Laminate Landing Patch Job

The last part left to share from our stairway to heaven makeover, is how we finished the unfinished landing at the top of the stairs.

When we ripped up the carpet, our suspicions were confirmed that it was only plywood. No hardwood here. It was a bit scary looking.

There was also a significant height gap were the hardwood ledge met the plywood. 

We put our thinking caps on and looked in the garage to see what was left of the remaining laminate flooring the previous owners stashed away. There were JUST ENOUGH unused tongue and groove planks in tact. I mean just enough. That's what I call a God thing. 

The only thing we didn't have was underlayment (padding to go underneath), which comes in big rolls for $25. We only needed a 45x45 inch square. That's when we spotted a yoga mat for $8 and figured it would do the same thing, right? Add a layer of cushion and even out the transition between the gap. It worked out perfectly!

I cut the yoga mat in to pieces to fit like a puzzle, then secured it with double sided foam tape. We were pretty proud of ourselves for thinking of such a smart way to use a yoga mat :) Because, let's face it, I will probably never use a yoga mat for it's intended purpose. Ha! 

Then it was time to try our hand at installing laminate flooring for the first time. We measured, cut and clicked the planks together until they fit snugly how we wanted them. 

It looks seamless! It was quite rewarding to see this last section of our staircase come together. 

The most challenging part was installing the transition strips between the laminate and the carpet in the doorways. Those were also left over pieces found in the garage.

No more scary unfinished plywood! The laminate is a bit lighter in color than the hardwood stain, but it matches what's in the rest of the house. This was the best solution we could come up with, without having to install actual hardwood. And it only cost $8! Whoo hoo! Staircase complete. I'm so happy with it!