How To Install Carpet On Steps

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Staircases are ofttimes some of the about heavily trafficked areas at home. What'south more than, a nicely busy staircase can be the beautiful centrepiece of a home if it's presented in the correct way. Giving your staircase a fresh set of rug tin can be a difficult and harrowing project to undertake, especially if you've attempted nothing of the sort before. So long equally you're cautious and take care to follow the process closely, laying a carpeting runner forth your steps is a fairly straightforward process, and volition add dazzler (non to mention comfort) to this important part of your home.

1. i

   Measure your staircase. Before you do anything else, y'all'll need to have a clear idea what the size of your staircase is. The includes the length, width and height of each stair, likewise as the number of stairs itself. In most cases, the number of steps is the most important trait to know and the easiest to figure out, as it volition let you know how many sets of tackless strips and pads you lot'll demand for your carpeting.^[ane]

   • The standard stair is 30 inches wide. If your stairs follow the standard dimensions, it will be much easier to measure and lay your carpeting, equally rug runners designed for the standard dimensions volition be easy to find.
   • Assuming you accept standard-sized stairs, and allowing for 3 inches on either side to display the wood, yous demand 24 inches for each stair step and riser.
   • Rise (meridian) and runs (width) tin can vary in size, and then be sure to measure closely.

2. 2

   Meet with a carpeting sales professional person. Before moving into the practical stage of setting the rug, you should leave and consult with a sale acquaintance who specializes in carpets. Talk to him nearly your project, specifically the size and scope, and the full general expectation you might have for an end upshot. Chances are this associate will exist able to lend yous some specific and helpful communication, likewise every bit point you in the direction of some carpet types that might conform your goals.

   • Consider taking pictures of your stairs as they are to give the sales associate a kind of visual references to keep in mind while he helps you.
   • If you are trying to summate the corporeality of carpet material yous'll demand from the sales acquaintance, remember to keep the stair's nose (or rounded forepart-department) in mind, giving a couple more inches than you lot would otherwise to compensate for it.

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3. 3

   Consider the aesthetic design of your planned staircase. At the end of the solar day, laying a rug runner forth your stairs adds comfort and purpose, so it'south expert to go on your creative side in mind while making your stair decisions. Choosing to carpet simply the stride and not the riser, as well as unlike widths (leaving forest visible on either side, for example), colors, and textures will yield unlike results for your stairs and home.

   • Some rug designs come with a design woven into information technology. If this is the case, you'll want to respect the properties of the design pattern while placing the carpet. Ideally, you should aim to give the staircase as much visible symmetry as possible. This may make working with patterning irregularly-sized staircases very catchy, as most carpeting runners are made to fit a certain kind of stair.

4. 4

   Purchase the necessary supplies. The virtually important ingredient you'll need in your habitation improvement concoction is obvious the carpet runner itself. ^[ii] Unless you lot've already calculated an accurate measurement of how much you'll need (keeping the height and noses in mind), yous should go by the word of the carpeting professional helping you. If yous do non have the necessarily supplies yet, the following is a listing of things you'll virtually certainly need:

   • As much rug as is required to fit the stairs, leaving an actress couple of feet to account for cuts and possible errors.
   • Tackless strips to hold the carpet and padding down. You'll need at to the lowest degree three for each footstep.
   • An industrial stapler and staples, for securing the carpeting.
   • A hammer and nails.
   • Two strips of padding for each step -- one of the pace itself, and one for the rise.
   • A carpet human knee-kicker, to help stretch and fasten carpets. With stairs y'all want to stretch it into the inner corner of each stride.

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1. 1

   Outline where you want the carpet to go. Measure 2 inches on either side from the stair tread and trace direct lines from the front to back of the stair. This volition give you a visual outline of where to identify the tackless strips and the carpet itself, when the times comes.

   • You can marking your outline in bluish masking tape for prissy lines, then simply pare it off when you are finished.

2. two

   Cutting your tackless strips. Tackless strips are what continue your carpet rooted to the basis. Cut them 1.5 inches narrower than the width of the steps to exist carpeted. This volition make sure you lot don't become any misplaced strips protruding in one case the carpet is set. For example, if the stair is xxx inches wide, your carpet runner will measure 26 inches wide, then your tackless trips must measure 24.five inches wide.

   • Rug tackless strips are almost always strips of Douglas fir woods, unremarkably 4 anxiety long by one inch wide, with very abrupt nails protruding through them at 60 degree angles and tacks or brads partially sunk in the strip.

3. 3

   Discover the center of each tackless strip and step, and draw lines in pencil. Having a visual cue as to the truthful center of your tackless strips will make them easier to accurately place upon each step. Next, do the aforementioned for the steps themselves. Utilize a ruler or meter stick for each.

