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For many homeowners, installing laminate flooring is one of the easiest and best ways to transform the look of a home while keeping costs down. Although installation is fairly intuitive on flat surfaces, stairs can pose a little bit more of a challenge.
Choosing the Laminate Flooring For Your Stairs
The first step to installing laminate flooring on stairs is to choose the right product. Laminate comes in a variety of AC ratings. The higher the number of AC rating on your laminate flooring, the more durable it is.
Durability plays a big role in the type of laminate you choose for your staircase. This is the part of the house that will see quite a bit of foot traffic, so you want laminate that can withstand the general wear and tear.
Installing Laminate Flooring on Your Stairs
Once you have your laminate flooring in the house and you’ve let it acclimate for at least 48 hours, you’re ready to start laying down the planks.
Prepare the area where you plan to lay your new laminate flooring by removing any overhangs, carpeting, or tacks. Laminate flooring cannot be installed over carpeting.
Make sure that the subfloor is clean of debris, level, and dry. Like installation in any other part of your house, the subfloor on your stairs must be either cement or hardwood, and properly prepared for installation.
To cut the laminate flooring to the shape, here’s what you’ll need:
- Cut enough pieces for each stair with the shape of the top of the stair.
- Cut the same amount of pieces with the shape of the vertical part of the stair.
- Cut the nose of the laminate to cover the exposed grooves and threading on your laminate for each stair. To do this, measure the length of the exposed thread and the length of the vertical piece and then cut a small section to cover that area.
Once you have all of the pieces cut, start at the top of the staircase and work your way down. That way, you won’t get stuck at the top of the staircase during installation.
Using wood glue, install the pieces of laminate on the top of the stair where you’ll be stepping. Then, use more wood glue to install the vertical piece (sometimes referred to as the riser) underneath it.
Finally, screw on the nosing piece to complete the look of your staircase. This requires that you use screws to secure the stair. When you’re done, you can cover the holes with the appropriate colored putty to blend in with your flooring.
Installing laminate on the stairs is a little bit more difficult, but it’s not impossible. Want a little bit of extra help? Reach out to one of our flooring experts at 1-800-520-0961 with your questions and we’ll give you a prompt response to help you start your project on the right foot!
