Installing laminate stair

Thickness is also an option for buyers. Thicknesses range from 7mm to 12mm and this should be on your radar when purchasing laminate for stairs. This is a durability rating applied to all laminate products.

Laminate flooring is rated from 1 to 5 based on durability, with 5 being the most durable. This is another aspect to consider when purchasing laminate for stairs.

AC-4 is a good rating for a laminate product in a stair application. AC-5 may be more difficult to find, as these products are typically only used in commercial applications. The primary advantage of laminate over hardwood treads and risers is cost.

On the other hand, you could use the laminate for that same flight of steps. A tread and riser are about a total of 5 square feet. If you do the math, the total square footage of a tread plus a riser with those dimensions is above 4. A staircase with 10 treads and 11 risers will require nearly 47 square feet of laminate flooring.

That means you would need either 3 or 4 boxes of laminate flooring for a staircase with ten steps. Stairs are often a very high traffic area in a house. These make precise cuts in your laminate — using a handsaw or circular saw can result in planks that are not completely flush with the wall or another plank. The key to a successful laminate installation on steps or a regular floor depends on having a level subfloor. Installing laminate over tile or even vinyl is not a good idea because the tile is not an even surface and could cause the laminate to bend and move.

The rough surface of wood, whether plywood or lumber, will ensure your laminate adheres properly. Smooth surfaces like vinyl or other synthetics do not glue as well. The next step in your installation process requires you to glue some of your laminate pieces together. The width of your tread and riser will never be the same as the width of one of your laminate pieces or two combined.

However, one of those will need a lengthwise cut to fit the tread and riser width. Glue enough planks of laminate together so that it fits the width of your tread. Use wood glue to glue your laminate together. PVA type II glue is ideal.

A tight bond is critical for laminate on steps. Remember to wipe away any excess glue. Always glue laminate on the tongue and not the groove. Now you need to measure the exact tread and riser length of your steps. Measuring the riser length is simple. Measure from the bottom to the top of the step and you have your riser width.

The tread will sit flush up against your riser, so subtract the thickness of the riser from the width of the tread. The laminate stair nosing will fit against the tread edge and be glued and screwed to the subfloor. Nose size depends on the manufacturer. They either sit on top of the tread and lip over the riser, or they are flush with the tread and sit on top of the riser.

Remove that amount from the length of your tread as well. Time to make your cuts. If you are sure your stairs are of uniform width and length down, you can go ahead and make all your cuts ahead of time. Before you cut your treads, take a look at your nosing. If the nosing has a groove, then it will sit in the tongue of the tread, so make sure you do not cut off the tongue of your tread when cutting it to width. Assuming your stairs are of uniform size, cut your treads first. Accounting for your riser thickness and nosing width, start by cutting your treads to width.

To cover the entire step with a single laminate board, cut a second plank to size and glue it tongue-to-groove next to the first plank, leaving enough space for the nosing to be seen between them. If you have riser pieces on your stairs, make sure they are level with the riser on your steps and that they fit snuggly on top of the tread piece.

It is not necessary to have your nosing be the same length as your tread or riser when it comes to your tread. Because laminate must be allowed to dry before it can be walked on , begin your installation at the top of the stairs and work your way down to avoid becoming trapped upstairs!

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.

After that , glue your riser piece of laminate to the vertical front of the step and hold it in place while the glue dries completely. Additionally, because your nosing will cover this area, you can nail the very top of the riser in place if it is necessary to do so. Knowing how to put laminate flooring on stairs like a specialist, you can be certain that yours is installed perfectly and enjoy the total change of your new staircase.

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. When something is installed incorrectly, it might create a risky condition that has the potential to end in a major accident. This is a fantastic method to extend your gorgeous floor onto your stairs without breaking the bank.

You will not be able to utilize laminate flooring on stairs as a floating floor system, thus do not use underlayment when installing laminate flooring on stairs. When you take into consideration the installation method, you will find that it is also simple to set up. If you are using laminate, you should avoid nailing through it because this can cause the finish on the surface to be damaged.

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. Laminate floors are more appealing to homeowners than wood floors because they are more appealing to the eye. He adopted this multi-layered synthetic floor only because of his passion for design.

Laminate floors are quite attractive, and if you keep them away from water, they will last a long time. If you notice a small…. Everyone has seen it: laminate flooring that stretches for miles and miles and miles, from home improvement blogs to the website of Home Depot.

Every day, we receive inquiries like this one. To put it another way, laminate flooring is a…. When installing a new laminate floor, it is best to stagger the laminate boards as much as possible. Despite the fact that there are no hard and fast rules for doing so, if you understand the fundamental concepts behind why it matters, you will more than likely create a floor that is aesthetically beautiful, will…. Laying laminate flooring by yourself is a surprisingly simple operation, which is one of the reasons why this flooring solution is so widely used.

