Hi there.

I am in a relatively new home (1 year old in August), and want to do the main floor in 3/4" solid hardwood.

I am debating whether or not to attempt the install myself, hence the reason for this post.

The railing in my home spans from upstairs to the basement. There is a railing along the main floor along the opening to the basement. This railing is on a slightly curved baseplate/nosing. The curve starts right after the stair opening. I have attached an image to give you a better idea of the layout.

The floor will have to run parallel to the railing.

My question is, how does one cut the boards to fit snugly along the very slight curve? I am particularly worried about where the curve begins at the basement stairs.

Here is the image:
http://s16.postimg.org/n094zdur9/railing.png

It's all about scribing to get the right radius. I threw this image together that will hopefully paint a picture...



Let's say in the above image we have a completed row which is under the board with the title "board being scribed" To get the proper scribe of the next adjoining piece, it has to line up with where the bottom piece last fits against the nosing (arrow #1). Using a scribe, follow the correct radius from the nosing. Cut and fit. Best with a high quality jig saw and blade. Band saw works better..good cuts, but not easy for a novice. I've had great success with a jig & router on site, making superior fits, but without balusters in the way. A few tricks and patience to that which would take far too long to describe.

Yea...think about a pro here. What's the basement stairs side look like?

Well I would want a little space for movement myself. I just use scribing felt like lino installers use. Thorw on a matching teim or shoe.

most radius custs can be done with simple angled cuts..miters etc..the width of the board and direction if install will matter.

The curve is so slight in comparison to say a 21/4 " board that scribing would simply not be needed most of the time.

But at the end of the day nothing a scribe and a jig saw wont due.

First, the floor does not need to be parallel to rail. The proper direction would be perpendicular to the joists, regardless of whether that is parallel or perpendicular to the railing.

Second, as mentioned above, it's probably best to use a pro as the cuts are tricky no matter which way you do them.

Third, not sure if there is some flexible shoe molding you can use to cover the gaps (as others mentioned it's best to have some space for expansion/contraction). When we have curved steps at the bottom, we use flexible shoe molding to hug the curve (we do the same if the wall is curved). Usually, I see this white primed. I don't know if they make them in wood or not, but maybe you could find some and then stain it to match.

Debbie Gartner aka The Flooring Girl
http://TheFlooringGirl.com
Westchester County, NY

The reason I said the floor had to be parallel to the railing is because of the direction of the joists, so no way around that.

I think I may opt for a pro on this one!

Thanks for your help!