How to install carpet on stairs

If you plan to redecorate your house, you should also think about installing carpet on stairs, especially if you have children. Although this job may be a little challenging, it is not very difficult if you have patience. Before getting into the subject, we should present you some information about staircases.

The riser of the stairs is represented by their vertical height while the tread is represented by its horizontal part. One of the most popular methods to install carpet on the stairs is waterfall, which supposes that a single and continuous carpet piece should cover the stairs from the bottom to the top. Another way to install carpet on the stairs is known under the name of cap and band method. This method is usually a little more difficult because each part of the stairs need to be covered individually.

If you are a beginner or you want o save time, achieve a standard size carpet. More than that choose carpet pads chose sponge rubber underlay and urethane types. Let us see how to install carpet on stairs step by step.

 Tools and materials

– Hammer

– Utility knife

– Carpet pad

– Tack strip

– Heavy duty stapler

-1/5 inch long staples

– Seeming iron or knee kicker

 How to do it

  •  The first things you have to do is to smoothen the stairs surface and to clean it with a vacuum cleaner. Remove any nail that gets out if your stairs are made of wood. If you have cement stairs repair any existent cracks. Avoid using your old tack strips or carpet pads.
  • Put the tack strips on the angle formed by the riser and the tread. Fix them in place with a hammer. You can also put the tack strips on each side of the tread, beside he walls.
  • Before putting the carpet you need to install carpet pads. This way you will prevent the mildew of the carpet occur. The carpet pads need to be placed under the tack strips. Utilize a stapler to fix the underlay to every read and riser.
  • After you finish you can put the carpet runner in place that is to cover the entire length of the staircase. Tie the carpet to the strips systematically, beginning with the first step at the bottom of the staircase. Utilize the hammer to fix the carpet in the corners where the carpet needs to be folded. Take a seaming iron or knee kicker to stretch the carpet in place. Do this for each tread.
  • Give your cart a professional finish by cutting out any excessive material with a utility knife. That was all!

If you want to use the cap and band method, make sure that you cut the carpet in suitable sections or every tread and riser. Fix every piece with adhesive. This method is usually applied for winding staircases. Check out to see if you have covered all the stairs correctly and smoothly.

As you have seen, installing carpet on the stairs is not difficult at all. More than that, it requires a few tools, materials, and about three hours to finish this job. In addition, your stairs will look wonderful after you cover them with carpet.

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