A surface-treating appliance, such as a vacuum cleaner, has a main body and a support assembly. The support assembly is moveable between a supporting position, in which it supports the main body, and a retracted position. The support assembly includes a user-operable pedal, a component such as a stand and an actuator arranged to act on one of the pedal and the component over a first range of positions between the supporting and retracted positions and to act on the other of the pedal and the component over a second range of positions between the supporting and retracted positions. This arrangement brings the pedal and component positively into and out of the supporting and retracted positions.