I am planning the installation of a pre-finished hardwood floor of about 500 sq. ft. I am concerned about nailing through the finish, such as starting and ending against walls, but mostly about how to install a bull nose trim piece at the top of a stair. It will be perpendicular, and to the right of the run of the floor. Is it common practice to nail this piece down at the front near the riser, or to glue the entire board to the subfloor? Is nailing through the finish in any case a problem that is easily remedied with putty?

I used some PL400 subfloor adhesive under my bullnoses, and used my 18gauge brad nailer to put two nails in to hold it down. Aftwards, i just used a matching stick of putty to fill in the holes. Looks good and is very sturdy.

Thanks. That is kind of what I figured would work. How do you think the putty will look on a glossy pre-finish??

you can see it if your looking, but us diy'ers always know where our defects are.

Just use PL and a few nails in the last few rows, and putty the holes. Do the same for the stair nosing.