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I attach photos of my stair nosing problem.

1) The steps as manufactured and left bare, plus a piece of laminate matching what is used on floors above and below the stairs.

2) Sample of a stair nosing that I constructed from various parts; there is a visible change in colour/grain between the step and the nose

One of the photos has flipped strangely. You need to rotate your head to see the step/nosing combination.
 

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So you want to use the flooring materials you have in the room to create a new surface layer for the stair treads and then make a matching nosing? Is that what I understand you're trying to accomplish?

ReindeerThistle and peter grimes are better finish carpenters than I am. Maybe they could get you a better answer. But I don't know how to work with that laminate other than as a flat piece. Maybe you could use the laminate piece on the stair tread, and then cut and finish a piece of real wood for the nosing. It would take some work to match. You'd have to find the right wood, the right stain, and then polyurethane it.
 
Indeed. Although I'm fine with white risers, the treads (and nosing) were supposed to match the floors.

That's why I thought of kerning the laminate (cutting slats into the back and bending it on the thinnest areas) but its challenging. The planks are "Kronospan, Vintage, Red River Hickory" and this grain is particularly challenging to colour match because its extremely variable. Any advice would be appreciated!
 
So I moved into a new place, and I can't get hot water for the shower. Rent is cheap, and it's possible that that's just not a thing I get anymore, but is there anything obvious I should try before calling the landlord and risking personal embarrassment?
 
Indeed. Although I'm fine with white risers, the treads (and nosing) were supposed to match the floors.

That's why I thought of kerning the laminate (cutting slats into the back and bending it on the thinnest areas) but its challenging. The planks are "Kronospan, Vintage, Red River Hickory" and this grain is particularly challenging to colour match because its extremely variable. Any advice would be appreciated!

I recommend going to a timber veneer specialist and finding a matching veneer it would be about 1/16 inch thick and would bend easily over your existing treads, (steam could help) glue this. using a contact glue to the whole stair tread. (starting at the underside and working across the top of the tread) take a sample of your laminate and they will match it

I do a lot of restoration work and have matched veneer to timbers from all over the world with little difficulty. most large cities will have a warehouse so you may have to order it in if you live in a smaller town. I have 3 suppliers near me that I know of.
 
So I moved into a new place, and I can't get hot water for the shower. Rent is cheap, and it's possible that that's just not a thing I get anymore, but is there anything obvious I should try before calling the landlord and risking personal embarrassment?

Do you get hot water out of any fixture in your apartment?
 
So I moved into a new place, and I can't get hot water for the shower. Rent is cheap, and it's possible that that's just not a thing I get anymore, but is there anything obvious I should try before calling the landlord and risking personal embarrassment?


If you aren't getting any hot water, it's a landlord issue.
 
Indeed. Although I'm fine with white risers, the treads (and nosing) were supposed to match the floors.

That's why I thought of kerning the laminate (cutting slats into the back and bending it on the thinnest areas) but its challenging. The planks are "Kronospan, Vintage, Red River Hickory" and this grain is particularly challenging to colour match because its extremely variable. Any advice would be appreciated!
I was asked to chime in here, but I'm not sure my input is very useful.

I'd be very skeptical of using a veneer on something that takes a beating like a stair tread - especially a nosing. even if you're a shoeless household this is not a case where i would expect veneer to last very long at all.

And then the idea of wrapping around he nosing seems a bit problematic. I've done a bit of bent lamination work as well as curved veneering, but nothing with such a tight radius.

If this were me I'd take a different approach entirely, but this might not suit the desired aesthetic.

I would not try for a rounded nosing, instead I'd edge glue a piece of solid hardwood to the raw edge of the tread, and I'd make it a definite obvious design choice. So either I'd locate a species that is a good match, or Id choose something distinctively different*. I'd make the nose piece at least 1-1/4" wide so it's well supported by the riser, and glue and clamp, maybe even bisquit it.

Sorry if this isn't helpful!

*deom the photos, something like ash might be a nice contrast if you go way lighter, or you can always get hickory and then stain it down.


I recommend going to a timber veneer specialist and finding a matching veneer it would be about 1/16 inch thick and would bend easily over your existing treads, (steam could help) glue this. using a contact glue to the whole stair tread. (starting at the underside and working across the top of the tread) take a sample of your laminate and they will match it

I do a lot of restoration work and have matched veneer to timbers from all over the world with little difficulty. most large cities will have a warehouse so you may have to order it in if you live in a smaller town. I have 3 suppliers near me that I know of.


Sent from my SM-G900P using Tapatalk
 
I'm in south-east England and the big name veneer specialists advertised online (I tried just now) will supply on MDF only. Have you heard of anyone suitable near me?
That's veneered sheet they're selling you. You need to ask for flitches of solid veneer. likely to be around 1/20" thick

Basically, the stuff that's glued to the mdf.