   • Every bit always, an HB pencil is best for this, as the line will exist clear and visible.

4. four

   Hammer the strips into place. Align each tackless strip centre line to the line on each itself. With the strips now where you lot want them, it's time to nail them in for skilful. Hammer several tack nails to each strip, and be certain to evenly dispersed throughout the length of the strip. This will make sure it has the highest possible stability.

   • 1 or two strips per stride is enough, and then long every bit you leave a strip for the height of each stride to install horizontally. Install 1 for now, closer to the rise; that way, you'll have an easier time gauging the center for the horizontal strips.

5. 5

   Install a horizontal strip for the height of each step. Adding another set up of tackless strips to the heights of the steps will make the carpet fit far more than snugly into the frame of the stairs. Add them to the centre and evenly disperse 3-5 nails forth each of them.

   • With the tread strips in identify it will be much easier to properly aim and gauge the center,

6. half-dozen

   Add another set of strips for the other side of each pace. The third and last fix of strips should be much easier to work on now that y'all're used to it. While it seems like information technology would make nigh sense to do this third set when you did the get-go, it's skilful course to give yourself stepping room for installing the horizontal strip, and so it'due south good to leave this one for terminal. ^[iii]

   • Work your mode from the top to the lesser. That way, yous'll maximize the stepping space and comfort you lot are afforded while you piece of work.

7. 7

   Ensure every stair has been given properly centered strips. Before you movement on to the padding and carpet laying, you should verify your progress there isn't anything y'all accept disregarded or erred on while working. Information technology volition be far more difficult to fix if you realize you have to set up something a few steps down the route.

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1. 1

   Measure and cut a piece of carpet pad for each tread. Carpet pad is what gives the carpet it's pleasant feeling of cushion and softness, besides as protecting anxiety from maybe protruding tacks. Cut every piece to be the same length as the tackless strips, not the carpeting runner itself. This volition give the carpet a nice tapered finish on either side when it's done. ^[4]

2. 2

   Lay your padding sheets affluent against the tackless strips and staple them deeply. With all of your pieces ready, information technology's time to put them in place. Lay each sheet of padding down and take intendance to align information technology properly with the tackless strips. ^[v] Apply industrial staples at 3 inch intervals throughout the length of it.

   • This fourth dimension, it'south a good thought to start from the lesser and work slowly up. That manner, you'll exist able to stand firmly on the padding while y'all're stapling subsequent steps.

3. three

   Pull the padding snugly over the stair nosing and staple every iii inches. Taking the stair padding and tuck it under the olfactory organ of the step. Horizontal padding should be easier to achieve now that you have the basics handled. Try to line up the staples on the heights' padding with the ones you've fabricated for the treads.^[vi]

   • The nose is the part of the step that extends slightly past the driblet, or height. The height, then, is the vertical part of the step.

4. 4

   Verify the padding has been washed correctly. At this point, yous shouldn't see any more of the tackless strips. They should exist covered instead by the padding, both on the treads of the steps and the heights. All of this volition be virtually invisible when it finally comes time to lay the carpet runner, only a single mistake here could make future steps impossible, so it'southward imperative you set whatever potential issues earlier getting around to the carpet. If you lot're satisfied with your electric current work however, you may brainstorm laying the runner.

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1. i

   Starting time at the top of the staircase. ^[vii] When it finally comes time to lay your carpet runner, information technology's best to first at the very peak and work your fashion down. That way, you'll have gravity on your side, and it'll be much easier to cut whatsoever runoff carpeting at the finish.

2. 2

   Identify runner betwixt layout pencil marks. If you traced the carpet outline at the get-go of the project, it should be an piece of cake matter of getting the rug state of affairs between the two as close as you tin. Take care to printing the carpet nether the nose and tug the residue out to make sure you lot're getting merely as much carpet every bit y'all demand. Piece of work down to the final step; when you're done, the carpet should be covering the expected ground, but the outline of the steps may not exist fully visible.^[8]

   • Brand sure each pace is equally good as it can get before you move down to the next-- whatever mistake volition cause a load of undue strain later on once the project is supposedly complete.

3. 3

   Press your carpet into the outline of the steps with a carpet articulatio genus-kicker. A rug articulatio genus-kicker will get the carpeting planted firmly in areas that may be otherwise difficult to achieve. Place the front edge of your carpet articulatio genus-kicker on heart of the runner about two inches from the riser and use pressure until the carpet is locked in. They can be remarkably satisfying to use, and will requite your stairs a much tighter wait than if washed without. ^[9]

   • Lean on the forepart knob of the kicker with one hand, and utilize the other paw to keep the kicker's shaft level.^[10]
   • You lot can also utilise a carpet chisel. The dull edge helps tighten upward corners and is easier to utilize on stairs or in tight quarters.

