There will be a way to glue the planks to the tread of the stairs (and riser if you like). Nosing can be made from multiple materials. It takes a talented installer who can find these things...but they are out there.

Installation instructions/call the manufacturer to find out what they have to offer for adhesives and nosing. Or your installer can make the calls for you. The trick will be to find an adhesive that will work with the cork backing.

Cork prefers a water/latexed based adhesive. We've had plenty of luck adhering our cork planks to stair treads using PL400 adhesive. Check the manufacturers allowances before moving forward.

Thanks for the feedback Cancork. Any chance you can point me to any examples of nosing that might work with a product like this? My local homedepot wasn't very helpful. There selection wasn't much better. I'm hoping to hear back from the flooring mfg soon.

Thx

Thanks Hal, I'm not set on the brand I posted and will look into your suggestion further. What I liked about the brand I ordinarily chose is the promise of no expansion or contraction. To date the only floor I've installed that showed no signs of this was engineered hardwood (installed floating)

I am absolutely thrilled to be free from EVER vacuuming my stairs again, the LVP in the kitchen entryway and stairs plus the bathroom looks great. The flooring company ordered the materials I selected, including the reducers and stair nosing to match the plank. I also replaced the carpet in the living/dining room downstairs and the loft/bedroom (same floor company, different team of installers) but that was the easy part of the job. With the stairs, it wasn't until after the old carpet had been removed that a couple of major problems were found; the treads all had the wrong support brackets, screws were missing on a few, and half the treads were splitting lengthwise in the middle - the company had the installers replace them all, using the brackets required to meet code, and even handled painting the spots that you couldn't get to or see until the carpet had been removed - just asked me if I had some of the paint left and where I kept it. Since I started the process with new paint throughout, the leftover paint was still good (would hope so for properly sealed containers and less than a month's time...). There's also something inherently valuable about feeling confident that the work was done thoroughly and correctly that just forking out money can't guarantee.

I know a lot of people still turn their noses up at vinyl but I think it's changing. Most households have pets and many have children and the fact is that a good quality LVT holds up to both better than wood. About three years ago we put Moduleo LVT in our living room after estimates for extending existing hardwood was cost prohibitive. Best decision we ever made! Our chihuahua pees on the floor every single day, usually multiple times and the LVT has held up perfectly. The area where we refinished the hardwood is already ruined in one section from urine. When we recently put our house on the market, our realtor was really surprised when we told her the LR flooring was vinyl. As for carpet, our cats destroyed the carpet on the stairs and I hate the allergens of carpet. More and more I hear people in my age bracket who don't want carpet for many reasons, but mostly because it's not clean. Our new house will be entirely LVT. It's so easy to clean and requires no care. If one plank does get ruined somehow, all you have to do is plop in a new piece. Plus, a lot of the brands are recyclable when they reach the end of their life. The important thing with LVT is to get a quality brand that meets the CA standards for indoor air quality (which is supposed to be the toughest in the nation).

Just realized I got sucked into the side discussion and didn't answer your question. We're looking at the same issue. The LVT brands we're considering (Modin and Coretec) both offer stair nosings. My preference would be real wood for the stairs, stained to match but that may be challenging. So we'll probably just do the vinyl on the stairs too. We have a real oak banister so if the flooring doesn't match we'll either paint or stain the banister. Stairs are tricky! Like Hal suggested, yoy might consider a different brand. Good luck!

We have an upstairs loft area that will have handrails and pickets like picture (pic below is our old house w/real wood). How is the nosing handled for these edges if you don't use LVP from company that makes matching nosings? Is there a way to attach wood nosing there (not understanding the transition).

Most companies making wooden treads or tread 'caps' also make the wooden nosing if it's not part of the 'cap' piece.

Jennifer D: I am considering Mannington Adura Max LVP for my entire upstairs and entry stairs. I live in a split level. Mannington does make a cap a tread for stairs, but I see no reviews on installation or durability of the cap a tread. How did you do the LVP on your stairs and has it held up well?

It has been holding up very well so far, though it hasn't been too long (under a year) since the floor was installed. The way mine was done: several of the original stair treads were splitting width-wise in the center but concealed by carpet that used to be there so they replaced them all including the brackets underneath (I have open tread no riser stairs) which were not the correct kind previously; the LVP was cut to fit with the nose on the front/back uncovered then finished by sliding the tread cap in so it locked on the thinner side as designed to fit with the plank and the thicker cap edge on the other.

