Remove that amount from the length of your tread as well. The average labor cost to install laminate flooring is $1.72 per square foot. Registered in England No. Regular sweeping and vacuuming will keep your laminate stairs free of dirt, debris, and grime. The stairs are carpeted, so once I have left the expansion gap I am not sure how to finish this off? Finally, once youve finished installing your laminate on the entire staircase, allow it to cure overnight and avoid walking on it for approximately 12 hours. Would the fitting above be the best option also? Learn more about Stack Overflow the company, and our products. Laminate flooring is rated from 1 to 5 based on durability, with 5 being the most durable. It is not necessary to have your nosing be the same length as your tread or riser when it comes to your tread. We do not specifically market to children under 13. Some folks will advise you to use a nail gun instead. Use a jigsaw and cut slowly. Should i fit laminate flooring before carpet runner on stairs? Width of laminate depends on the type you buy and what style you are looking for, but the wider the planks, the more expensive usually. There are three parts that you will need to cut from your laminate, and it is best if you prepare them ahead of time before you begin installing the flooring: Riser parts are pieces that support a structure (the front piece on the vertical side of the step), Nosing for the stairwell (the corner piece which will create an overhang). Nosings usually overlap the width of the treads to create an overhang. This allows air to flow through the laminate, allowing it to respond to the temperature and humidity levels in your home. Steps To Install Laminate Flooring At Top Of Stairs Choose Laminate Flooring Allow Laminate To Adapt to Room Temperature Remove Old Adhesive Cut Site design / logo 2023 Stack Exchange Inc; user contributions licensed under CC BY-SA. Lally Column vs Jack Post: Whats the Difference? Best of luck with your next laminate stair project! But like all floors, laminate has its own installation quirks. Enjoy! Rough surfaces like lumber and plywood are the best choices for laminate staircases because they ensure that the material sticks properly. This means that where you would normally put beading (scotia) around the outside of the room to cover the expansion gap, in the case of the bottom step of carpet the carpet is trucked into this gap. Make sure to wear gloves while you are removing carpet, the staples can be very sharp and may cause injuries. The rough surface of wood, whether plywood or lumber, will ensure your laminate adheres properly. If you want to install laminate flooring on stairs, youll need to glue a few pieces of your floor together first. How can I hide the gap at the base of the stairs and the door, when installing laminate flooring? As a small thank you, wed like to offer you a $30 gift card (valid at GoNift.com). Apply premium-quality wood glue to the back of the tread board before laying down the board to the horizontal part of the step and pressing it into position. Glue with high water content tends to seep into the pores of the material it is adhering to, minimizing the effectiveness of the bond. This is the best image I could find. Stack Exchange network consists of 181 Q&A communities including Stack Overflow, the largest, most trusted online community for developers to learn, share their knowledge, and build their careers. I have a cordless finishing nailer that leaves a very small indentation in the planks. Cut it so it touches the carpet and hides the gap at the bottom. Why don't we use the 7805 for car phone chargers? After cutting each tread number it and set it While you will more than likely find that they are, take the extra 5 minutes to measure each separately. Will my floating laminate flooring contract in winter enough to show the edges? Which ability is most related to insanity: Wisdom, Charisma, Constitution, or Intelligence? Web1st Choice: switch the floor to solid hardwood ORjust find a bilevel reducerartistic finishes makes one to bridge 3/4 to 3/8you may just have to stain and poly it yourself if they dont make one to match the laminate you havealso youll need to find a dealer who sells their stuffI dont think they sell straight to consumer. AC-5 may be more difficult to find, as these products are typically only used in commercial applications. But bear in mind: Nailing may damage the face of the laminate. References. You can either cut away the overhang with a jigsaw or use a piece of plywood to fill in the gaps with a piece of plywood. re-fitting stairs carpet after decorating work done in hallway, Damp by back door and bottom of stairs in corner. by Joiner_Mike Fri Jun 13, 2008 10:14 pm. Using wood adhesive, attach your tread to the rear of the first step, making sure that the tongue of the tread faces outwards and that it is snugly against the back of the step. It is discussed in this article how to measure, cut, and install laminate flooring on stairs so that it looks just as wonderful on your stairs as the rest of your homes flooring. help and explain how to install the flooring on our steps. What would be the best solutions to hide these two gaps? When a gnoll vampire assumes its hyena form, do its HP change? White laminate flooring is a popular choice for homeowners who want to achieve a modern and appealing look in their homes. Whats more, stair nosings typically overlap the edges of the stair treads, thus providing extra foot space. Thus, you can pick laminate flooring that matches your flooring to ensure a smooth transition from your lower floor to the stairway. If the edges of the plank are not perfectly aligned with the edges of the riser, you can trim them to fit. Once youre done covering the screw/nail holes, clean off any excess debris and sawdust from the installation process. Meanwhile, if there are tack strips, use a pry bar and a hammer to remove them. Glue it all to the subfloor with construction adhesive. Typically, stair noses dont lay