Professional stair installation tips

Are you thinking about installing carpet on your stairs without having to hire a professional carpet installer? Within this quick article I am going to detail several different techniques that my flooring company uses to install carpet on stairs.

The first part of stair carpet installation is to remove the old carpet, the padding and tack strip. I never advise using the old tack strip that is installed on the stairs, but if it is in decent condition it is possible to reuse it in place. Be sure to completely remove anything from the stairs and thoroughly sweep each step before installing the carpet.

Now that the stairs are prepared and cleaned it’s time to take some measurements to determine how much carpet that it is going to take to complete the job. Measuring the stairs is very easy, simply measure the width of one of the steps and risers. Additionally, measure the length of one of the stairs. A good rule of thumb is to add an additional three inches per stair to insure that there is enough carpet to cover all of the stairs.

Now, you are almost ready, but wait! Do you have all of the necessary tools to professionally install the carpeting on the stairs? Several different specialty carpet tools are needed to install the carpet correctly. Many of the following tools can be rented from a contractor rental store.

Carpet kicker
Stair tool
Hammer
Safety glasses (Not to look cool)
Measuring tape
Carpet staples
Upholstery nails
Knee pads
Razor knife

Okay, so first things first, now that you have all the necessary tools you can begin installing the tack strip to the crotch. With your hammer begin pounding in the nails to hold down the tack strip, a nail every six inches or so works fine to hold the tack strip down. Once all of the pieces of tack strip are measured, cut and nailed down to each of the stairs you can begin measuring, cutting and kicking in the new carpet with your carpet kicker.

There are two difference distinct methods for installing carpet on stairs, the first technique that I am going to talk about is called “cap and band technique”. The “Cap” defines the piece of carpet that is installed on top of the treads of the stairs, while the “Band” is the piece of carpet that is laid over the risers. The cap and band technique uses two piece of carpet to complete the carpet installation on the stairs.

To begin the cap and band technique first cut a piece of carpet out to the approximate size of the stair that you would like to install the carpet on. Next, kick the carpet into place with your knee kicker, then remove any remnants of carpet once the carpet is fully stretched into place with your razor knife. The same concept applies to installing the carpet onto the band of the stair, although you may not be able to kick the carpet in. In this case simply apply pressure to the knee kicker with your hands to stretch the carpet onto the band of the stair. Pretty simple!

The next stair installation technique that I am going to talk about today uses one complete piece of carpet for each cap and band (stair). This technique is  called the waterfall technique. Much of the same techniques that were used to install carpet using the cap and band technique apply to installing carpet using the waterfall technique. Additionally, both techniques require that the lip of the carpet is stapled once the carpet is attached to the tack strip and kicked in. Don’t forget to staple the lip!

Tip: Whatever technique that you decide to use always be sure to step back and look to see how well each step installed. Fixing any imperfections along the way will make the end result of the overall stair carpet installation job turn out a lot better.

With a whole lot of hard work, patience and physical endurance you too can become an expert stair carpet installer! Just be sure to do your home work, make your measurements and use the right tools!

For more great flooring tips be sure to check out our flooring blog!