Electroless nickel-phosphorous alloy was plated onto quenched and hardened stainless steel. Laser surface treatments by YAG laser beams were carried out with the objective of improving -both the wear and the corrosion resistance of the platings. The friction and wear properties of the laser-treated platings were compared to unplated, untreated plated, and 400°C heat-treated plated substrates in pin-on-disc tests under unlubricated conditions. It was shown that laser treatments gave about a ten percent reduction in the friction coefficient compared with unplated substrates, and that controlled laser-treated plating improved the wear resistance of untreated plating to a level equivalent to 400°C heat-treated plating. It was found that the salt-spray corrosion resistance of the laser-treated platings was much greater than the unplated material and the 400°C heat-treated plating. The laser treatment is capable of improving both wear and corrosion resistance; and the wear resistance is externally governed by the hardness of the plating, and the corrosion resistance is governed by the crystal structure, especially the amount of amorphous nickel.Presented as a Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers paper at the STLE/ASME Tribology Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana, October 24–27, 1993