Hardwood floor on a stair landing

[mikefm101]

Hi

I'm finishing up laying 3-1/4" prefinished hardwood flooring on the second floor of the house. The stairs were carpeted, and about a year ago I installed oak treads, but left the landing carpeted until the flooring project now.

The landing is about 3' x 3', and the staircase takes a right angle turn to the second floor.

Is there any general agreement that the flooring should be solid lengths the width of the landing, or should the flooring on the landing be shorter pieces making up each row?

I've looked on line and images seem to show both.

If it matters the flooring is oak with a clear finish so it is pretty light colored. My plan was to run the flooring pieces parallel to the stair nosing piece.

Thanks....Mike

[6270_Productions]

Hi

I'm finishing up laying 3-1/4" prefinished hardwood flooring on the second floor of the house.  The stairs were carpeted, and about a year ago I installed oak treads, but left the landing carpeted until the flooring project now.  

The landing is about 3' x 3', and the staircase takes a right angle turn to the second floor.  

Is there any general agreement that the flooring should be solid lengths the width of the landing, or should the flooring on the landing be shorter pieces making up each row?

I've looked on line and images seem to show both.

If it matters the flooring is oak with a clear finish so it is pretty light colored.  My plan was to run the flooring pieces parallel to the stair nosing piece.  

Thanks....Mike

I would run the flooring on a 45 degree angle to both levels of the stairs - corner to corner on the landing.

On the other hand, I generally do "odd" things with stairs, when I build them.

[Turner52]

Will that change the rise. By code the rise on all stairs have to be within1/4" of each other. It is surprising how quick your brain adjusts to the height and you only raise your feet just high eneough to clear the step. If it is different it becomes a real tripping hazard. Doesn't sound like a big deal, but it really is.

[mikefm101]

The rise will be correct.

More the orientation I’m thinking about (maybe too much)

Mike

[hbmcc]

You can introduce a pattern. Otherwise, I would confirm complete squareness, and pick a layout that more easily conceals what is most out-of-square.

[Stwood_]

I would lay it out to what suits you the best.

[Snipe Hunter]

If you think about it, it's hard to run your plank the same direction as the landing nosing. The nosing would have to go in last so the tongues are accessible for nailing. A way around that is to cut a spline and glue it into the groove in the nosing. It will have to stick out and match the profile of the tongue on your flooring planks. That way you can use a floor nailer to nail in the nosing like any other floor plank. You'll still want to face nail it to secure it down. Do that 1st before using your floor nailer or it will move.

I like to run it 90 degrees to the riser nosing so I can have the same width plank against the 1st step riser and against the wall opposite the stair riser. Think of the landing like you would any other step. If I ran the planks the same directions as the nosing, I'd have to change the width of the plank touching the nosing to equal the with of the plank on the opposite wall. I'd need to rout a tongue into that plank. I'd rather not have to do that. A plank parallel to the nosing, offers very little support for the nosing. The nosing will have its share of abuse over the years so I don't want to rely on only 1 plank to keep the nosing from rocking. I'll also put rosin paper or roof felt under the planks but not under the nosing. Construction adhesive under the nosing and finish nails face nailed since the nosing has a groove and not a tongue so a floor nailer won't work. The nosing is also stronger if the planks run 90 degrees to it. Throw in a couple extra cleats near the end of the planks closes to the nosing to help hold the nosing tight.

In a nutshell, 90 degrees to the nosing is easier.

[hbmcc]

In a nutshell, 90 degrees to the nosing is easier.

Wait. ... What about all the stair treads? The sticks usually run parallel to the nose. It would be very strange and a bugger to install 12 to 15 sticks of at most 10-inch length at right angles to the tread nose. From what I read he's already done the stairs, except landing.

I'm sure Mike is finished by now. How did he do it?

[mikefm101]

Hi

Unfortunately not done. I started this project the first week in October and the subsequent week massive problems around my aging parents started which has dragged this whole thing out almost two months. I’ve been making progress on the flooring during days I’m home after taking turns with my siblings staying at the parents apartment while we work through everything. Just to add to the excitement I was laid off about three weeks ago so I’m also trying to find a job in the middle of this.

Probably a bad time to buy a lottery ticket ?

The nosing is actually about 4” wide. But the parallel to- or perpendicular to- the nosing question was something else I was wondering about. On the second floor the flooring is perpendicular to the nosing piece at the top of the stairs.

I’m also wondering about expansion in a 3’ deep landing. There is a baseboard I can undercut to allow expansion. I’m not sure if I need that on the landing. The stair trim is too complex to rip out and reinstall later.

Mike

[Snipe Hunter]

I pull out the baseboards and install new on top of the new floor. That way everything looks new. Most installers just put down the floor with a 3/8 -1/2 inch expansion gap at the baseboards and cover it with 1/4-round. But then the baseboard looks short... to me anyway.

I don't understand the comment above about needing a bunch of 10" shorts if installing perpendicular to the nosing. I did the base landing on my stairs this way. It's a 90 degree landing as described by the OP. With the baseboards removed, the nosing went down first. All the planks were run parallel to the steps, perpendicular to the nosing. The plank tongue on the ends were butted to the nosing groove.

If you undercut the baseboards, you'll need to install the nosing last because you need wiggle room to get the tongues into the grooves. 1/2 inch expansion, plus the 1/4 inch tongue. But then you won't be able to get a pry bar on the ends of the planks to push the planks tight to each other. You may have to undercut the drywall too. If you do that, it will be easier to run the planks parallel to the nosing or you'll have a difficult time getting a perfect seam between the nosing and the planks. If the nosing goes down 1st, it's easier to snug the planks up against the nosing for a tight seam. If you don't intend to remove the baseboards, it's easier to just put 1/4 round over the expansion gap and leave the baseboards as they are.

Does this make any sense?