Lifeproof Vinyl Plank Flooring - Installed on Stairs with Custom Formed Bullnose
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- Опубликовано: 4 авг 2022
- This is an instructional video showing how to install Lifeproof Vinyl Plank Flooring on stairs and how to form a custom bullnose with the planks. This install is using Lifeproof Vinyl Plank, but it should be a similar process for other vinyl plank products. There are also some overall tips and tricks for remodeling stairs. This is an experimental DIY project and there is no guarantee it will work. I'm not a professional and simply want to share my experience with the install. Hope this helps some other DIYers out there, thanks!
Here are some links to other videos that inspired me to tackle this install:
• LifeProof LVP Flooring...
• Vinyl plank flooring o...
• DIY Vinyl Plank Stair ...
• How To Install Vinyl P... 
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I’m going to try this! Client was appalled by the price of stair nose treads and I’ve been trying to find a solution to stay within budget! Nice
Good luck!
Thank you for adding every step in this process. I've been watching videos also trying to find the best solution for my stairs. Your stairs look great and your process looks completely doable, for a completely in the dark renovator with minimum tools and knowhow. So for all of us with the ambition and desire but little how to. THANK YOU! {and I really like your cardboard jig} Cheers!!
Glad this helped you out! I was definitely making the most of what I had to get this job done. I thought it would be good to show that this can be accomplished with minimal tools and without a workshop. I wanted to be thorough in explaining the process because It seemed like many of videos I watched were missing critical info or were somewhat vague on the overall process. Unfortunately it turned into a much longer video than I anticipated, but I'm happy to hear that it is appreciated. Also, that cardboard jig worked surprisingly well and saved me from having to buy something that was only going to be used once. Thanks for the comment!
CLEVER!!!! Wow. Thanks for sharing your journey.
You're welcome, thanks for the comment!
Pretty brilliant! Thanks for sharing your process.
Glad you liked it!
Good job man, I was about to put stain on my stairs but after I saw your video I’m going to try your idea 👀 looks more durable.
Give it a shot! It should be pretty durable and it should be less slippery than stained wood. I was actually surprised how much grip the vinyl provided. Not as much as carpet, but definitely more than wood. Thanks for the comment!
Great video. I liked how you explained your thinking as you progressed through the project. It provided a good many new ideas for me as I think about my own project.
Awesome, thank you!
Thanks for sharing Using a new stair wood tread to use as a guide for the bullnose fold is Genius! I was planning to do it on the stairs but this is the way to go. I too agree this seemless look is BEAUTIFUL & your stairs look you paid a pro to do them I'm going to try this on my stairs with gluedown 3mm lvt which is more flexible than this. I will use loctite to glue them down as opposed to pressure sensitive glue which is what the flooring calls for
Thank you! Yeah, the seamless look is great and I actually just added some sealant to all of the edges so it really looks buttoned up now. I agree that the 3mm should be much easier to bend and work with in general. I'm not very familiar with the pressure sensitive adhesives, but I think it is more for large areas of floor that need to stay workable for longer. For all I know it might work fine on the stairs, but I'm guessing a Loctite/construction adhesive will cure much faster and ultimately be stronger. Thanks for the comment!
have to say ,, ive been doin this for years as part of my job ,, top marks mate ,, i love a guy who aint scared to give it a go ,,, in the UK ,we trades call you DIY guys "weekend warriors" but good job buddy
Thanks! I really appreciate that coming from a pro. I'm definitely a weekend warrior.
Well Done! Looks great.
Thank you!
never thought of this, guy a genius
Thanks for watching!
Excellent Job and Information.......
Great video this is what I needed
Glad to hear it!
I tried doing it where I clamped the plank and bent the bullnose. Your way is much better where you clamp the bullnose and use the extra plank as leverage. Also I used a propane torch to heat it up quicker - a bit more risky but a few quick passes and it heats up well
Great job.
After removing carpet, I would just paint the riser white and call it a day.
No one would scrutinize the riser.
Yep, painting the existing riser would normally work just fine. In my case the existing risers were in really poor condition so I decided to add a thin cover board. Thanks for the comment!
good job and the cat matches the flooring
Thanks!
I decided on overlap nosings even tho expensive. I tried them for the landings and liked the look. But the safety aspect sealed the deal - it's a pretty significant lip . A piece of trim at the top of the riser gives the narrow nosing more visual substance.
Glad it worked out. Thanks for the comment!
Hey there! Nice video. I like how you thoroughly explained your thought process for this. I am considering doing something similar with my stairs but I was curious how "slippery" the stairs are with this look. How is the grip when you're going up and down wearing socks?