All that is required for a do-it-yourself laminate flooring installation is the right tools and of course, a few packages of laminate flooring.

The question then becomes, how much laminate flooring…. Do you like the look of hardwood flooring but are concerned about the upkeep or cost?

Instead, choose laminate wood flooring. Prefinished plank flooring is less difficult to install and has the same appearance as hardwood flooring. The top laminate…. Replace the flooring in our living room was one of the things we planned to undertake as part of our extensive living room renovation.

We had an old carpet in our apartment that had been installed before we moved there. Your email address will not be published. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Skip to content. The following are some straightforward instructions for placing laminate on stairwells. It is inexpensive, long-lasting, and attractive when correctly fitted. Once the piece has dried, you can cut it to size to fit your tread and riser. Laminating Flooring What is Laminate Flooring and how does it work?

The major issue with installing laminate flooring on stairs is durability - stairs tend to get more wear-and-tear than most other surfaces in your home. For this reason, it is advisable to ask the supplier or manufacturer for the most hard-wearing laminate they have. To minimize the risk of slipperiness, go for laminate flooring with a textured, matte finish.

You should also specify that you want matching nose stripping when choosing your laminate, as many manufacturers do not have matching nose stripping for all of their flooring. This is necessary as you may need to cut a number of boards to fill in extra spaces.

It will also allow you a comfortable margin for potential errors. Allow the flooring to acclimate. Laminate flooring needs time to adjust to the temperature and humidity of the house before it is installed. This prevents the boards from warping, expanding or contracting later.

To acclimate your flooring, remove the boards from their packaging and stack them in an open space, where air can circulate, for 48 hours. Remove any carpet and tackstrip. The next thing you will need to do is prepare your staircase for laying down the laminate.

If you need to remove carpet from the stairs, you can pull it up using a pair of pliers. Carpet is normally attached using adhesive tack strip, staples or both. The tack strip can be removed using a pry bar, while the staples can either be hammered back in place, or removed using a scraper.

Even if the stairs were not covered in carpeting, you can prepare them by removing any old paint or adhesive and repairing any loose or creaking steps by nailing them securely in place. You will also need to make sure each of the steps is level, so the laminate boards will sit properly. If they are uneven, you can use a belt sander to level them out, or simply use a scraper to get rid of any debris or high spots.

Remove any overhang. Many stairs will have a pre-existing overhang: this is when the underside of the nosing on the upper steps is visible from the bottom of the staircase. You will need to address this before you can lay the laminate flooring. You can do this in one of two ways: [4] X Research source You can either cut off the overhang using a reciprocating or jigsaw, then use a chisel to ensure the surface is flush with the riser.

Alternatively, you can use a piece of plywood to pad the riser, filling out the space underneath the overhang. Just be sure to nail the plywood in place before installing the laminate. Cut the laminate to shape.

The next thing you will need to do is cut the laminate tread pieces, riser pieces and stair nosing to length. For the tread pieces, lay the the plank across the step, making sure that it fits snugly from left to right. You may need to trim the edges slightly so they are aligned with the step. Most thread pieces will not be wide enough to cover the entire step.

If this is the case, you will need to cut a second plank to fill in the rest of the space: [5] X Research source To do this, you can either cut two planks into even pieces, so that their combined width covers the thread, or you can use a full plank and cut a smaller strip to fill in the extra space. When cutting thread pieces, make sure to cut on the groove side of the plank, and glue them together tongue-to-groove. The tread piece should not extend all the way to the edge of the step, as you will need to leave room for the top nosing.

Next you will need to cut the riser pieces to length. You need to make sure that they will sit snugly on top of the tread piece, and are level with the top of the riser. If the edges of the plank are not perfectly aligned with the edges of the riser, you can trim them to fit. 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.

A good tip is to mark each piece with a number as soon as you cut it to size, this way you will know which piece corresponds with each stair. Part 2. Start at the top of the stairs. The easiest way to install your laminate flooring is to start at the top of the stairs and work your way down. Install the tread pieces. The thread piece is the part of the stair that you actually step on to.

To install the tread pieces, apply three beads of good quality wood glue to the subfloor, making sure not to put any on the space at the edge which will be covered by the nosing later.

Take the glued-together tread pieces which you assembled earlier and place them firmly onto the tread, with the tongue edge of the plank facing outwards. If any glue squeezes onto the laminate planks, wipe it off quickly with a damp cloth. Put the risers into place. The next step is to cover the risers, which are the vertical parts of the stairs. Apply three beads of wood glue to the back of the riser plank which you cut to fit earlier , and press it into place, holding firmly for a minute or two while the glue sets.

It should sit snugly between the tread piece underneath and the tread edging above.