What kind of tool am I looking for?

May 4, 2008 12:02 PM

Unfortunately (for both of us), my girlfriend has charged me with fixing the stair. What kind of tool am I looking for?

So, we did the kitchen and the living room and entryway with that do-it-yourself Pergo flooring. From the entryway into the living room there's a rather substantial step down.

A friend of a friend made a step for us, and it's great, but it's... ugly - I'm not sure what the right term is, but it's... just lumber, it doesn't have a finish or anything.

I'm attempting to cover this with Pergo so that we have a nice looking step from one room to the next.

However, I need a tool (or combination thereof) and I have no problem with going out and getting what I need, but I don't know what that is. Help!

I have these planks of Pergo that are maybe 45 - 50 inches long and 8 - 10 wide. They're very thin, as Pergo tends to be. The problem I'm having is that I need to shave 4 inches or so off that width across the entire length of the board (So, I'm starting with a board that's 45 x 8 and I'm ending up with two that are 45 x 4). I'm not sure how I mark that line consistently across the length of the entire board, and I'm also not sure what kind of tool to use to cut it.

Do I just use a tape measure and a hand saw? That seems to time consuming and imprecise. I have one of those big awesome table saws, but it can only cut a piece of wood that is maybe 6 inches, maximum... not 45.

I know I sound clueless. I am clueless. Any help is appreciated.

posted by kbanas to Home & Garden (14 answers total)

I would use a table saw, with a fine-tooth blade and the rip-fence set for the width you need (eg 4").

Here is a kind of stilted instructional video on how to rip on a table saw; googling "ripping table saw" (or similar phrases) will get you lots of how-to pages.

Conceivably, you could do this with a circular saw and a rip-fence, but not with the safety or control of a table saw. You could do this with a handsaw, but unless you are really good, the cut will not be nearly as neat as with a power saw.
posted by Forktine at 12:25 PM on May 4, 2008

PS -- on a table saw, put the laminate good-side UP; if using a circular saw put it good-side DOWN. If you are using a jig saw or handsaw, experiment and see which way minimizes chipping of the upper surface.
posted by Forktine at 12:29 PM on May 4, 2008

A tape measure may give you an inaccurate line. You should clamp a straight edge to the plank and mark your line carefully. Then take it to a lumber store (call around) have them rip it for you. Be aware that pergo flooring make splinter. You should google the best practices for cutting it. Sometimes you can lay down a line of masking tape and cut though that.

Otherwise buy a fine tooth finish saw, clamp a straight edge and saw carefully by hand. It won't take too long...
posted by wfrgms at 12:33 PM on May 4, 2008

Response by poster: Forktine, thanks so much!

What I have now (or, what my girlfriend has in her repository of tools) is a circular saw mounted on a pivot point, with a fence (I guess), with a laser guide so you can, say, cut a piece of wood at 45 degrees or 60 degrees or at an angle you set.

This is good for doing window and door moldings and such, but it seems completely unsuited for this, because obviously it can't cut a piece of wood of this length.

Thanks a lot for your advice!
posted by kbanas at 12:35 PM on May 4, 2008

I should add that if you rip a 45 x 8 down the middle, you won't end up with two 45 x 4's. The blade is going to take away some width. Not necessarily a disaster for this project, but keep that in mind. If for some reason you end up needing to mark the line down the middle, use a chalk line [a piece of string covered in chalk dust. It comes with a spool. Stretch it tight between the two marks and then snap it to make a line.]
posted by Commander Rachek at 12:37 PM on May 4, 2008

Maybe I'm missing something here, but isn't laminate flooring something you generally use when you don't have real wood and are trying to cover, eg, plywood? Isn't solid lumber considered even "nicer"? Have you considered just sanding that lumber (you could rent or buy a handheld electric sander, and get three types of sandpaper of increasingly fine grit) and then shining it with some sort of finish (linseed oil is nontoxic and looks nice).
posted by salvia at 1:00 PM on May 4, 2008

If it's really just one step, as I think you're describing, why mess around with pieces and parts and such? Why not use a single piece of wood, either solid or laminated wood (ie wood that's prepressed together, like butcher block)?

Check the unusual/exotic section of your lumber store, or find a woodworker type who will plane an actual log for you in his garage for a tiny one-time fee. You could stain/varnish it either to vanish into the room, or to stand out deliberately.

I think you could make a very very cool step and conversation piece all in one.
posted by rokusan at 1:03 PM on May 4, 2008

Oh, I forgot to mention: a very fat fence post would be a good solid / strong / straight piece of wood for my crazy idea.
posted by rokusan at 1:05 PM on May 4, 2008

You have a Mitre Saw, which is great for cutting moldings at an angle as you say, but incapable of ripping a board down its length.
posted by caddis at 1:06 PM on May 4, 2008

Oh, and since you don't really know that much about table saws. I recommend that rather than buy your own for this project that you just go over to a friend's house who has one. They are pretty easy to use, but frightfully dangerous when misused and ripping a board to four inches width gets into dangerous territory. Table saws are also quite expensive for a decent one. However, I do fully understand how obtaining a shiny new tool can provide motivation for doing certain chores.

I am also questioning the wisdom of putting Pergo flooring on a stair, unless the wood is really low grade lumber. Have you considered sanding and finishing the existing stairs? Most stairs also have a rounded edge on the portion of the step which overhangs the riser. How to cover that? How to even cover that portion of the step at all, rounded edge or no?
posted by caddis at 1:19 PM on May 4, 2008

I wouldn't put any kind of laminate on a step. Steps have this quality where shoes catch them on the upswing and drag on the downswing and the only way to prevent your Pergo from getting frayed on the front edge is to protect it with a metal L bracket (less than $1/foot at your hardware store, true, but they look commercial, not residential). It may look fine the first three years or so, but especially if it's an essential traffic route, it's going to start looking frayed unless you protect it.

Personally, I would sand and finish the step you have in a compatible (neutral, backgroundy, but not invisible -- people need to see it) hue. Honestly, nobody is ever going to fault you for not having Pergo'ed the step.
posted by dhartung at 1:59 PM on May 4, 2008

From what I understand, you have a split level floor with both levels floored in Pergo and a step with a wooden riser between? If you're going to cover this riser with Pergo, absolute precision in the cut is probably not really an issue, as you will need to use a bracket of the type dhartung describes to cover the cut edges of the Pergo at the lip of the step. (Note: you can also buy nice wooden L-profile beading that will look a little less industrial). The bottom of the step will probably end up being covered up with a bead also. I would probably just hand-saw it rather than buy tools specifically for this job.

Personally, though, I would go with caddis' suggestion and sand and varnish the step. With a little bit of care you should be able to make it look pretty nice.
posted by Jakey at 3:28 PM on May 4, 2008

Response by poster: Hey, thanks everybody for the great advice!
posted by kbanas at 6:27 PM on May 4, 2008

The tool you need to make an accurate straight line a set distance from an edge is called a wood scribe. Truly an excellent and useful tool.
posted by tomble at 7:15 PM on May 4, 2008