oak floor/stairs question

[JohnT Fitzgerald]

I still need to put the oak strip flooring on the small landing halfway down the basement stairs.

Should I start at the wall and go across until the last piece (stair cap) goes on? or should I secure the stair cap first and then work away from it, finishing the last few rows against the wall with a finish nailer?

[Larry Edgerton]

I'd most likely start at the stair cap and work to the wall unless there was something else in the way. Going the other way lets you nail with the nailer to the end, but then you have to finisher fit the end and anything else in the way. Newel posts? Kind of half dozen of one and six of the other isn't it.

You come and finish up the log stairs I am working on and I'll come and do your flooring. I'm getting too old for log stairs. Come to think of it I'm too old for flooring too...........

Toss a coin!

[JohnT Fitzgerald]

Kind of half dozen of one and six of the other isn't it

That's sorta what I thought, but I wanted to check first to make sure there are no 'gotchas'. I do like the idea of fitting and securing the cap first and then working away from it. I guess I'm not terribly worried about finish nailing or face nailing the last few courses against the wall...I can just use 10x as many nails :)

I think you'd get the worse end of that bargain - you obviously know things about flooring, but I know zippo about making log stairs.