Laminate Flooring on Stairs

Earlier, carpets were most commonly used to deck up the stairs of the house. Today, it has been replaced by laminate flooring because regular carpet cleaning is a time consuming tough task. Apart from this, there are other advantages of laminate flooring too. Laminate flooring is very easy to maintain, non-expensive and lasts for a long time. Laminate flooring on stairs provides additional strength to its floor. As it is a water resistant material, laminate wood flooring on stairs does not get damaged by atmospheric humidity. When laminate flooring is installed on the stairways and the room, you will get a consistent feel that the stairs are an extended part of the room. This smooth transition is a very eye-catching sight and improves the interior designing of the house. You do not have to worry about lack of continuity anymore, and also about the difference in the texture and the color of the two floors.

Selecting the Right Laminate Flooring

There are several varieties of laminate flooring available in the market. Normally, laminate flooring installed in a room is actually floated on the surface of a sub-floor. This kind of installation should be avoided on the stairs as it can be dangerous and lead to a fall. Therefore, select the laminate flooring that are found in the form of self-adhesive tiles. They are easier to install as well. They have sound absorbing layers that are perfect for the stairs. Thus, you do not have to bother about the loud noise of footsteps every time someone uses the stairs. In some of the laminate flooring, the top layer is textured or slightly rough. Many people opt for this because they can hold on to the dirt and soil carried by the shoes into the house. Thus, it helps to keep the flooring inside the house clean. Last but not the least, always choose a high quality laminate flooring, because low quality laminate flooring are very slippery. As a result, anybody can fall down from the stairs.

Installation of Laminate Flooring on Stairs

Remove the old carpet from the surface of the stairs. Ensure that all the adhesives and tapes that were used to attach the carpet to the floor are removed. Carefully check out all the corners and sides of the stairs to detect if any tapes, adhesives or screw heads left behind on the stairs. Then clean up the surface of the stairs thoroughly.

Take proper measurements of the stairs. The measurements will help you to locate the center point of the stair. Use a pencil or pen to mark the spot. In the same manner locate the center point of the riser of the uppermost stair. The center point is determined because the installation of the laminate flooring will start from this point.

Now it's time to start the laying up of the laminate flooring. To install laminate flooring on stairs, you should start from the top and move downwards. Take one tile at a time and remove the adhesive sticker from its surface. Place it on the topmost stair tread in such a way that the center of the tile merges with the center mark you have made on the stair. Put some pressure on the tile so that glue at the back of the tile fixes up the laminate on the floor.

Once the center piece is fixed on the tread, place another tile on its left in the same manner and then move on to its right. Make sure all the tiles that are installed are in the same level with each other. Similarly, install laminate flooring on the riser of the stair too. After installation of the laminate flooring is complete on one stair, then only go to the next one and continue to do so in the same way till the entire stairways has been covered.

The disadvantage of laminate flooring is that it is not suitable for all types of stairways. It should be installed only on those stairways that have enclosed or box patterns. In the other types of stairways, like stairs with overhang, the unfinished borders of the layers of the laminate becomes visible. Laminate flooring on stairs should be installed with glue only and never any nails.