Linoleum-hardwood floor at the top of a carpeted stairway

15 years ago

I want new flooring.

I've been putting money back for a few months for new flooring. I HOPE by the end of next month I can get it.

Here is my situation:

The back door and kitchen is on the north side of the house.

The front door on the east.

If you enter my backdoor you come across a small backporch, turn left in a hallway for a few feet and to the left is the kitchen and dining room. To the right of the dining room is the front door. At the end of the hallway is the stairwell leading to my basement. It is also carpeted.

This area(s) is a freeway through my house.

High traffic from back to front door.

Actually the carpeting in my house is in decent shape except for this pathway. It is practically thread bare. (Note: I have linoleum in the kitchen. The carpet meets the linoleum at the hall way and the dining room. This is where the most wear is showing on the carpet.)

I want to put a hard finished flooring down from the back door, in the hall, through the kitchen and dining room to the front door.

Are ya with me?

Here's my dilemma...or not...

Do you see a problem with a hard surface (like linoleum) leading to the edge of the stairs? Or maybe I should put hard flooring installed down one step then resume with the carpeting? Or should I put a hard finished flooring on the the entire stairway and put a runner on it?

Carpeting on steps can be a real pain in the butt...perhaps extending the linoleum down the steps in the answer?

I don't know.

I'm so confused.

Please.

Un-confuse me....

Lori

Comments (5)

JoanMN
15 years ago
How about ceramic tiles? Beautiful and very long-lasting. Whatever you use, I'd leave the steps carpeted, and just put one of those metal strips or whatever at the top of the steps to make a separation from the new floor.
kathleenca
15 years ago
Hi Lori,

I know - when we stew over something for so long we do get confused! Too close to the issue, I think.

To answer you - well, it depends. I think taking the hard flooring to the stairway is not a problem if there is a door that is usually closed at the stairway. The hard flooring could be installed to meet the carpeting on the basement side of the door (so the break would not be seen from the hall side).

If there is not a door to the stairway you could consider taking the hard flooring down one step to give a continuous look before the break of the step.

'Course, if you want to spend more money & have a continuous look (if the stairway is not closed off & especially if it leads to a frequently-used space such as a family room), then the hard flooring with a runner (such as indoor/outdoor - you don't want a high pile or soft, plushy carpeting on stairs) would be a good way to go. The hard flooring would then provide a link between the two levels & offer some more continuity that the existing carpeting would not.

I know this answer seems wishy-washy, but the floor treatment does depend on what's around it & the function that goes on in the areas.

Hope this helps.

Kathleen
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You need to do a little more archeological digging still. You need to know the whole construction of the floor before you can decide how best to install something new. I'd take up that plywood piece in the kitchen and see what's under it. It's higher than the surrounding floor, so needs to go. You should also be able to see from there what subfloor is under the original kitchen hardwood. It's too bad the space under your entryway is finished, but I'd still do some exploring from below to see what's under there, and to figure out the fix to stop it from squeaking. Is it drywall below or a drop ceiling? I know it probably seems like a pain to tear out drywall, but if you cut out a clean patch, like 2' x the width of the joists, it'll be relatively simple to repair. Just make sure to cut it down the center of the joists so that there's room to screw the patch piece to it later. Cut the hole under the area that squeaks the most, if you can. Have someone walk on and watch the floor from below to see what's moving. It might be as simple as pounding in a couple shims from below, or face-nailing a loose board from above. You want to find out what's underneath the hardwood. It might be laid directly on the floor joists, or there might be 10" wide boards that the hardwood is nailed to. Another thought is to take out a board in the hallway, since that's not original and you want to replace it. See what the subfloor is there. I am a bit puzzled at why, when you've stripped the kitchen down to the original hardwood, it's still higher than the hallway floor. Is your current surface perhaps not the original kitchen hardwood? Peeling back the plywood area will help determine that. BTW, I haven't heard of that stop squeaking product you linked to, so can't offer any personal opinion. And don't pour self-leveling compound over top of hardwood. It needs to go over plywood.
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linda_in_iowa
15 years ago
Carpet and dogs just don't go together do they? I love my wood laminate floors, so easy to care for. It's just me but I don't care for linoleum. My small bathroom is the only room in my house with linoleum and I might change it to tile.
lydia1959
15 years ago
Joan said I'd leave the steps carpeted, and just put one of those metal strips or whatever at the top of the steps to make a separation from the new floor. That is what we did, but you can also see the matching carpet in the living room from the stair area... so the carpeted stairs don't look out of place.

I'd like to rip up the carpet... stain the tops of the stairs to match my laminate and then paint the front sides of the stairs a nice white. DH will never go for it though.
LorifromUtah
Original Author
15 years ago
There is no door at the top of the stairs.

I like the idea of the hard flooring (whatever it might be. When I say hard I mean a hard non-carpet surface. Selection the TYPE of hard floors will require more posts and hand holding!) going down one step for the continuity. But I also like taking the hard floor all the way to the bottom of the steps. Dog hair is subject to gravity too and it all goes 'down the stairs'.

Thanks for helping me out!
I'll call on your opinions when it's time to pick colors, texture and types!

Linoleum-hardwood floor at the top of a carpeted stairway

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JoanMN

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Linoleum-hardwood floor at the top of a carpeted stairway

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