Hi,

I've searched all over the internet and can't find an example of what I am wanting to do so hopefully you guys can help me.

I have a "sunken" or step down living room (one step). The living room is a square with 2 sides surrounding by oak hardwood. There are 2 ugly wooden banisters that "divide" the room that has a 6ft bullnose hard wood edge between them as "access" to the room. (I rather raise the living room buy my wife won't let me lol)

I want to remove the banisters and create a single long step. To do so would require me to butt joint bullnose edges with the current one since there is no tongue and groove on the sides. The step is 14 ft long, I don't think they make bullnoses that long.

Is this possible or would it just be problematic? I was going to glue and use a biscuit joint. I haven't seen this done on a bullnose and can't find any more info.

I did find 14 and 16ft bullnose pieces online. This would probably be the best route but I can only imagine the shipping cost of a 16ft piece. Maybe someone in Denver has a supply?

A hardwood supplier will usually have 14 door nosing in stock. I have used Palo
Duro Hardwood. Sometimes a supplier will only deal with contractors. If you re working on your own home, I would qualify you as the General Contractor.
You may have to buy from a hardwood installing company.
Measure in inches to make sure that you get the right length!

Thanks!

So joining two step noses is probably a really bad idea?

Since contractors general are close to the flooring supplier it just makes sense to pick up the correct length of nosing to make the floor trim in one piece. It will not look bad to have a joint, it just looks like someone did not plan the job very well and get the easiest installation material. Being in one piece eliminates making a careful miter joint, although a butt joint will not look bad.
When using some exotic material for flooring a long nosing, more than about 80 inches, is unavailable because of coming into a shipping container.
So if you already have the nosing material, use what you have. Making a miter joint does add com complication because the floor where the joint is to be made may not be absolutely flat and smooth and you will need to keep the 2 pieces in perfect alignment when it is fastened.

ok, thanks for your input. I will contact Palo Duro and see what they have. What does it mean that you could qualify me as a General Contractor? Just call them with my credentials?

Some wood distributors will only sell flooring to a licensed specialty contractor. They will not sell flooring to a general Contractor. Others sell to the public.
As a General contractor you will need to know about the construction business.
You can hire people like a General to work on your house and provide the materials. You would need to have Workmans compensation insurance.Some states have licensing so you may need to have a license number.
If Palo Duro does not have your material they can order it for you.
Good luck!

Is making you own bullnose something you would consider doing? Router and a roundover or bullnose bit. You didn't say what type of wood but lumber yards carry long lengths.

It's red oak. I do have access to a router table and round over bit. What about the tongue and groove on the other side? If I buy a groove bit would that be difficult to cut properly?

A slot cutting bit for your router will do a nice job making the groove on the router table. You probably know this but dial in the slot cutter height by fitting the groove on a piece of your flooring to the slot cutter. With proper support you will be able to handle long pieces on the router table.
I just reread your initial post and if I have it right the bullnose will be the leading edge of a step? If so, then this will be a high stress area and the bullnose should be as wide as practical and 3 1/2 inches at a minimum.

You're making a good point for fabricating one myself. The section of stair nose is 4.25in now. It looks like a 3.5 width nose with a 3/4 in strip of flooring attached to it to the next full width flooring piece.

If I got the 16 ft 5.25 in nose piece I would have to rip it down to 4.25 in anyways and cut a groove.

But...
That leaves me with the question, is an entire 3/4 in width nose thick enough? The current nose is 1 in at the nose. If I go with common oak board of 1 in (3/4 actual) the entire piece will be 3/4 in thick. I could build up the riser and make it a little thicker to support the thinner nose.

While we're talking about this, the other stair nose that I'm going to replace will run perpendicular to the floor pieces. I will have to use a circular saw to cut them back to fit the new stair nose. What's the best way to attached the nose to that flooring w/o a tongue and groove? I was thinking biscuits and glue.

3/4 inch stair tread thickness is sufficient. It isn't necessary to thicken the nose. But if you wanted to you could add a piece of scotia molding under it.....this would also hide the gap, if there is one, between the tread and riser.
Biscuits and glue, or you could run a router with a slot cutting bit to create a groove on the ends of the flooring pieces and also cut a groove on the new nosing piece. Then use a spline/slip tongue to join the nosing to the flooring.
You can easily make your own spline/slip tongue......you don't need one long spline......several short pieces will work fine. The spline/slip tongue gets glued into the groove at the end of the floor boards and nailed to the subfloor. The nosing then gets installed. The biscuits will make the connection but depending on how far away the floor board nailing is you might get some movement and squeaks.....the spline/slip tongue method will secure the ends of the floor boards.
How many steps do you have? The reason I ask is what kind of rise and tread depth do you have?

Titebond latex sub-floor adhesive will hold very well. It comes in tubes to be dispensed by a caulking gun. Use plenty it's inexpensive and low VOC.
I get big tubes at WhiteCap.
The nosing overhang is usually an inch thick. It has the classic look, You can glue another piece of 5/16th inch flooring with Titebond II. Use a half inch round-over bit to shape the edge..
The Scotia is just for looks, if you want, it adds the final touch.

It's just a 1 step elevation change from the hardwood in the dinning room to the sunken living with carpet (classic 80s). The height is 6.5 in.

Thanks for all the tips! Looks like routing my own piece could be the ticket. Now I have to find a 16ft board.

A decent lumberyard will carry long lengths.......or even HD.
When will you be replacing the classic 80's carpet with hardwood?