Prepare the Stairs

• Remove all old floor covering from the stairs and sand smooth. Any lumps of carpet adhesive left will eventually show up on the surface of your new laminate. Scrape carpet glue off the stair treads and smooth with sandpaper--a handheld sander makes this process quicker. Wipe all sanding dust off the stair treads with a tack rag or a cloth soaked with mineral spirits. Any leftover glue or debris will interfere with the adhesive.
  
  If the nose of the stair tread is rounded, square it off using a circular saw. Laminate cannot adhere to the rounded edge. If the tread will remain wide enough, trim the rounded edge flush with the riser. If the tread will not be wide enough, nail plywood to the riser and trim just the rounded edge. Nosing to cover rounded edges is available from some laminate manufacturers, but can be very expensive, making it a matter of personal choice.
  
  

Installing Laminate on Stairs

• Underlayment is not used when installing laminate on stairs.
  
  Begin at the bottom of the stairs,and cut the laminate to the crosswise length and glue to the riser. Continue the laminate to the top edge of the stair tread. Trim off the top edge if necessary to keep the laminate even with the edge of the stair tread. Glue the nosing to the edge of the stair tread; also run a few screws into the nosing to secure. Use a good quality glue that is compatible with laminate. Counter-sink the screws to avoid a trip hazard.
  
  Trim the laminate for the stair tread to the correct length and glue in place. Run the laminate up to the nosing, not under it. Remember to leave a small gap at the edge of the tread where it meets the wall for expansion and the movement of the treads when being walked on. If possible, stay off the stairs for 24 hours to allow the glue to dry.
  
  

Finishing Touches

• Use molding at the point the bottom step meets the flooring to cover the gap and vastly improve the appearance. This also eliminates an opening for dust to accumulate.
  
  A narrow of piece of quarter-round glued to the bottom of each riser where it meets the tread adds a nice final addition to the stairs.