Hi,

Finishing up a stairway and 2nd floor flooring installation.

The final item is the stair landing.

3-1/4" wide pre finished red oak flooring. Once nailed down the width of the flooring will be 39"; the flooring will be about 36" long. The staircase has a very nice skirt I am not inclined to undercut and definitely cannot remove.

Front edge will be a 3-1/4" wide stair nosing I plan to glue and nail with 15 ga nails. The flooring will run parallel to the nosing detail.

Location is central Massachusetts, it is currently quite cool and dry and it does get humid here - but not like its Florida.

For a landing that shallow is an expansion gap still needed?

Location is central Massachusetts, it is currently quite cool and dry and it does get humid here - but not like its Florida.

Look forward to your thoughts....Mike

Depends on your baseboard/shoe mold at the walls

I'd go tight to the nosing and at the wall sides leave a 3/4 gap for expansion if your base/shoe allows

At the side with the riser, typically you'd leave the expansion gap to the riser and install a quarter round or shoe to cover it, instead of undercutting.

With landings, because its such a high traffic area, you're prone to squeaking and creaking if things get too tight, so proper expansion is important even though its a small area. Make sure that sub-floor is fully screwed and flat too.

No shoe mold, just a straight ~8" wide decorative skirt. So in other words nothing to hide a gap under without undercutting the skirt or adding a molding to the landing which may seem out of place.

To your second comment on creaking I think that is what I was looking for to justify the undercutting. It is a three foot wide undercut that is very visible as you walk up the stairs, and I have been nervous about getting a clean cut even with an oscillating tool.

Definitely a job done in the morning after a coffee or two

...Mike