Stairs are the one place laminate does not float. Each tread gets glued down with construction adhesive and a matching stair nose is fastened at the front edge. A floating tread would shift under your foot, and that is how people slip.
We take off the old carpet, pull the tack strip and staples, and check every tread for squeaks and loose boards before we start. Squeaks get screwed down now, because they will not go away once the laminate is on.
Each tread is scribed to the wall on both sides. Old houses are never square, so a tread cut from a tape measure alone leaves gaps. Risers are cut from the same plank or a matching white riser board, depending on the look you want.
On open stairs we return the nose around the exposed end so there is no raw HDF edge showing. A standard straight staircase of 12 to 14 steps usually takes our crew a full day. Winders and landings take longer, and we tell you that up front in the estimate. We match the stair laminate to your main floor so the whole house reads as one run of whole house laminate flooring.