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Tips For Laminating Stairs

If you are looking for information on how to laminate stairs, you have come to the right place. The following article will provide you with tips on cutting, and fitting laminate onto stairs

It is possible to laminate your stairs yourself, and by taking the time to do it right,
you can end up with beatuful laminated stairs.

Laminating Stairs
The first step to take when laminating stairs is to remove the old step covering, such as linoleum. Try to clean the surfaces down to bare wood. Use a construction adhesive like Lepages PL premium to glue the laminate to the wood. If you do the top of the step first, you can place fine finishing nails on the leading edge and very rear (a 1 1/4 air nailer works good), this is especially important if the old steps are very worn and not exactly true. The stair nose will cover the nails up front and the back vertical stair laminate riser will cover the rear nail holes. Few nails are only needed to secure the laminate until the glue dries. The vertical riser laminate only needs glue to secure it, as there is no wear to the rear and the wood remains true even on older stairs. When you apply glue to the backside of the laminate, run a wiggly line of glue from one end to the other.

Use a twelve inch square and test each end of each step and make any adjustment to the line of the laminate which is to be cut. Allow 1/16 inch on each laminate step for expansion. Do the same for each laminate riser. Use a new sharp 7 1/2 inch, 60 tooth tungsten blade in the table saw to make the cuts. Set the blade fully up as this will reduce any sawdust thrown forward. Use masking tape on all cuts, as this will prevent rough edges to the cuts. I find the table saw a better choice than a compound mitre saw, because it is easier to make adjustments for untrue cuts. The laminate has an extreme hard surface, and cuts better from the edge, rather than from the top. On the table saw, You can place a square along side the blade, adjust the miter to match the pencil line on the laminate, tighten the miter and do the cut; you will get a perfect fit each time.

Laminated Stairs Metal Nose, Cutting Jig

cutting stair nose jig

Make up a jig for cutting the stair nose strips. Use a 2x4 and make a true square cut, the depth of the stair nose material to be cut. This jig will allow you to make true cuts each time. Use a hacksaw with fine teeth. Use a file to clean up the cut. See above picture.

Removing burrs from stair nose sc rews
When attaching the nose, drill a pilot hole for each screw so the screw will go in perfectly straight, this will cause the head of the screw to be level with the metal nose. A screw that goes in crooked will result in part of the screw head to be higher than the metal nose; this could possibly cause someone to trip.
The screw heads for metal stair nose are very fine and in order to apply enough force to set them, may result in the screw heads producing sharp burrs. You can remove the burrs with a fine cut file. Place a strip of masking tape on both sides of the screw. This will protect the stair nose from getting its finish scratched. Note the small square piece of plywood on the bit (1/4 inch square 1/4 inch plywood); this prevents the spinning metal drill chuck from marring the metal nose.

laminated landing

Cleaning Laminated Floors
A good product to clean laminated floors with, is "Natura" laminate & hardwood cleaner; it leaves a nice shine and cleans very well. Other cleaners may leave a bit of soap, which creates a dull look.

Tiled Landing
When tiling the landing, start by cleaning the old surface to bare wood. If the landing is old, the surface could be worn in spots; this is the time to level it out with thinset (a cement product). Measure, fit and layout a membrane called Ditra; this membrane will support weight evenly and make a stronger base; so the grout will not crack. You first cement the Ditra to the wood base; Ditra is a non porus product and will not allow moisture to penetrate it. Because the wood surface below the Ditra is porus, use modified thinset to bond the Ditra to the wood base. Between the Ditra and tile use a non modified thinset; so it will dry. If you use modified thinset here, it will not dry for a long, long time, because the moisture cannot escape. When you lay out the Ditra over the modified thinset, use a short piece of 2x4 and work it in a in a circular motion, with even pressure to level and spread the Ditra. Wait a day or two after bonding the Ditra, before you tile over it

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How to laminate stairs for the average person. Helpful tips that make the job