Q: I have just recently installed Pergo Savannah oak (accolade) throughout my home. I have a split foyer design home. I have seven steps up and 6 steps down. How do you use Pergo on steps? Can you use a full width piece on the step and use step nosing? What do you do with the riser part? Can you use Pergo as well or use white wood? I was told AFTER my floor was done that Pergo does not make a step piece only the stair nose. I wish they would have informed me of that prior to starting the project. How do you attach the stair nose if you use Pergo as the part you step on. I went to Home Depot and asked for white riser board and they did not know what I was talking about. Now I am stuck with beautiful floors and unfinished steps. Please help.
Thanks
kd
A: For laminate floor like Pergo, you are going to need to use a stair nose in conjunction with planks of flooring to make the tread of your stair. Keep in mind that you will have to gauge your cuts on the planks to account for the distance after the nosing is installed. This means you need to mark out what room the nosing takes up, then dry rack out the flooring you will be using and mark your cuts accordingly. Make sure you leave an expansion gap for the tread area behind the scribe line. The scribe line is a chalk line you will need to mark to note how much of the tread area will be covered after the riser is installed. Always install treads then risers.
For risers, I would suggest not using planks of the laminate as a riser. It can be done, but you will need to do quite a bit of cut work to remove the locking mechanism. I would suggest just getting plywood/poplar and cut to the size necessary for your risers, than paint to the color you would like them to be. Typically you won’t get material for risers that is pre-painted as it is better to paint after making all of your cuts. Also, this allow you to paint them any color you would like if you want something other than white.
To install the nosing, you will be gluing this directly to the stair itself. Usually this is done with the flooring as well using a troweled out flooring adhesive. When you are installing, install the planks of Pergo, then the nosing as this nosing is typically has an overlapping portion.
Quick summary here: You will need to use nosings. Dry rack out your stair tread to account for expansion and how much room the nosing will take up. Mark your scribe line for your riser, then begin installing your tread and nosing. After the treads are installed, install your risers and allow everything plenty of time to cure.
