How to properly lay carpet on stairs

A staircase is not a place where you need to save on the quality of the carpet, as it wears out quickly, especially on the step rollers. The fibers of a cheap, low-density carpet will very soon wear off and reveal the backing. Despite the fact that some carpets with foam backing have good wear resistance, it is still better to choose a jacquard carpet or a heavy carpet with a textile backing for stairs..

The underlay under the carpet must be strong enough to protect the step bolsters and must be able to withstand heavy traffic on the stairs. Use a rubber backing with a waffle surface or traditional felt backing as cheap foam backing is not good for stairs. When people move up the stairs in any direction, the load acts on the rollers of the steps in the downward direction, therefore the carpet fibers should also be directed downward, towards the rollers of the steps, to reduce the load on the fibers. (If the fibers are tilted towards the top of the stairs, this will significantly reduce the life of the carpet.)

Carpet is usually laid from wall to wall on closed staircases or from wall to handrail posts on open staircases. However, if you want to lay the rug so that it can be easily removed and placed on another staircase, you can lay a narrow rug in the center of the steps and paint or varnish the sides of the steps. If you leave an extra half a meter of track and wrap those half a meter on the top step, the carpet can be removed after about a year and shifted slightly so that the wear occurs more evenly. Fasten the folded part of the track instead of the grips with nails with a wide head 25 mm long. When estimating the size of carpet for a staircase, start by measuring the width for the straight section of the staircase. Measure each step separately, as step widths are often not constant; for an open staircase, add 60mm to the maximum width for subsequent hemming. Then measure the entire length of the ladder by laying the thread from the top to the bottom rung along the entire profile of the ladder; add 25 mm for each step to account for the thickness of the backing.

If you are using a wide rug, calculate how many pieces a standard roll can be cut to fit for a given tread width. If the carpet is patterned, make a reserve for aligning the pattern with the center of the steps, as well as with the pattern of the carpet in the hallway or on the staircase. To determine the required number of running meters of a wide carpet, divide the length of the stairs by the number of panels into which a standard wide carpet can be cut along the width of the roll; this is a very rough estimate, since the joints of the carpet panels should always be in the corners formed by treads and risers. Consequently, each carpet should be laid with its upper end on the rear edge of the tread, and its lower end should be cut off at the lower edge of the riser. Check your calculations carefully against the specified requirements and add the length of the panels if necessary. When cutting carpet, use a method suitable for the type of carpet..

The carpet for the landing is marked out, cut and laid in the same way as on the floor, but the joint must be located safely, that is, the carpet must cover the frieze step and the upper riser of the staircase. Attach the rug to the bottom edge of the riser before pulling it down on the deck. Stairs with an intermediate landing should be treated as two separate flights. Whenever possible, use separate sheets of carpet for the lower flight and intermediate deck. If the staircase has a curvature, then the best way to determine the length of the carpet for wedge-shaped steps, which are called run-in, is to make a paper pattern. Each run-in step will be covered with a separate piece of carpet, so each pattern should cover one tread and one riser underneath. Add 25mm to the length of the pattern to account for the thickness of the backing, which will increase the thickness of the tread rolls, and to its width for the ability to tuck the carpet on the open edges of the steps.

When cutting carpet for the tread, place the pattern so that the bottom edge is parallel to the weft threads (i.e. the cross threads of the carpet). In this case, the warp threads (longitudinal) will be located on the riser vertically and will bend at right angles on the tread roller, which will lead to a decrease in carpet wear. When laying a piece of carpet, attach it to the grab on the riser, then pull it over the tread. On the closed side of the winders, the carpet is attached with clamps, just like on the landing. If the wall has a pronounced curvature, cut the grips into small pieces and attach them according to the shape of the curve. On the open side of the steps, fold the edge of the carpet inward and nail at the trailing edge of the tread.

1. Installation of capture. Cut a grip strip 50 mm shorter than the tread width and nail the gripper bar to the riser with the needles pointing down. For the correct determination of the grip distance to the tread, make spacers.

To do this, cut off four small pieces of the gripper, remove the nails and fold the two pieces so that the needles point towards each other (inset). Nail a grip of the same length to the tread 15 mm from the riser so that the needles point towards the riser. Install grips on all steps.

2. Decking lining. Cut a piece of lining 50 mm shorter than the tread width, slide it to the tread grip and attach to it with staples or nails; then pull the pad over the roller, lower it about 75mm and staple it to the riser. If one side of the ladder is open, cut the backing, starting from the roller, down at an angle to the open side so that it is not visible after laying the carpet..

3. Preparing the edges. If the staircase is open, cut off the carpet by adding 50 mm to the width of the steps and lay it face down. Beat the chalk lines at a distance of 25 mm from the edge on each side along which the edge will be tucked, and with an awl or the blunt side of a linoleum knife, draw a fold line along the chalk lines, while folding the edge of the carpet.

If the staircase is closed, cut the carpet to the maximum width of the steps and trim the edges on the narrow steps when decking. To prevent fraying of the edge, drip a few drops of latex mastic onto the carpet backing after trimming.

4. Attaching the bottom edge. Roll the carpet up the stairs, starting at the top tread, and use a blunt, wide chisel to pull the carpet over the grips in the middle of the steps. Pull the carpet over the grip of the lower step riser, using an awl if necessary, so that a 10 mm wide edge hangs to the floor.

Press the rug against the needles with your fingers and iron it along the grip with the flat chisel surface. Use a chisel to push the edge of the carpet between the grip and the floor. Secure the folded edges with 25mm furniture nails and hammer through the carpet into the bottom of the riser on each side.

5. Pulling carpet on treads. Pull the carpet over the bottom sheet with the tensioner and at the same time push it with a wide chisel into the gap between the jaws. The gripper needles attached to the back edge of the tread should firmly grip the base of the carpet..

Begin this work at the center of the tread, pull the carpet without distortions in the direction of the riser. Continue to stretch the carpet from the middle to the edges of the tread. When doing this part of the work, the tensioner should be directed at an angle from the center.

6. Align the folded edge in place. If the tread widths of the treads are different or vary by the same notch, insert an awl into the double folded edge of the carpet and use it as a lever to slide the lower folded edge to increase or decrease the width of the carpet on the tread..

7. Attaching the carpet in the corner of the step. Using a hammer and a wide chisel, insert the carpet into the gap between the two tread and riser jaws across the full width of the ladder. This will pull the carpet over the tread and attach it to the riser grip..

8. Snapping edges. Secure the folded edges at the corners of the tread and riser with 26mm furniture nails and hammer through the carpet into the corner on each side of the step. You are now ready to stretch the carpet on the upper steps. When you reach the top edge of the panel, hammer in a nail into the folded edges at the corners of the step, cut off the excess edge with a linoleum knife, secure the carpet to the tread grip and attach the next piece of carpet to the riser grip.