Thanks! I'd say the grip is pretty good. The vinyl has some wood graining on the surface that gives more traction. I've never felt like I was going to slip and I've walked up and down with socks without any issues. There are a lot of different products so it could vary depending on what you use. In general It will not be as grippy as carpet, but it will likely offer more grip than wood or tile. I remember seeing a video on RUclips that tested the grip of all of these materials and vinyl fell somewhere in the middle and that is pretty much what I have experienced. Thanks for the question!
Verry nice video great job. But I was wondering if the rubber under plank really needs to be removed,. I was thinking to maybe remove it on the edge where bending or possibly not remove it at all and heat up with the plank. I have stairs then floor level are and stairs again I thinking if I remove it and keep on between the floors the last step won't flash it with the rest. Also for the riser can the plank be installed to match steps color. Thanks
Good questions! Ultimately, that decision is up to you. The main reason I removed it was because I did not trust that layer of backing material to hold to the planks securely over time. That backing can be ripped off the plank by hand, so that is not something I would trust to hold up and could potentially create an unsafe condition. I also don't know what adhesive would stick great to that backing materiel, but regardless the weak point is whatever is holding that backing to the plank. There are other videos on youtube showing it installed with the backing, but that is not something I would recommend.
I had a similar situation with the landing and I had the same concern about the un-backed tread not being flush with the first normal plank on the landing. I tried explaining this at the end of the video, but I ended up leaving a thin strip (1"+/-) of the backing material on the connecting edge and removed the rest. This gave me plenty of area to glue to tread in place and still line up with the first plank on the landing. That seemed to work fine for me.
You can definitely install the vinyl planks on the risers as a finish. I would not be as worried about ripping off the backing material for that since it is not something you are stepping on, but I would recommend finding an adhesive that you know will hold it on. Thank you for the comments/questions!
Great Video! I think you could have put a few light relief cuts on the back that would have helped bend it more easily.
Yeah, I've seen other videos of people doing that. I ultimately decided against it because In my testing it seemed to bend decently as is and I didn't want to compromise the integrity of the planks. It would definitely make the process easier and most likely would not impact the performance. Depending on the product this might be something you have to do to make it work. Thanks for the comment!
This is the best video for me. Do you mind sharing the vynil plank model number to be sure to get me exactly the same material ? Also, the color looks very similar to my floor. I would definitely will try your method.
Great video and I thought the others missing steps at 044 was really funny since you're working on a set of stairs. After doing this would you think it might be good to install the step then risers and work your way up versus going back to do the risers later?
That was totally unintentional, but I definitely thought about that after the fact lol.
That is a really good question. Depending on your conditions doing it that way might be a bit more forgiving and you may get a slightly cleaner look because any potential gap would occur on the underside of nosing between the riser which is not as visible. Doing the risers after puts potential gaps at the top of the riser where it is much more visible. As long as the risers are installed tight to the top there should not be many gaps and any that do occur can be hidden with some calking.
For me it really boiled down to the existing conditions and constructability. The existing nose overhang was pretty short so I wanted the new tread/nosing to wrap back as far as possible on the underside to keep it more stable. I also thought that pinning the underside of the wrapped nosing with the new riser board was good idea. In the end I think you can get a good result doing it either way as long as you keep the tolerances tight. Thanks for the comment/question!
Great Job Sir! What is the brand you used for the transition piece. Im installing the exact same flooring and cut my bullnose off the stairs.
Thanks! It is the "Performance Accessories - Vinyl Stair Nose Molding" in the golden finish (link below). I believe it is a Home Depot brand and it is what they have listed as the coordinating trim for the Lifeproof Fresh Oak. It does coordinate, but its really not a perfect match. It might be worth a stop at "Floor and Decor" to see if they have something that would match better. I went there after I had already installed the trim and was surprised by how many more options they had. Good luck with your install!
www.homedepot.com/p/PERFORMANCE-ACCESSORIES-Golden-1-32-in-Thick-x-1-88-in-Wide-x-78-7-in-Length-Vinyl-Stair-Nose-Molding-VSNP-05707/317315453
Have you had any problems with the steps? Guy at HD said it would peel when I told him I want to try.
I have had zero issues so far and they have been installed for well over a year. No damage and no peeling and they get heavy use daily with a dog and cat. Nothing lasts forever, but they seem pretty durable in my experience.
Can u use the heat gun to remove the backing glue?
If it is down glue vinyl plank 2 mm think bending is easier than a 5 mm and than a click vinyl plank and you can heat it from the top. Everything depends of the thickness of the material you’re bending.
I am looking at doing my stairs soon because I don't want carpet anymore. I have been looking at the cap a tread but was wondering about the top landing area and don't want to use any kind of transition. Couldn't you use the cap a tread on all the other steps and just bend a piece of the flooring for the top landing area?
Good question! I was contemplating doing exactly that when I first started the project. I think it would work just fine and would give you the best possible transition at the landing. It might be hard to match the nosing on the cap a tread perfectly, but I'd rather have a smooth transition than a perfect match. Thanks for the comment!
