Rental Unit Vinyl Stairnose Cracking

[James Boreno]

Hi BP Fam,

See Imgur Link for Cracked Stairnose Photos

https://imgur.com/a/9jNzmrp

Installed Vinyl Stairnose in my rental about 6 Months ago, but my tenant sent me these photos that it's starting to crack. What do y'all suggest I do? It's a total of 14 steps, and I believe 3 are starting to crack.

1. 1) Should I replace the cracked stairnose with replacement vinyl stairnose and hope it doesn't happen again?
2. 2) Should I install carpet over the vinyl stairnose?
3. 3) Any other suggestions which are cost-effective as this unit is being rented to a tenant with a dog.

[Kevin Sobilo]

@James Boreno, I suspect the corner of the stair that's damages was caused by their dog chewing on it. It doesn't look cracked and its within inches of the base of a post not where someone would normally step with their foot.

I suspect the cracked steps are caused by improper installation where there is a small gap near the nose so that the vinyl nosing flexes too much over and over until it cracks. It could also be an old stairway where the steps themselves flex too much.

What I would probably do is a common sense repair. I would to to fill/repair with some kind of epoxy that roughly matches color in large part to strengthen those cracks and prevent them from worsening and then cover the center of the stairs with a carpeted runner. That will not only hide the repaired crack but make the stairs less likely for people or pets to slip on.