flush with the stair treads, sometimes rising more than 30mm above the height of the stair treads. Now youll transfer these two parts to a tread youve already cut. If total energies differ across different software, how do I decide which software to use? Laminate floors provide many upsides when installed on stairs. Remember, laminate on stairs does not use underlayment, so you can strike that cost from your budget for this project. Typically this would be two pieces unless youve purchased a narrow product in which case youll glue three or more. Laminate flooring planks are a cheap staircase flooring option. You will also need to make sure each of the steps is level, so the laminate boards will sit properly. is there such a thing as "right to be heard"? Cut your laminate piece along that line using a miter saw a fine toothed blade works wonders here. How can I remove laminate flooring from an oddly shaped hallway without destroying it? Were committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Step 4: Cut your Privacy notice Using stairs that are 36 wide, youll need 3 nose pieces per a 10 step flight of stairs. jobs, Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers. Take note too, that some brands sell prefabricated laminate stair treads with inbuilt stair nosings. No definitive studies have proven this to be the case; although you are cutting laminate, you should wear a face mask and goggles if your cutting tool is spitting lots of dust. Before you do that, however, you are going to score all of your treads and risers with a utility knife. Laminate flooring is designed to look like wood, but the similarities between the two materials end there. To acclimatize your laminate planks, let them sit on the staircase for at least 72 hours prior to installation. More than likely, a small shim or thin plywood can secure your treads and nosing just be sure to use a level when installing each tread. To install laminate flooring on steps, youll need to glue a couple of pieces of your flooring together. Stair nosing strips- form the corner pieces at the front edge of the treads. If you cant remove the spindles, then heres how you install laminate on stairs around a railing with spindles: Titebond has a much lower water content than other wood glue. If you already have flooring on your stairs, you should remove it as well as any underlayment. For starters, the stairwell is one of the most high-traffic areas in your home. Home Improvement Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for contractors and serious DIYers. Some people clear silicone the gap under the transition to laminate but I don't. A tread and riser are about a total of 5 square feet. To effectively install laminate flooring on stairs without stair nosings, you need to ensure the laminate boards used as treads and risers are wide enough to cover the entire width of the horizontal and vertical parts of the stair steps. A box of laminate is typically just over 15 square feet, so youll need about 3.5 boxes of laminate for that same flight of stairs. I really like that system in your picture. If that is your option I would use it. You have your expansion gap built in, you have multiple prongs In this article, we will go over exactly how to measure, cut, and install laminate flooring on stairs to look as good on your stairs as it does in the rest of your house. Assuming your stairs are of uniform size, cut your treads first. Can my creature spell be countered if I cast a split second spell after it? The laminate nose, in particular, can get dislodged easily due to wear and tear, so youll want to use quality construction adhesive along as well. WebSince the laminate installation involves gluing and nailing the material to the subfloor, the surface should provide optimal adhesion. In addition, laminate flooring can be high-gloss and very slippery - which may be a concern if you have young children in the house. The flooring manufactures say 10mm/12mm gap to cover themselves i think incase something does expand. Terms and conditions Leave a small amount of space between each tread so that you can place your stair nosing piece onto the front. Alternatively, you might use construction adhesive to attach the boards to the risers and then install corner molding on the open sides of the risers, and then nail the molding to the stair stringer to hold the riser coverings in place while the glue cures. Glue enough planks of laminate together so that it fits the width of your tread. Usually, when you have an area that does not lend itself to having the standard edging trim you need to cut away the offending section and slide the laminate underneath. The first step to installing laminate floor planks on stairs is to prep the staircase. Finally, after youve purchased the laminate planks, its important to acclimatize them to the temperature and humidity conditions of your stairway. You dont want imperfections in a high traffic area youll see them every day. Laminate flooring can get quite noisy as you walk on the planks. Stair treads- cover the horizontal part of the stair steps. That means the laminate on your stairs needs extra adhesion youll need to glue it to your subfloor. 05272398. How to Install Laminate Flooring on Stairs. The laminate stair nosing will fit against the tread edge and be glued and screwed to the subfloor. Mark out where each of the screws should be placed with a pencil - they should be spaced about 9 inches (22.9cm) apart, and should be centered in the middle of the nosing. Glue alone is not sufficient; once the glue is in place, we recommend drilling pilot holes and inserting screws, followed by the application of filler to conceal the screws. Then, start laying your laminate by applying three beads of good quality wood glue to the subfloor and then installing the tread pieces. 