I'm going to plan to try it this way. I don't disagree that routing out some of the material may weaken the plank at the bullnose point. But, I'm more interested in cutting out work that may be unnecessary. Really don't feel like using a router on 13 different pieces, would rather spend more time heating/bending on each.
When I make a video of my doing my stairs I'm gonna credit your video.
Agreed, I thought it was an unnecessary step that added a lot of time and required tools I didn't have at the time. Also, my sample tests basically proved that it wasn't required to get the bend I wanted. It would be great if you could stick my link in the description of your video! I did the same for the videos that inspired me to tackle this job. Everyone does things a little differently, so the more information on this process the better. Good luck with your project!
@@StephenLaGrange Done. I completed my stairs just need to rework the nosing at the landings, install some primed mdf risers, and paint. Linked ya vid here.
@@ericbader Thanks for the link! looks like you got the process down and the stairs are looking good. The landing was the trickiest part for me. Good luck with the rest of the project!
Thanks for sharing!
What's the color of the installed floor here? looks great
It is Lifeproof "Fresh Oak". Thanks for the comment!
www.homedepot.com/p/Lifeproof-Fresh-Oak-8-7-in-W-x-47-6-in-L-Click-Lock-Luxury-Vinyl-Plank-Flooring-20-06-sq-ft-case-I96711L/300461638
What Lifeproof Vinyl Plant Floor product/color did you use. It looks so good!
Thanks! It is Lifeproof "Fresh Oak".
What do you do about the top stair nosing tread if you take off the black backing piece? Isn't the height uneven next to the laminate on the top landing behind it?
Yes, I talk about this about 31:00 into the video. I left a thin strip of the backing attached to the back of that top landing plank so it would line up correctly with the next piece.
@@StephenLaGrange Ahhh yes, thanks. I did get to that part of the video eventually. I think the adding of enough glue would fill the gap left behind. Thanks, gonna try this method today on a top tread.
Just curious will this work an all depth of vynil flooring or is there a max I know some are different MM
Hard to say for sure how thick you can go. I believe the Lifeproof is 7mm thick and it wasn't too hard to form, so I would assume you could probably go thicker and still make it work. I would recommend getting a sample of the material you want to use and doing a test on it before fully committing. Good luck with your project!
@@StephenLaGrange thank you
Thank u
Thanks for watching!
Interesting idea. Any recommendations for open riser stairs? Also does the thickness of the wear layer matter for the lifeproof planks?
I have not seen anyone try this on an open riser stair, but I imagine they could be installed in the same way. The only issue I can think of is that there is not really a good way to trim out the plank on the bottom side of the tread as the riser would normally be there. If the stairs are not visible from the back side then this probably wouldn't be an issue.
The wear layer matters on any type of LVP. In general the thicker the wear layer the longer the product is going to last. Products that have a thicker wear layer can typically take more abuse and are meant for more high traffic conditions. These could be considered commercial products and are generally more expensive. Products with a thinner wear layer are typically meant for residential use and are generally cheaper.
Love the way you did that and it looks great, but that’s adding a lot of time to your job. I know buying the pre-made treads are pretty pricey so what do you charge to compensate for your time to make them?
Thanks! You are right this is a very time consuming process. There are probably ways to expedite the process a bit more, but its still going to take more time than using a pre-made product. In my case I wanted the nosing to be flush with the tread and at the time I could not find a product that would achieve that.
After I had already started the project I actually found a company that does produce the custom formed nosing with the same lifeproof vinyl flooring. The company is called Luxury Vinyl Treads (website posted below) and they do it for almost all of the lifeproof line and some other products. These preformed treads are roughly $50 a piece, so it is not the cheapest option, but this would save a lot of time and still give you the optimal look/finish. This was my actual house so I decided it was worth the time/effort to get the look and finish I wanted. If you have the time, doing it yourself is definitely one of the least expensive ways to do it. Thanks for the comment!
www.luxuryvinyltreads.com/shop/lifeproof/2
Thanks, keep up the good work. Good skilled workers are getting harder to find.
nice job!! what is the thickness of the lifeproof LVP ?
Thanks! The thickness is listed at 7mm and the wear layer is listed at 6 MIL.
I have “open” steps any ideas how to bend the sides of the steps.
That is going to be really difficult to achieve. You would have to bend one tread for the front and another for the side and then make a 45 degree miter cut on each piece for the corner. Another problem is there will not be any T&G on cut corners for the pieces to lock together. If you are very precise with the cuts it might work, but that corner is going to be tough. It is going to take a long time and you pretty much have to be perfect for it to look good.
