You don't need a pro to tell you that the finished tread should be level with the finished floor. Level with the subfloor is wrong.

If they wrap the top step with carpet, and none of the other steps are wrapped, you will have a top step rise that is different from the rest of the steps. The maximum allowable difference is 3/8". Yours will likely exceed that.

The stairs probably won't meet code.

Here is a link that might be useful: 2006 IRC Stair Building Code

Your description is unclear. You describe a condition where the upper floor finish is hardwood but then mention carpeting. Will there be carpet on top of wood flooring? You mention a subfloor but not underlayment. What is the design of the upper level floor? Is it a double layer design or a thicker single layer intended only for carpet?

Right.

I also do not understand what the finished floor of the sencond level will be.

Wood or carpet?

How the stairs will be designed to terminate at the 2nd floor will be determined by what you have specified, both for Code and esthetic reasons.

Need more information.

Do I have this right? The top floor is going to be carpeted and the carpet is going to continue so that it covers the top stair tread.

I agree with creek side.
We have hardwood treads and at the top of the stairs, carpet. The top oak tread strip is raised above the sub floor and the installed carpet is flush with the oak strip.

I agree with creek side too. We have an oak stairway with carpet at the top. The carpet it not wrapped around the top tread. The top tread (which is not as deep as a regular tread--I think it's 4 inches deep or so, but gives you a visual cue as to start of the stairs, a firm edge to step on and a nice finished look to the stairs) is raised so that it is flush with the installed carpet. I'll take a picture tonight if I remember.

When carpet will be installed on he stairs as well as on the landings, the top nosing of a run is usually installed flush with the "combination subfloor" or "underlayment" whichever has been specified. This is no doubt what the stair installer is trying to tell the OP. Everything depends on what was shown on the drawings for floor finish. The OP hasn't made that clear so speculating about how it should have been done is pointless.

I have to deal with these kinds of misunderstandings on job sites and I have learned that it is unwise to go into a negotiation involving a lot of money without having absolutely all of the facts.

If there are drawings or a record of what the owner told the contractor you don't want to be blindsided by it when presenting your argument.

If the OP wants help it would start with a better description of the situation.

Here are some pics of mine. I took the pics in a hurry so please excuse the dust :)
The first pic is of the top step and then the second floor short oak strip with the carpet.
{{!gwi}}

The next pic is looking down on the top oak strip where it meets and is flush with the carpet. HTH
{{!gwi}}

"The OP paid extra for oak stairs. The floor at the top of the stairs is to be carpeted. The OP expects the top step to be set flush with the finished floor, not the subfloor. Instead, the builder set the top step flush with the subfloor and plans to wrap it, and only it, with carpet, which the OP does not want.

It seems pretty clear to me."

This is exactly what I was trying to explain. I expected it to look like the pics above. That is how I have always seen it done. If I am paying for oak steps I want all of them to be oak, not all but the top strip.

They don't want to change the stairs. Today they told us that we can pull up the top strip/tread and replace it to allow us to put wood upstairs (the hall that meets up to the stairs) in the future. As I see it we will always need to wrap the top tread with carpet, not a look I wanted. We're going to meet with one of the higher up project managers and our salesperson so they can show us how we can supposedly make this work.

I'm still not sure that plush carpet with thick padding wrapped over the top step meets code. I can't find any information that specifies this situation.

Thanks for the responses so far. I'll keep y'all updated.

The easiest solution is to modify what is there and you haven't completely described that yet.

Does the floor have a modern single-layer subfloor or does it have a traditional subfloor with a layer of underlayment?

How big is the top landing? Will the rooms adjacent to the landing have carpet?

Do you ever intend to carpet the stairs?

Another poster described it perfectly as I quoted above.

Now for the update. After meeting with the project manager and the salesperson we have come to a solution. The top tread has a rise that is 1/2" lower than all the other steps. They did this to allow the carpet and padding to roll over and keep the height within code. The project manager's solution will work. We can remove the top tread and replace it with a tread that is 1/2" thicker. This will make it 1/2" higher than the subfloor on the upstairs landing. This will allow us to use 1/2" flooring that will then be level with the step. The step will not be higher than the rest of the steps since it was made 1/2" lower (for the carpet.)

Whew. I hope this makes sense. I am not happy that we will have the carpet over the top tread for a while but I am glad that eventually we can put wood floors in the upstairs landing and connecting hallways.

The builder went further to please us. We had eliminated some cabinets from the kitchen above the range because my husband will be building a custome mantle hood. The cabinet company said they would not credit us for the cabinets so today the builder told us THEY are going to credit us $500 for them. Our salesperson also called us today to let us know that they are going to remove two dead trees that are beyond the line of where they clear the lot. The trees are pretty far back so they did not have to do this but wanted to honor our request due to our confusion over the stairs.

So all and all I am very pleased with how the situation turned out.

It sounds like I have the same problem. Unless I'm missing something, I'm not sure what options I have given that my rise is 7 1/2" from the top step to the tread on the 2nd floor, which is by the way is barely above the 2nd floor sub-floor.

after the tread on the top expires they tuck the carpet in to that gold looking reducer, which left the carpet well above the top tread.

What isn't obvious is that the subfloor under that carpet reducer is well below that under the banister, which as the picture shows is 8 1/2" above the top stair. Which is where my 3/4" hardwood floor would be.

What are my options? This house is in MA. built in 02. no upgrades since. we purchased in late of 2012.

thanks,
clint

forget it

This post was edited by Renovator8 on Fri, Jan 16, 15 at 17:59

From the picture above: the rise from the top of the last stair to the top of the tread on the landing is 7 1/2".

The top of the tread on the landing is nearly flush with the OSB sub-floor on our 2nd story. The depth of the tread on the top landing is roughly 3".

Beyond that 3" on the landing, the carpet begins, and is tucked in using that gold plated thing (also shown in the picture). That carpet pad and the subsequent carpeting is roughly an inch above the top of the tread on the landing area.

Note the 3/4" hardwood to the left, under the railing, is resting on the subfloor (which mimicks what HW would look like at the top of the stairs on the landing, which is what I want to install) and it is 8 1/2" above the top of the tread on the top stair.

The carpet is NOT recessed, rather it's proud of the tread at the top landing, meaning if I wanted to replace the carpet with HW, my 3/4" HW would also be proud of the tread on the landing.

You need to see a picture of the tread at the top of the landing being nearly flush with the subfloor to understand the problem?

thanks,
clint

Please don't dig up threads from 6 years ago. If you have a question it is best to start a new thread to save other members from reading all the old posts in order to find your post.

double post

This post was edited by Renovator8 on Fri, Jan 16, 15 at 17:58

There is a lot of good information in old threads and nothing wrong with reviving them. No one forces anyone to read anything.

I'm not sure I understand the problem. Fix it the best you can, I doubt you'll get a red tag.

If someone thinks an old thread contains useful information it should be referenced in a new thread so members do not read a long discussion only to find a new, often unrelated issue or question. Its a simple courtesy to the other members.

I figured since it's the problem (OP: " the top strip of tread is sitting flush with the subfloor") is the exact same issue as mine, it might make sense to utilize above comments/poster's thoughts.

You're right, if the problem was unrelated it clearly would not make sense.

FYI Renevator8, I put a pict showing how the top tread is only 1/8 - 1/4" proud of the subfloor on the landing. Hopefully my problem makes sense to you now.