3). Measuring the riser length is simple. After 20-30 minutes, use a damp cloth to even out the putty covering each screw, before it is fully dry. The tread sections should be as close to one another as possible from left to right, thus getting your measurements perfect is crucial. Tape your carpet and edge of laminate, lots of construction adhesive, and evenly distribute weights on the transition for 12 hours. tar command with and without --absolute-names option, Embedded hyperlinks in a thesis or research paper. To install laminate flooring on stairs, start by removing the overhang, or the underside of the stairs, with a jigsaw. Thick laminate floors wont bow or give as much as thinner laminates. That means you would need either 3 or 4 boxes of laminate flooring for a staircase with ten steps. I'm not really sure what that picture is of, as it's too dark for me to make out what you're trying to show. Cut them to the same length as your treads and risers. WebFit the laminate first as the carpet will then cover the gap between the laminate and bottom step, which will create a nice neat finish. I'm not really sure what that picture is of, as it's too dark for me to make out what you're trying to show. When I laid my laminate floor, the sto If this was available for flooring I have done in the past I could have used it more than a few times. What is Laminate Flooring made of? The processes to create plastic versus laminate are completely different. In this aspect, laminate flooring requires significantly less time, patience, and effort than other types of flooring. Over the last decennium, engineered wood flooring has devised by leaps and bounds, doing it extra affordable than ever prior since homeowners to put hardwood underfoot. New blog post from our CEO Prashanth: Community is the future of AI, Improving the copy in the close modal and post notices - 2023 edition. These include tread pieces, riser pieces, and stair nosings. What are the advantages of running a power tool on 240 V vs 120 V? Sweep the stairs of any dust or dirt. When installing laminate on steps, youll need to focus on securing them to the subfloor beneath. You do need to plan ahead, as you need a larger than typical gap, so that there's space for expansion, and the track to hold the cover. ', referring to the nuclear power plant in Ignalina, mean? The problem is that the bottom step of the stairs is curved at the corner. Since you are gluing your laminate as well as nailing it, youll want a surface beneath your laminate that provides optimal adhesion. Typically the solution at the bottom of the stairs is to use a quarter-round (Usually 3/4" thick) to cover the flooring and the bottom of the carpet. For some, thats enough cause for concern about tripping hazards. While laminate planks have been known to work well on even floor surfaces, many wonder whether theyre great for stairway flooring as well. A flight of 10 steps, therefore, would cost about a total of $350 if using hardwood. Regardless of the method of installation, be aware that the nosing of your laminate stairs will endure, by far, the most abuse. Bowed laminate flooring on slab: How to proceed? Engineered Floor Joists vs 2X10 Lumber: Which is Better? Ensure proper installation with the tapered end of the nosings forming the overhangs that protrude over the edge of the tread pieces. In comparison to lamination, the procedures used to manufacture plastic are fundamentally different. Otherwise, use a finish hand saw and cut carefully. Use a jigsaw to remove the overhang, or attach a piece of plywood to the riser to fill in any gaps left by the removal of the overhang. To cut the nose stripping, you should measure the length of the exposed thread, as well as the length of the riser and cut laminate pieces to fit, trimming the edges to fit the angle of the stairs, if necessary. Do the same on the vertical part of the step using the riser pieces. Don't push it tight to the floor, there may be tack strip there holding the carpet. Please keep in mind that, if you are not sure in your capacity to self-install, it is always advisable to seek the assistance of a professional. Your average step is about 36 wide. Insert the wood screws, leaving the plastic tape in place until after you've covered the screws with putty. Install the Laminate Tread and Riser Boards, How to transition laminate flooring to stairs, Can you install Laminate Flooring without Stair Nose, How to install Laminate Flooring without Stair Nose, Cost of installation of laminate flooring on stairs. Remove any existing flooring or trim from the stairs and check that the subfloor is in good condition and that the stairs are level. When it comes to laminate flooring, you can do most of the work yourself, but if you arent confident in your carpentry abilities, you may want to consider hiring a professional to perform the job. 1. Laminate flooring is made to look like wood, but that is about where the similarities end. How to lay laminate flooring on stairs Prep the Stairway Install Underlayment Cut the Laminate Planks to Size Install the Laminate Tread and Riser They are around 80 long, so depending on how many steps you have, you may be able to get away with only buying a couple. (Complete Answer)Continue, When installing a new laminate floor, it is best to stagger the laminate boards as much as possible. Youll want to avoid using highly abrasive cleaners on laminate stairs, as this will likely cause the laminate to scratch. What some people are unaware of is that laminate flooring may be installed on stairwells as well. As you move down your steps, make sure your risers are not protruding up above the tread subfloor. Alternatively, you could cover the overhang with plywood to make it level. Laminate is a form of melamine mixed with formaldehyde. Always glue laminate on the tongue and not the groove. Cutting risers is just the same as cutting the treads cut them to width first and then to length. However, one of those will need a lengthwise cut to fit the tread and riser width. feedback. Cleaning the area, even if there is no flooring present but only paint or leftover glue from the old flooring, will provide you with a clean canvas on which to lay your laminate flooring.