Sent from my SM-G900P using Tapatalk
 
What's the best way to remove carpet underpaid residue and otherwise clean up a wood floor? I've got quite a bit left over after I scrapped off the underpadding and I want ideas as to what I can do that isn't as severe as taking an orbital sander to 400 square feet of floor (real wood in interlocking things like laminate).
 
How is the padding attached? For a common wall to wall installation I've usually seen the padding stapled to the floor. So you sit on the floor with pliers and pull the staples one by one. If the padding is instead glued, you'll have to scrape up as much as you can, and maybe sand off the rest.
 
How is the padding attached? For a common wall to wall installation I've usually seen the padding stapled to the floor. So you sit on the floor with pliers and pull the staples one by one. If the padding is instead glued, you'll have to scrape up as much as you can, and maybe sand off the rest.

It was glued, I got off the padding, but there is still plenty of residue.
 
I went back to Home Depot this afternoon.

The sales rep in the flooring department did not seem to know what she was talking about, and was not even really fluent in English. She mostly kept suggesting that I come back tomorrow to talk to the manager who has the most experience. She also seemed to suggest I should rip everything up, level it again, and do a floating install, even though I kept repeating that I did not have enough material for that, could not afford it, and that the middle 10 feet of floor looks perfect as is.

When I mentioned the wood filler I have she went and got a smaller tube of the brand they sell and said it could be used for repairs, but had nothing really useful to add.

She seemed impressed by how well I managed to get the transition strip stained to match the floor boards, but then went on to try to sell some alternative strips that would not work in my situation.

I ended up just buying the 1 gallon container of engineered hardwood glue and ignoring everything she said.


When I returned the trim boards that were not big enough to cover all the bad spots on the wall, I discovered that they had overcharged me by nearly $20. They measured the length of the boards as 65 feet, when they were only 49 feet long. Thankfully, after a brief talk with a manager, the customer service rep decided to trust my word and give me a full refund.


I bought some of the standard size composite baseboard and some pine quarter round. Those were the cheapest options, and together are just thick enough to hide the largest gaps between the flooring and the wall. (I thought the shoe molding looked a little better, but it was the same price and I'd have to buy more it it as I already had several 1 to 4 ft long scraps of quarter round laying around.) The boards came in 16ft length and I would have liked to have single pieces long enough for whole walls (14'5" and 12'7"), but I had them cut down to 12' instead because that is the longest I could fit in my vehicle.


I realized after returning home that I probably should have bought some more silicon and/or caulk while there, as Eli recommended sealing the edges of all the boards and the transition strip with it. I still have several partial tubes I brought home from Habitat, but I don't think they will be enough. I could probably take some more home on Saturday for free, but that would require postponing the baseboard installation. I need to return all the borrowed tools on Saturday morning, including the compound miter saw. I guess I could measure and cut the boards in advance but nail them later if I have to.
 
Do you get hot water out of any fixture in your apartment?
I don't believe so. I can get it kind of warm but not really hot.
If you aren't getting any hot water, it's a landlord issue.

Yeah but given the general condition of my house I'm not inclined to rely on my landlord for much.
 
I don't believe so. I can get it kind of warm but not really hot.


Yeah but given the general condition of my house I'm not inclined to rely on my landlord for much.


Then you need to spend the money to fix it yourself. Or live with it.
 
Indeed. Although I'm fine with white risers, the treads (and nosing) were supposed to match the floors.

That's why I thought of kerning the laminate (cutting slats into the back and bending it on the thinnest areas) but its challenging. The planks are "Kronospan, Vintage, Red River Hickory" and this grain is particularly challenging to colour match because its extremely variable. Any advice would be appreciated!

Seriously. Go to an art supply house and get a set of acrylics and a flow medium. Sand and shellac seal your noses, then mix colors to match the laminate. Apply shellac sealer over the matched noses (test on scrap noses before proceeding, to get the color right.

Then, lightly sand (320 grit)'and apply a semi-gloss fast-drying polyurethane -- two coats.

So I moved into a new place, and I can't get hot water for the shower. Rent is cheap, and it's possible that that's just not a thing I get anymore, but is there anything obvious I should try before calling the landlord and risking personal embarrassment?



If you aren't getting any hot water, it's a landlord issue.
This.


Yeah if I had money I'd live in a better house so I think I'll go with the latter, assuming the landlord does decide not to do anything. It's a weird adjustment but I've endured worse.
Don't try to fix things yourself if you have a landlord. Look over the terms of your lease. I've had tenants cause thousands of dollars damage trying to fix things themselves, or hire hacks that were not pros. Best of luck.

You could try various solvents. But I wouldn't have high hopes.
Never use solvents to remove adhesives -- especially on wood. You do not know what kind of reaction it will cause -- and combustion is a possibility. Never sand off adhesives, either.

Google the Resilent Floor Covering Institute's Recommended Practices for Floor Covering Removal -- they feature ways to remove floor adhesives. Usually a neutral soap and hot water, elbow grease and plastic scrub pads do the trick without damaging the floor.
 
@warpus so what did you do with the crack by your porch post.:)
 
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