Unpopular opinion: shimming a stair nose with a strip of cereal box beat my $40 tube of construction adhesive
Last Thursday I was finishing a stair runner in a split level out in Aurora and the nose had a 3/16 inch gap under it that no amount of pressure would close. Adhesive was setting up too fast in the cold garage, so I cut a strip of an old Cheerios box, folded it twice, and tacked it under the nose before nailing. Two weeks of a 200 lb homeowner stomping up and down and it has not moved or squeaked once. Anybody got a better shim material that won't get soft if the basement gets damp?
Hold on, you folded it TWICE? A single layer of cereal box is already pretty stiff, but two folds makes it like a little cardboard spring in there. That is wild to me. Honestly the damp basement thing is the real worry with cardboard since it will soak up moisture and go mushy over time, so maybe try a scrap of composite shim or even a piece of plastic from a milk jug next time. Cheerios box holding up to a 200 lb guy for two weeks is impressive though, not gonna lie.