4. iv

   Verify the kicking is complete once you're done. As with previous steps, the last function of using the human knee-kicker should exist making certain you got the job done to your satisfaction.^[eleven] Without kicking in properly, you may accept too much carpet or too piddling, and information technology'll crave uprooting or even destroying the progress y'all've made.

5. 5

   Verify your work is correct. Before you movement on, y'all should ensure that the carpet is being snagged by the tackless strip at the far cease of the tread. If the tackless strips aren't properly clinging to the carpeting, information technology could event in the carpet getting bumpy a few years downwardly the route. Using a chisel or other thin tool, press the angle betwixt the pace's tiptop and tread to make sure it's getting hooked in.

6. 6

   Carefully cut whatsoever excess carpet at the bottom of the steps. At the bottom, at that place should be a trivial bit of runoff. From here, information technology'due south just a simple matter of cutting the backlog carpet away with a carpeting pocketknife.

   • Feel free to do what you lot will with the remainder of the carpet. Some people are quick to throw them out, while others similar to detect practical uses for them.

7. seven

   Staple each pace through to the woods. Having a powerful stapler designed for dwelling improvement is necessary to finish things off and get your carpet snug and perfect. When stapling, push stapler through the rug pile and confronting the bankroll before pulling the trigger.

   • Staple on the underside of the pace noses, and nearest the angle between the tread and height. Staple at three inch intervals for optimal stability.
   • Alternatively, you tin can apply carpet glue instead of staples.
   • Make absolutely sure that the carpet is exactly where you want information technology to be before yous staple. Afterward you staple, it will be side by side to impossible to right any mistakes.

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Add New Question

• Question

  Is it OK to hammer the tack nails down if they're sticking up through the rug?

  

  Mark Spelman is a General Contractor based in Austin, Texas. With over thirty years of structure experience, Marking specializes in constructing interiors, projection management, and project estimation. He has been a construction professional person since 1987.

  

  Construction Professional

  Expert Respond

• Question

  How can I re-tack carpet that pulled away from 1 step?

  

  Mark Spelman is a General Contractor based in Austin, Texas. With over 30 years of construction experience, Mark specializes in constructing interiors, project management, and projection estimation. He has been a construction professional person since 1987.

  

  Construction Professional

  Proficient Respond

• Question

  I've read the tackless strip instructions twice and still do non sympathise how to install them. Exercise the hooks go a certain way?

  

  The pins should face into the bending of the stair. So those on the tread face to the dorsum and those on the riser face "down".

• Question

  Should I first at the superlative or the bottom when carpeting stairs?

  

  Most fitters start from the peak, purely because it is easier (you lot can hold the roll in your knee expanse). However, you can start from the lesser if you wish.

• Question

  My house has many electrical cables below the stairs. Could the nails pass through the cables?

  

  No! That would crusade an electrical brusque. You either need to map out where they are and smash elsewhere, or use brusk enough nails/staples so there is no chance of hit the wires.

• Question

  Should I do the trim around the stairs and wall before having rug installed?

  

  No, this would best be done subsequently.

• Question

  Tin I install a temporary carpet over an existing rug on stairs?

  

  No. This is a serious tripping chance, as there is probable cypher in that location to hold the second layer down and out of the way.

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• The success of every step depends on the success of the one before information technology, so it'south a adept idea to take extra special caution in following steps correctly when it comes to laying carpet on stairs.

• There is also a mucilage-down style of carpeting that works well.

Cheers for submitting a tip for review!

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• After you have the tackless strips installed, accept care to be safe around them. Accidentally stepping on ane of them can pb to horrible consequences, so it's a skilful idea to become the padding down as soon equally possible.

• Wear gloves when working with tackless strips.

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About This Article

Commodity Summary X

To carpet your stairs, kickoff by measuring your stairs and using a pencil to mark a line two inches on either side of each tread to give y'all an outline of where the carpet should go. Next, you'll need to nail down tackless strips onto each step, which is how y'all'll keep the carpet in identify afterward information technology'southward installed. Then, utilise a staple gun to attach rug pad to the treads. After padding each tread, lay the carpet betwixt your pencil marks and printing it into the steps with a carpet kicker. Finally, trim any backlog carpet from the lesser of the steps using a carpet knife. For advice on how to choose the best type of rug for your stairway, read on!

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Source: https://www.wikihow.com/Carpet-Stairs

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