Laminate stair nose question

[LwnmwnMan2]

I've got a split level home, put laminate flooring in the upstairs.

I've got the trim pieces in, except on the long side along the stairwell, the stair nose is only 5-6' long, where the length I needed was / is about 9' long.

I've got 2 pieces of stair nose there, with the metal channel, but I cannot get the ends to butt up next to each other flush, even though there's no seam in the metal channel.

I know there's a couple of guys here that install flooring, does anyone have a tip where I can get this seem together??

They want to line up about 1/16" off from side to side.

I've tried glueing the ends together already, the only other thing I was thinking of was shaving down the bottom a hair and putting a metal plate and screwing them together.

However at $10 / piece for the pieces, I really don't want to get into a lot of trial and error.

Thanks,

Jeremy.

[BiffleFan]

If you have access to the right tools or know someone who does I would custom make the nosing out of hardwood.

[Stratosman]

When you say the long side along the stairwell what does that mean...is this where you are stepping down or not? Isn't there a railing on the long side. I suppose it has a bottom rail instead of shoe.

I wonder if you can biscuit them together if you know someone with a joiner... that plate idea might work too if you can get anything to hold in that particle board. I have never ran into a stair nosing that I have had to join, but often times I throw out that metal or plastic track and use Pl to glue the transitions down, this way maybe you could get it set so the tops are flush...

I don't think a solid wood nosing would work because the thickness of laminate is so much less than real hardwood, touhg to get it to look good. Don't want it to look like an afterthought.

[LwnmwnMan2]

Quote:

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When you say the long side along the stairwell what does that mean...is this where you are stepping down or not? Isn't there a railing on the long side.

I wonder if you can biscuit them together if you know someone with a joiner... that plate idea might work too if you can get anything to hold in that particle board. I have never ran into a stair nosing close to that wide...Often times I throw out that metal or plastic track and use Pl to glue the transitions down, this way maybe you could get it set so the tops are flush...

I don't think a solid wood nosing would work because the thickness of laminate is so much less than real hardwood, touhg to get it to look good. Don't want it to look like an afterthought.

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It's not where you're stepping down, it's the side that would have the railing along it.

I know I could use a corner piece or something like that, but to get it to "45" with the stairnose at the top of the stairs, that's going to look a little goobered together.

That's where I figured I'd run the stairnose down the side as well, so I could get a nice "45" out of the trim pieces, when you look at that corner while you're walking up the stairs.

I suppose I COULD get a piece of real wood and do it, but they're no where near the same size.

Maybe that's what I'll end up doing though, as this is where my flooring ends as well, so it wouldn't be a big deal to take some back out, redo the stairnose, figuring a way to make it fit, thereby having a whole piece, if I can't get these two ends to flush up.

[Surface Tension]

I'm not sure I'm following where this nose is going, a 9' wide stairway is quite long. Anyway I take it you already tried swapping ends to see if they line up better?

What you could do is remove 1.5" of material(the part that goes into the channel) on both ends. Join, glue and clamp with a 3" pine spline.

[Stratosman]

Okay,

I would try to eliminate the track and simply glue the nosing to the subfloor, this way you can get it to line up right, and it will never move on you. Should be very do-able without having to get different nosings.

Use a good quality construction adhesive.

[LwnmwnMan2]

Surface Tension -

It's a split level house with a foyer.

If you look at the stairs, you have a 1/2 wall on the left, which seperates the stairs that go up from the stairs that go down.

On the right, is the house wall, and then the "typical" railing that protects kids / furniture that falls off the side of the stairs.

I'm talking about that edge, along the top edge of that wall, I'm using a stair nose, since there's stair nose at the top of the stairs, and I like the finished look of the corner away from the real house wall, with a 45 cut, rather than running stair nose across the stairs, and then a corner or something down that side to finish it off.

[LwnmwnMan2]

Quote:

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Okay,

I would try to eliminate the track and simply glue the nosing to the subfloor, this way you can get it to line up right, and it will never move on you. Should be very do-able without having to get different nosings.

Use a good quality construction adhesive.

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I'll give that a shot. I've still got some 1/4" plywood that I can cut if I need to build it up somewhat, but I suppose I shouldn't, since the piece sits down in the channel anyways.

Thanks Strato.... if that doesn't work, then I'll have to try to make some sort of splice like Surface Tension said...

[reddog]

I wouldnt glue it together or down. Laminate floors need to expand and contract. If you install it in a fixed position you are asking for potential trouble.

laminate floors also require a certain amount of gappage, along the walls and stairways, so they can expand and contract.

The problem, it seems to me, is that the milling on the bottom where it snaps into the aluminum channel is different between the two pieces or at least milled differently, so it makes the top and edge not line up. I would work on machining the bottom out, till they wanted to lay together in a plane, both ways.

[Stratosman]

So you think that the channel allows expansion??? Most laminate installers glue them down. There is still an expansion space underneath the transition for any floor movement.

[mnheadshot]

We just finished doing a floor that sounds very similar to what you are trying to do. We used regular oak stair nosing and dadoed out the back side where the floor hits the nosing. Then, the floor sits under the nosing and still has room to expand and contract. Just leave about 1/8 to 3/16 of an inch on the nosing piece. It turned out great.

P.S. You would have to put the new nosing on both parts of the stair like you said or the miters wouldn't work.

[LwnmwnMan2]

Here's what I've ended up doing.

The stair nose is wide enough where I can drape it over a piece of "trim" that goes along the wall of the stairwell, just below the floor level of the living room.

I ended up glueing it to that board, so it's not connected at all to the laminate, this way the laminate can float under the trim piece.