Jennifer D would you be able to post pictures of your stairs? I would love to see the outcome. And Donna Mulholland anything you have found out? I also have a split level for which I am trying to figure using Mannington Audra LVP on the stairs. Both installers I am talking to are insisting on putting wood stained to match on my stairs which gets expensive. But there are concerns with vinyl such as the stair nose pieces being raised up higher than the tread for one and secondly a concern with all of the stair risers not being the same height. Evidently there is an issue with height differences between the step on each side of the landing vs the bottom step on the first floor and top step on the second floor. Not sure if it's the landing that causes the issue or it would be an issue with just one flight of stairs too. Jennifer D do your riser heights measure the same all the way up?

Again would love to see pictures. It sounds like you had great installers Jennifer D. Are you anywhere around Minneapolis?!

I have no risers on my stairs, they're the open style that was very popular in the late 70's and into the 80's. The flooring/carpet company is the one I plan to use in the future for as long as they're still operating - they're that great :) - but they and I are in Southern California.

Thank you for the picture! I can't tell but on the edge against the wall were they able to make it flush? Or is there a wood trim piece over it? Or is it caulked?

i should have phrased my other question differently, but is the height of each individual stair the same? Especially the first stair and the last stair.

Looks awesome! Thanks again!!

Yes they're the same height, and they fit flush into a slot-type niche in the stringer (the thick wood pieces that run along the wall and on the hand-rail side) as well as being supported by brackets underneath.

Thank you!

No problem! Good luck!

Just referencing the front of the stair (so I don't get confused as most of us don't have open stairs) how is there no lip on the top of the stair nose piece? So The front stair nose is completely flush with the tread? "LVP was cut to fit with the nose on the front uncovered then finished by sliding the tread cap in so it locked on the thinner side as designed to fit with the plank and the thicker cap edge on the other." So does the cap overlap the tread? If so, there's a lip, no? Donna and Jennifer, I think the cap-a-tread is different than this...it is a one piece integrated tread and nose cap all flush. So I don't think Jennifer's can be completely flush with the overlay.

can any flooring installers chime in with how to use mannington adura cap-a-tread on the top step and landing with a glue down application of the LVP on the top floor and landing. Or another solution at the top floor and landing edges that remain flush with the floor.

thanks!

The front nosing is the tread cap, the company who installed my flooring ordered the pieces that matched my LVP. Before the front piece was on they had a metal thingy (don't know what to call it) they put into the wooden tread so it was kind of recessed...
This is what it looked like before they put the nosing on:

It's never as simple as it looks! Did they have to cut out some of your wood tread in order to install that metal piece in a way that would make the front nose flush with the tread or at least closer to being flush than the back of the step cap?

I'm assuming they did, but the actual wood tread is something close to 2 inches thick, and the metal piece isn't at the very very edge, but set back from the edge about an inch. When I was discussing with the guy who runs the company who did the work what was the most important regarding the LVP on the stairs I told him that 1.) I didn't want carpet because vacuuming stairs is awful and I never want to do it again, and 2.) to get things so that anyone looking at them isn't going to say "the nose and plank aren't flush", to make it unnoticeable to as much an extent as possible. It took longer than originally anticipated to complete all the flooring work (carpet, LVP including stairs) because all the treads had to be replaced which wasn't known until the carpet there previously had been removed and his installers found that half of the treads were splitting down the middle width-wise, some were missing screws on the brackets underneath which were *all* the wrong kind of brackets. I don't know if the results would have been the same if they hadn't had to completely replace all the treads, but the process they used to install the nosing and LVP would have been different to achieve the look I wanted because the old treads weren't as thick as the ones I have now.

Thank you all for the advice! I'm also about to use wood LVP on 23 stairs including pie shaped steps and have been concerned. My installer assures me it will look great. We opted to use the LVP on the treads and we're painting the risers white to match trim (so save money and I like the look better). Installer says IF problems arise with stairs (pun intended), it's usually on the riser because of no gravity/pressure. He claims he's never had a problem with treads and caps/noses in the 10 years he's been installing LVP. Good luck to all!

Thank you! You too! Thank you for the information about the risers. What solution will your installer use for the stair Moses and top of stairs transition? Please come back to let us know how it goes and, if you can, post before/after and installation process photos! Would love to see it!

GREAT solution for covering old risers covered with glue! I'll post when stairs are done ... we've been able to sand and stain stair treads but risers are just too much of a mess. SO we're using white HARDBOARD (or Masonite) to cover risers. I chose a 1/8"-1/4" (not sure yet) sheet of Bead Board which looks fantastic ... giving a bit of character vs. plain white. They look fabulous and will be painted before being glued on (and a few finish nails) .... They look clean and fresh and it's by far the easiest way to refinish old stair risers. Just rip 'em correctly ... each stair and riser has a slightly different size and shape. It appears that bullnose pieces (from Lumber Liquidators or local lumber store) will work perfectly on top stair transitions. We must replace treads on one stairway but the risers are all staying so I'll have photos soon ... hopefully!

