Sealing Vinyl Stairs Edges?

[riander5]

Hello handymen of beyond, what would you do to seal these bad boys?

I don't have the luxury of a baesboard to cover up my 1/16 of an inch gap, I haven't really tried any translucent DAP or anything but don't think that would look good...

Is the answer to cut slivers or board and seal over top of that once installed?

(Yes, the white painted part is not finished either I know it looks like shit)

Let me know your thoughts!

#buildergrade

[ExtraSlow]

Quarter-round?

[riander5]

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Quarter-round?

I did consider that, and it would cover things up perfectly, but I honestly haven't done this before so don't know - Maybe that is the best solution

[ExtraSlow]

Or a bead of caulk, which is faster but might look shitty. Not sure.

[killramos]

Would a bead of ordinary paintable caulk be so bad?

[Thaco]

dap is crap, it shrinks and cracks, get proper caulk

[riander5]

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Would a bead of ordinary paintable caulk be so bad?

Im unsure of whether painted caulk would look silly next to the wood texture / design of the stair.

Oh shit I forgot I have another picture for context

Edit: I guess I don't... I bought a tube of 'color match' seal from a flooring store, tested three out to find closest color and tried one. It looks like shit and Ill need to finish it again

[Tik-Tok]

Personally I would caulk it, but I love throwing my caulk around. Quarter round won't go around the stair nosing, so would look weird to me.

After a month you won't notice either of them anyways.

[riander5]

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dap is crap, it shrinks and cracks, get proper caulk

Go on....

- - - Updated - - -

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Personally I would caulk it, but I love throwing my caulk around. Quarter round won't go around the stair nosing, so would look weird to me.

After a month you won't notice either of them anyways.

Maybe you're right. I did all this myself so I notice all these little gaps and they drive me nuts.

[killramos]

I mean it’s going to be wood pattern against painted surface no matter what way you slice it.

[schurchill39]

Tape off the edge of the stair to ensure you get a nice crisp edge then run a paintable caulk. When you smooth it out really push on it and get in in there tight with a small radius. Pull line and repaint everything white.

[bjstare]

Don't do quarter round, there's no way to finish it nicely there. If it's truly 1/16 gap, not 1/4 or 3/8, white caulk/dap is what you want.

If you use dap, lay a bead, wipe excess with your finger, then do a light final pass with a slightly damp rag (doing this last step saves you the trouble of taping the stair surface).

[Thaco]

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Personally I would caulk it, but I love throwing my caulk around. Quarter round won't go around the stair nosing, so would look weird to me.

After a month you won't notice either of them anyways.

agreed, a white caulk with a nice taped off finish on the stair side would be the cleanest, and fade in to the white of the wall.

[riander5]

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Don't do quarter round, there's no way to finish it nicely there. If it's truly 1/16 gap, not 1/4 or 3/8, white caulk/dap is what you want.

If you use dap, lay a bead, wipe excess with your finger, then do a light final pass with a slightly damp rag (doing this last step saves you the trouble of taping the stair surface).

Most of them are truly 1/16... I may have one or two that are a bit bigger......

Would you use something other than DAP? And yes appreciate the notes on how to apply, thats what I've done for my baseboards across the entire house

DAP -> Finger -> Wet Cloth -> Redo any step if I f'd up

[suntan]

Carpet.

[riander5]

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Carpet.

This would have made my life easier there is no doubt

[mr2mike]

Less is more. But that's obvious with white caulk.
Lesser is more if you find yellow caulk.

[benyl]

what about brown caulk or black caulk?

I would just leave it. should have cut it to tighter tolerance to begin with as vinyl shouldn't need room to breath for expansion and contraction. then no caulk required.

[mr2mike]

I think the truth is the 45° finishing trim piece should barely touch the edge of the stairs, then you can run the bullnose finishing piece someone else mentioned.
Or else leave it.
Impossible to cut perfect against warped walls in old houses.

[suntan]

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This would have made my life easier there is no doubt

Just carpet the sides. Easy to do yourself and you just need to staple it in.