# Forum Home Renovation Stairs, Steps and Ramps  Cladding MDF Stairs

## KSG

Has anyone installed a set of MDF stairs and then cladded with laminate/engineered timber floor of their choice?  If so how did it turn out.  This is an option we are looking at as it means our stairs will match floors exactly and also would be a significant saving over solid timber treads. 
We are looking at Quickstep range of flooring that has matching accessories for cladding stairs. 
Appreciate your thoughts.

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## METRIX

I have put plenty of solid timber on stairs but not pre finished floating floor. 
It would be a pain if it's not solid as any cuts will show what's under the thin laminate. 
Bamboo should be ok as its solid, I have seen some edge things for stairs to cover the cuts but they look ordinary and tacked on. 
Recently did a set of stairs that had real floating spotted gum, I put solid spotted gum on the stairs it matched very well especially after a few costs of feast Watson satin poly, it blended in almost seemless

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## phild01

As usual, keep in mind that all risers need to be equal to the mm.  Topping stairs only can affect this. Check that nosings can be got to match the tread material.

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## pharmaboy2

> As usual, keep in mind that all risers need to be equal to the mm.  Topping stairs only can affect this. Check that nosings can be got to match the tread material.

  Risers and goings are +-5 mm tolerance according to,..  Australian standard AS1657 : Stairs 
anf I’m sure I’ve seen similar in an Aus std somewhere ( one of the ones that comes up on google occasionally, then promptly taken down....)

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## phild01

> Risers and goings are +-5 mm tolerance according to,..  Australian standard AS1657 : Stairs 
> anf I’m sure I’ve seen similar in an Aus std somewhere ( one of the ones that comes up on google occasionally, then promptly taken down....)

  Good reminder, though 5mm difference isn't great and to achieve that tolerance probably better to go for accuracy :Smilie:

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## KSG

> As usual, keep in mind that all risers need to be equal to the mm.  Topping stairs only can affect this. Check that nosings can be got to match the tread material.

  Would be looking to install same floating floor at top and bottom of stairs and will do this at same time as cladding stairs with only difference being install of 2 or 3mm underlay on floor at bottom on top of stairs. 
Quickstep do a nosing to match their floors

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## pharmaboy2

> Good reminder, though 5mm difference isn't great and to achieve that tolerance probably better to go for accuracy

  true, but it means you can absorb a tile thickness you forgot about in the last tread, and it’s helpful when recycling a set of stairs   :Wink:

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## KSG

Here is what stairs look like clad with Quickstep flooring (won't let me upload picture so have put link to external website)  https://www.antrimflooringcompany.com/node/17

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## KSG

> I have put plenty of solid timber on stairs but not pre finished floating floor. 
> It would be a pain if it's not solid as any cuts will show what's under the thin laminate. 
> Bamboo should be ok as its solid, I have seen some edge things for stairs to cover the cuts but they look ordinary and tacked on. 
> Recently did a set of stairs that had real floating spotted gum, I put solid spotted gum on the stairs it matched very well especially after a few costs of feast Watson satin poly, it blended in almost seemless

  How is this done?  Are the stairs installed with an MDF tread and then you put the solid spotted gum on top of this tread?

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## METRIX

> How is this done?  Are the stairs installed with an MDF tread and then you put the solid spotted gum on top of this tread?

  Yep 
The thing I don;t like with pre finished floors is they are slippery as, putting them on stairs is dangerous.
The feast Watson coat we used on the stairs looked the same as the pre finished but had traction to it, so no slippy slippy.

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## KSG

> Yep 
> The thing I don;t like with pre finished floors is they are slippery as, putting them on stairs is dangerous.
> The feast Watson coat we used on the stairs looked the same as the pre finished but had traction to it, so no slippy slippy.

  Thanks Metrix, something to consider.

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## phild01

When I had my stairs made,  I too thought of a laminate overlay but then stopped realising how slippery they would be.  Had them made of Vic Ash instead and even then the manufacturer milled 3 parallel anti-slip grooves into the timber.

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## TheHammer

> Good reminder, though 5mm difference isn't great and to achieve that tolerance probably better to go for accuracy

  The thing to remember is its +/- 5mm in the entire rise of the staircase. It doesn't mean that one riser can be +5 and the next -5. So the top riser could be + 5 and the bot riser could be -5. The total change could be 10mm top to bot. Anything beyond that you can feel it and its accepted as dangerous.

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