Thanks to everyone else ... I've learned a ton about stairs, treads, risers, stringers and the like!

One other RISER covering idea ... Etsy sells very cool decals with designs that can be applied and easily removed with no residue for a change in look. Inexpensive, too!

LVP on stairs then What are you wrapping around stair noses? And I assume the wood bullnose transition at the top will have a vertical bump on top floor stair edge? I'm still trying to find a flush solution for the thin LVP.

I like your bead board idea and would love to see finish pics. Will you install horizontally or vertically?

ishop19 - Facing the same predicament of installing Adura Max LVP on stairs.. We purchased stair caps online matching our Adura Max floor.. Some vendors say they can use them while some say they need wooden stairs & stained to match..

high time Mannington publishes some instructions for stairs

What did you end up doing ?

Mr Mackey,

Thank you for sharing! It's still a work in progress, I wish I could say I've settled on a solution. I agree, hired installers want to do wood stained to match and don't want to touch the Zamma cap-a-tread. The feedback I reviewed is that trying to precisely fit the side edges with vinyl is tough since stairs are often not each the same ad with wood it can be sanded a little here and there for a snug fit. This is if you don't want fussy trim pieces on the back and sides which I don't. It makes sense but without actually trying it I don't know. I agree, while it's not a Mannington product, the makers are Zamma and need to do a better job marketing there product with instructions. They make it sound so easy and it is potentially an ingenious solution.

I have been leaning toward the solution of replacing the pressed board stair treads to wood and stained to match, but it's a very pricey option hired out and defeats the lure of "water distance". And it is pricey specially since my end goal is to put a carpet runner on the stairs.

i found in one Home Depot review of the Zamma cap-a-tread that an ingenious young lady diy covered just the edges with cap-a-tread pieces and put a stair runner down the middle!!

Please keep sharing thoughts and ideas. I just tore out all the carpet two days ago so I'm getting close.

Currently I am leaning toward Manning Adura or Karndean, both in glue down hired out. My installer will put a 1/4" underlayment on my plywood subfloor to smooth everything out first and the for the top stair nosing to be flush there is a bull nose piece where the 1" front cap fits on the flat plywood subfloor nose edge and it has a 1/4" horizontal piece that meets the level of the underlayment. I'll have to find a picture of that if you are interested. It would be too hard to describe.

Lisa

Jenn D if you are still viewing this thread are you allowed to mention the name of your installer in So Cal? I really want to have LVP on 28 stairs, 4 landings and second floor of my narrow, 3 story in So Cal.) . Looking for a reputable and experienced LVP installer. Thanks to everyone on this thread for contributing their ideas and help.

Steven's carpet, Fernando is the guy you want to ask for.

Thank you so so much, Jenn D!

You are very welcome!

if you have kids or animals stay away from wood and laminate. You will go crazy with the wear. i would not buy a house just because of the hardwood floors. They are not durable enough.

We recently installed LVP throughout our entire log cabin as well as on our floating stairs. The brand of LVP we used was EZLay looselay and the company makes reference to Versatrim for bullnose.

We used a different type that we found at a large local flooring supplies store. It is a zinc product that came in two sizes. The LVP plank slides into a groove and is locked in place. We glued the bullnose to the stair first and then used light contact adhesive to also glue the LVP to the stair. It came in a brushed nickel colour and a neutral brown and possibly several other colours. It worked well for us and provides a bit of contrast to define each stair. Attached is a picture. I saw the same thing done in the flooring showroom but with risers that had LVP on them as well. It look very nice.

google zamma cap-a-tread

Thank you! I completely agree with both of you. This is an old thread, and I’m not the OP, but I am still working on a solution. I put in a beautiful Karndean Van Gogh medium brown wood look, glue down, but it had visible ripples in it after installation. It turns out when the installer used a high grit sander across the seams of my plywood subfloor, he unknowingly sanded grooves into it that telegraphed up through the 1/4” underlayment and the LVP. Karndean was no support at all, refused to see the ripples and said it was a proper install. The sanded grooves were discovered after ripping the whole floor and underlayment out. The installer refunded my money thankfully but still didn’t admit error.

I‘m still looking for another LVP solution that will play well with my stairs, railing that screws into the floor, and open edges.

Also, it’s hard to find a nice LVP medium brown in the middle of the gray trend when 80% of the choices are gray!

@ishop19- we have a LVT/P and WPC line. In addition to our own line we also carry the above mentioned brands as we specialize in commerercial surfaces. Unico Flooring Distributors in Dallas, TX.

Megan@unicofloors.com

old thread but still having the same questions about lvp on stair risers.....anyone with additional experience a few months later?

Hi

You can order custom nosings exact match your floor ( it will produced from your vinyl planks)

123albertastairs.com

Regards Albert