How to decorate the stairs with laminate

Among the variety of finishing materials provided by the modern construction market, due to its excellent performance characteristics, laminate flooring stands out. With its use, you can solve a variety of tasks for surface finishing. Usually it is used for laying as a floor covering, but, as one of the options, the finishing of the stairs with laminate can be considered. About what are the main points and features of this type of work, and will be discussed below.

Material description

Before proceeding to the description of the installation process, it is necessary to say a few words about what the material in question is. Laminate is a composite finishing material. It is delivered in the form of scattered plates resembling planks of a certain size. As for the composition, the laminate usually consists of the following layers:

• Bottom layer. Serves as a supporting element and gives rigidity.
• The main layer. It is carrying and accounts for most of the thickness of the element. It is made of high density fiberboard.
• Decorative layer. Performs decorative functions and is a paper that is responsible for the appearance, which will be facing.
• Protective layer. It is made of acrylic or melamine and serves to impart to both the decorative layer and the entire element, resistance to external loads, such as moisture, mechanical stress, or abrasion.

High-quality laminate is able to perform a fairly extensive range of functions and has the following performance characteristics:

• Durable use.
• Easy installation.
• Availability of material.
• Aesthetic appearance and a wide choice of options that allows you to choose the material for any interior.
• Material resistance to external influences (from mechanical loads to moisture and fire resistance, but it all depends on the class of product).
• Chemical neutrality, due to which it can be used for laying in any premises.

It is important to note that the laminate, based on its performance, is divided into classes. Gradation depends on the ability of the material to withstand mechanical stress and abrasion resistance. For industrial premises, materials of increased strength are used, which is excessive for living rooms, where the safety of the material and its aesthetic data come first.

In the context of the issue under consideration, it would not be superfluous to note that, among other things, laminate differs in the type of lock used to fasten the elements to each other. In terms of efficiency, they are not inferior to each other, but they have certain nuances of installation, which may be important in certain conditions.

If the material is selected and purchased, you can proceed to the work itself on the finishing steps. It is better to divide the actions into several separate stages and perform them sequentially.

Training

Work should begin with the preparation. And this applies to all aspects. For example, from the laminate it is necessary to remove the packaging and put it in the room in which the work is planned. Thus, the risk of deformation of the finish after work is reduced.

It should also be noted that the laminate, despite the large number of advantages, is a material quite demanding on the quality of the base on which it fits. Therefore, before proceeding to the work itself, it is worth paying attention to the preparation of the surface:

• First of all, the old coating (if any) is removed from the stairs.
• If you have to finish the wooden stairs, then you need to inspect it for the quality of its components. If any boards have significant wear or stagger, they must be replaced.
• Inspection and concrete stairs should be carried out. In this case, attention should be paid to the uniformity of the surfaces, the absence of chips and irregularities. Otherwise, this will not only lead to the appearance of squeaks, but also reduce the overall duration of the operation of the finish.
• Regardless of the material, it is necessary to evaluate the steps for horizontal planes. In the case of misalignment, wooden steps can be leveled using plywood, and concrete stairs are leveled with special mixtures.
• Surfaces are treated with special antiseptic and moisture-resistant compounds.
• Next is the final cleaning of the surfaces.

You can add that if the staircase is made qualitatively, and all the steps have the same height and width, then at the preparation stage you can also dissolve the laminate boards into strips of the required size. For these purposes it is convenient to use jigsaw. If the steps differ from each other, then it is better not to hurry and die out the laminate for each of them.

Piling

If all the preparatory stages are completed, you can proceed to the laying work. It is better to carry out the work in stages:

1. First, the substrate is laid and fixed. It is important that the substrate is laid flat and secured.
2. Then the first step gets off. It is necessary to determine the technology of installation. The question is whether a special profile will be used to fix the vertical and horizontal elements of the finish or to protect the external joints the L-shaped threshold will be used.
3. If a profile is used, it is first laid and fixed. If the L-shaped decorative cap is used, then special supports are simply laid, on which the castle elements are made.
4. On the plane of the step is applied adhesive composition, on top of which the finishing element is laid. The same is done with vertical planes.
5. If we are talking about the use of a special connecting profile, then after laying the laminate follows the installation of a special rubber spacer that performs cushioning functions, and then the finishing panel is inserted, which finally fixes the structure. In the case of the use of decorative threshold, it simply fits onto the outer corner of the step and is fixed with an adhesive or with self-tapping screws.

After laying and fixing the elements of the stage, it is necessary to inspect for defects. In addition, until the adhesive composition hardens and the lining does not acquire final strength, it is recommended to additionally fix the horizontal and vertical parts to each other with building tape.

It is worth adding that before sheathe the stairs with laminate, it is necessary to take into account that the work must be carried out from top to bottom, that is, the first step of the stairs is finished first. Thus, you will not have to navigate through freshly laid and not yet fully fixed elements of the finish, which will positively affect the quality of the result.

Note! The adhesive composition should be applied uniformly on all surfaces, including joint profiles or decorative powders. Using the substrate of the required thickness will not only reduce the overall noise of the finish, it will serve as a shock absorber, which will have a positive impact on the service life.

In conclusion, it can be added that if there are certain basic skills for performing the mentioned works, it is possible to finish the staircase with laminate with your own hands, which will save money. And this is never superfluous.

Video

How to finish the staircase laminate Quick-step, see below: