It has a beautiful laminate floor and you wonder if you should finish the concrete stairs in laminate to give the space a cohesive, designer feel. First of all, is it possible? Can you cover concrete with laminate? The answer is yes. In fact, if you’ve ever covered wooden stairs, the process is similar, except that the installation of the nose is a bit more complicated.
What you will need
To perform this task, you will need:
- PL200 or stronger construction glue
- Laminate Cutting Skill Saw
- Cutting saw for cutting metal flanges
- drill with a concrete bit
- electric screwdriver
- plastic plugs
- Broom
I recommend using metal flanges as they are stronger and hold better on concrete stairs. (The rolled profiles that come in a kit are also trickier as the tracks have to be in exactly the right place and there isn’t much standardization – each manufacturer makes a slightly different size / style of rolled profiles.)
To do
Start by sweeping the stairs and cleaning up chips or dust. You will need a clean surface for the glue to adhere properly to the concrete and laminate. Once the area is clean, start with the bands first.
Measure, mark, and cut each laminate board to fit the riser groove side down. Glue the riser and the back of the board, and secure the board in place, again, making sure the groove is at the bottom of the riser. Once all the risers are glued in, you are ready to begin flanging.
Start by measuring and cutting the metal edges to fit. Mark in the concrete where the screws will go, then, using a drill with a concrete bit, drill the holes. Put a plastic plug in each hole. Number the beads so that you match each one to the correct tread when you screw them in later.
Measure, mark and cut each laminate board to fit the tread with the groove side in to meet the bottom of the riser. Placing the planks so that the groove in the riser meets the groove in the tread creates a clean, professional edge at the corner. Glue the tread and the back of the board and secure the board in place, making sure the groove faces inward.
The stair rails are meant to finish the look by covering the edge of the stair. Unfortunately with concrete stairs this can be a bit tricky as the edge of the stairs is usually thicker than the edge of the royal staircase. If so, cut a laminate board so that it is wide enough to cover the concrete edge and glue it to the face of the edge at each tread. Next, secure the nose over the top by screwing it through the rolled tread into the pre-drilled holes in the concrete. (If you’ve already covered the face of the lip with laminate, you can glue the trim to the laminate for additional adhesion, then nail the top of the trim into place.)