Transforming Rounded Stairs

We get an increasing number of customers looking to switch from carpet to laminate flooring, and not so much the other way around. Customers want laminate mostly because it is easier to clean, doesn't trap dust like carpet does, and is more durable, especially in high traffic areas like stairs. Only downside is that it's not as soft and warm as carpet is. But hey, if you saw how much dust is trapped underneath your carpet, that might scare you more than the coldness...

One of the biggest obstacles to overcome in that transformation process is stairs. Here, at a job in Cottonwood Heights, UT, we encountered a new animal: rounded stairs. With carpet, rounded stairs are a piece of cake, because it is flexible and can conform to any shape. On the other hand, 12.3mm thick laminate flooring is not exactly your definition of bendable.

Here is what it looked like before:

Our installers had to think about this one...

After ripping out the carpet, they decided to transform all the rounded edges into straight edges by rebuilding parts of the stairs with additional material.

They carefully measured and cut minuscule miter edges to make sure all the angles fit together perfectly. Just 3 steps took a good day's worth of work!

And... here is the finished product:

It turned out beautifully! The customer chose our 12.3mm Tap&Go Laminate - MHT-18 Hickory Chocolate, which matched the main columns on the railing. Overall, it was a good choice, giving it the feel of a grand staircase.

The rounded stairs was a little daunting at first, but with our installer's excellent carpentry, it turned out amazing. Everybody loved it!

Can't wait to try our hands at another one of these ;)

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#laminate #stairs #install #carpet