I need some advice on handling the junction of my hardwood and stairs..

[Devious]

I've got hardwood cleanly around all of the stairs except in this part... I was thinking that plastic quarter round would do the trick, but it looks awful. Anyone have any ideas for a clean finish around here? Thoughts are to just wood fill the sucker (which I think is ghetto), or to pull off the carpet, and restaple it with some cardboard shoved behind it (hopefully to hide the fact the hardwood doesn't quite meet cleanly the carpet..

Ideas!?!?

http://www.ialex.net/misc/house/stars2.jpg

[Rokkin]

Quarter round would work, but not plastic. You can make your own from scratch using wood by first making a template of the desired radius and then gluing a series of wooden blanks together until the template fits the blanks. Trace the template onto the blanks and then move the template 3/4" away and trace again so that the two lines are now parallel. Cut the 3/4" square piece out using a bandsaw or jigsaw and then use a router with a round-over bit to give you a quarter round result. Now you have a custom piece that fits perfectly.

You may also try using a piece of wooden quarter round and cutting a series of thin kerfs in the back of it and trying to bend it. A soaking in water will help before bending.

[CaptSmethwick]

IMO, your choices are: (1) take Rokkin's advice - either do it yourself or draw a (1:1 scale) drawing of the bottom tread and bring it to a custom moulding shop and get them to make you a modified piece of trim; or (2) peel the carpet off the bottom tread, fill the floorboard gaps with floorboard pieces/strips, trim the carpet appropriately and reglue.

If I was to do it, I'd probably remove the carpet from the lower riser altogether and clad that bottom riser in a curved piece of oak or bendable MDF with an oak veneer on the surface.

Lots of options - none are 5 minute solutions, though...