bonanza step! They quoted $125 plus shipping and tax to do the job,
which was very reasonable. They polished the entire assembly, cleaned it,
nickel plated it, and then applied a mirror-like chrome finish on top of the
nickel. The result was beautiful.
To provide the anti-slip surface I chose not to use wing-walk paint, but to
use anti-slip self-adhesive tape instead. This is sold by several hardware
stores in 4” widths. You can buy as little as a foot from Ace Hardware. At
Lowe’s Home Improvement and at Home Depot I found an even more interesting
product which I ultimately used. It is a self adhesive anti-slip stair tread
that includes a ¼ inch yellow reflective stripe. It is Safety Walk Reflective
Tread, 3M Part Number 7768NA. The yellow stripe in this product makes the
tread much easier to see in the dark. I cut a template for the step and then
cut the corresponding shape from the tread so that the reflective stripe would
run the length of the step.
I am pleased to say that the anti-slip material comes with a very strong
adhesive! I wiped the top of the step with a tissue dampened with alcohol
before applying the self-adhesive tread material. It grabbed the smooth chrome
finish strongly. It has been two years now and the material still looks great!
If you can get a tube of 3M Safety Walk Edge Sealing Compound you can further
secure the edge from wind and water. Some Ace Hardware stores carry this
product, and you can also obtain it from an Internet retailer. I did not use
this product, but only mention it as a suggestion. Mine is doing fine without
it.
I scanned the anti-slip piece of material before I attached it to the top of
the step so that I could the image as a template in the future when it becomes
necessary to replace the anti-slip surface. The part was scanned in black and
white, so although you can see the yellow stripe in the image, it appears as a
lighter shade of grey. Perhaps this template will save you some time!
Another Step pirep from Jeff C. of Beech Talk is as
follows:
I've found that the you can buy a very good anti slip pad in
the aviation department of Home Depot, Ace etc. It is usually black and used
for floors and stairs IIRC. 3M calls theirs Safety Walk Tape. It is often
available pre-cut or in rolls where you can cut the length you need. The pad
is commercial quality, with a very good adhesive backing. I've used it on
several different steps. It is also available with a small reflective yellow
stripe (~1/4") along one side that really improves the step's visibility at
night. I much prefer it over the completely blacked out steps.
To install clean the flat surface of the step really well with MEK or Actone.
Get all of the old material off. Cut a portion slightly larger than you need
so that it overlaps all the edges. Install, press down firmly all over. Trim
with exacto knife to the step edges. Works wonderfully.