Laying laminate around bottom of stairs

[Iotrez]

Hi all.

I am laying laminate flooring in my hallway. The problem is that the bottom step of the stairs is curved at the corner.

In the instructions it says that you should leave a 10mm gap between the edge of the floor and the walls to prevent the flooring from warping.

Would it be ok to go right up to the edge of the stairs with the laminate or would warping be a risk? Is it possible to get some curved trim for where the stair curves around to cover the gap?

Thanks.

 

[alanperu]

Usually, when you have an area that does not lend itself to having the standard edging trim you need to cut away the offending section and slide the laminate underneath.

A good example of this is a door frame where you obviously can't go around the whole frame with the edging as the door would never close, so you cut away the bottom section and the laminate sits underneath.

You should make the cut out 10mm deeper than you need - this is the standard 10mm 'expansion' gap that you should always have.

In your case, I'm not too sure as it really depends on how weight-bearing that corner of the step is. I'm sure you could still do it, but only if there was no gap left between the laminate and the stair when you make the cut. A nice snug fit should mean that any weight previously taken by that side of the step is now taken by the laminate.

A gap would probably cause a nasty creak/bang whenever you step on it.

That said, i'm not an expert so someone else may have a 'proper' solution for you.

 

[gcol]

Leave the same gap that you have everywhere else. I'm assuming your stairs are carpeted - won't the carpet cover the gap?
Failing that, I've heard that some people have put a strip of rope over the gap but I'm not sure how that will look in your case.