Greetings readers!

Let me quickly say thanks to Ken and regular posters for this site - it's a blessing for DIYer's like myself.

I'm planning....wait let me rephrase that. My wife is planning for me to install wood floors in our newly purchased house. I have the skills and tools necessary for a staple or nail down installation (except for the staple gun), but figure my odds of a great final product are even better with a floating floor - especially with so many good ones available. Plus, the time commitment and physical demands seem less. One of the rooms has a stair in it though, and all the floating products seem to require a trim nose piece that (for at least part of it) lies ON TOP OF the floating floor. I've never seen one of these installed, but it seems like it would be very unsightly, even if the transition is only very slightly raised. Is there any way / any products such that a stair nose can be installed flush with the surface of the floating floor? Obviously, any stair nose will need to be securely attached to the subfloor, so the problem is one of allowing for movement of the floating floor without having a gap between the floor and the stair nose. Have any of the pros encountered this problem, and if so what did you do? Any pictures of stairs with the above mentioned overlapping nose piece?

Also, are there any other (not-so-obvious) reasons why a staple down installation is superior to a floating floor?

Thanks in advance for any help/advice!

There are floating floor manufacterers that make what is called a flush stair nose. I know Award has one as I have used it. You'll have to research which brands carry the trims that you need.

What Gary said. Kahrs is another mfg. that offers both the "flush" stair nose and the "overlap" design.

Use the overlap nosing where the floating floor meets with the first step down so it will float under. Install flush nosing's on the individual steps and use a good adhesive. You don't float the steps. All components on the treads and risers are glued and fastened.