The better route might be to just lay and glue the planks down normally on the stairs and then find a transition piece like the one I showed in the video to trim out the nosing/corner. You could always give the bending a shot and resort back to the trim piece if all else fails. Thanks for the question!
Also, how did you remove the backing?
I peeled it off by hand. It was a very slow and tedious process. I'm sure there is a better/faster way to do it.
Informative. I also think I counted 642 ummmms.
Yeah, that is something I need to work on. Thanks for the comment!
What do you do at the top?
At the top landing? I covered that in the video, but that piece was bent and cut out differently so it would fit between the stringers. I also only removed part of the backing on that piece. I removed enough so it could be properly glued down, but left enough so the next landing piece (with backing) could be installed.
Is there a difference between luxury vinyl plank and Lifeproof vinyl plank?
They are basically one and the same. Luxury vinyl plank is the generic term for this type of product and lifeproof is the brand name. It's similar to calling tissues Klennex. Thanks for the question!
Would this process work then on a LVP from Shaw
@@essasharif6918 Yes. They make beautiful treads!
ruclips.net/user/shortsQw7XCxT9Fus?feature=share
@@essasharif6918 I'm not familiar with Shaw LVP, but yes I would imagine it would work. Best thing to do would be to get a sample of the product you want to use and do some testing on first to make sure it works. If the testing works well, then you should be good to go!
Just an observation I would have sanded filled in with putty sanded & painted the stringers before doing the stairs. Maybe that's not the look your going for?
I actually don't mind the rough look of them. Normally that would probably be the best way to get a nice clean look. In my case it would have been a huge amount of work without a whole lot of benefit. There is layer upon layer of paint on them already so I can't even imagine how much time it would take to strip all that off and sand it down. After the stair install I ended up just adding some touch up paint/sealant and I'm happy with the way they look. Thanks for the comment!
@@StephenLaGrange good for you my ocd forced me to spend hours upon hours on mine ):
Great video. I just wish you limit the tlking most of the video was self explanatory. Grerat video
Noted!
Just a thot, but maybe a script would help streamline things. Hv seen a few vids so far. And you’ve spoken about issues that haven’t been mentioned much. Regarding the built-in padding and how the glue will hold up over time…. Liquid nails seems like it wld work fine for this application?? And I think not routering the plank is best. Might weaken area over time…. ??? And the quick sanding for glue to hv something to bite into. All Good point’s to consider. Thx!
You need to aim the heat gun lower and put a bit of heat to the other side
Your bend isn’t quite round enough
Nice work
Sand use a piece of wood under Two claps you don’t need more clamps
Thanks! A script is a good idea. I was just kind of filming and talking on the fly without much thought. All of those points you mentioned were areas that I struggled to find info for, so I'm glad that they stood out.
Liquid nails would probably work doing it this way, but you can get a much better constructions adhesive for just a little more. To me its worth the little extra cost to ensure that the treads will not slip out. Thanks for the comments!
@@bunsdad4530 You may be right that the bends could have been a bit tighter. I was worried about potentially damaging the finish by heating the front. If you are carful this could help get it a bit tighter, thanks.
@@StephenLaGrange I made a heat bender with a 2x6 2 2x2’s and mechanics wire. I hear the wire up with my stick welder at the lowest current. You probably could use a battery charger. To support the wire I use dry way screws I grind a a lot into. I just hang the wire on one end or hang a small weight on it. Puts 5-5550 degree heat right in the bend
One done, just 50 more to go.
That is a lot of treads! Good luck on your project.
Routing the inside of the fold is also a huge mess and aerosolizes a ton of vinyl which is not good to breathe in.
That is a good point!
I was with you until you put all those clamps directly on the face of the vinyl. Better would have been to use a piece of wood underneath those clamps. So, you removed the backing? What thickness is the vinyl?
Yeah, adding a piece of wood with the clamps is a good idea. I removed the backing so the plank could be glued directly to the stairs. If you don't there is a good chance that plank will come loose over time. I believe this Lifeproof plank is 7mm.
@@StephenLaGrange …. Thank you. That helps. Soon, I will be doing my stairs as well…🤠
Oh for heavens sakes a max 4 minute video by content Jeeeeese
There are plenty of 4 minute videos out there that do not thoroughly explain their reasoning and process. This is not one of those videos.
Great video but wow kinda talk way to much.
Admittedly the video ended up being a bit long winded, but I wanted to be detailed about what was being done and why. I was also just filming things as I went along as a secondary to actually getting the work done without much thought about the end result. Hopefully future videos will be more polished, thanks.
Umm
Yeah, its something I need to work on.
The number of times you said ummmmm was enough to drive me insane .. I couldnt even ummmm watch the whole ummm thing ummmm. You didnt even ummmm heat it ummmm near hot enough.. Do you ummmm talk like ummmmm that all the ummmm time?
Thats ummmmm something I need to work on, thanks.