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Adding carpet to hardwood stairs

Anyone ever do this your self?

I want to add a padded carpet to the center of my stairs.

Reply to
The dude
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In the old days, they used brass rods at the base of each riser to hold it in place. Personally, I consider it an abuse of hardwood, but if your heart is set on it, I'd hire it out. Carpet laying is not as easy as it looks, and getting it tight and square, and getting the outside rolled edges of the carpet 'stripe' to lay right, takes special tools and a lot of experience.

And no, you don't want to reuse the carpet out of the bedrooms.

-- aem sends...

Reply to
aemeijers

HA I was not planning on reusing the carpet. I am looking to just do the center of the stairs, not the entire stair. I can hire it out, but I was told it was an easy DIY project

Reply to
The dude

I'd only think about doing it DIY if you can find someplace that stocks or will fabricate an edged (and maybe pre-padded) stair runner for you. Then it is just a matter of putting down the tack strips on each step, figuring out how to fasten at the top (like with a metal hammer down), and working your way down the stairs. I'd probably start one step down, kicking and tacking each step into place (tacks as needed on the risers, to make the tight bends). Then stretch and square the top end, and trim it and hide it under the transition strip. Carpet on stairs wears out a lot quicker than the rest of the carpet. Just for giggles, I'd consider buying a spare section of runner, and storing it for later.

The old metal rods were so, when the nose of each step got threadbare, you could loosen the rods, unfold the six inches of slack hidden on bottom step, and move the whole thing uphill six inches to provide a fresh edge.

-- aem sends...

Reply to
aemeijers

It can be done either by taking the carpet with the right equipment or using metal rods that hold it in place. It is important the carpet be tight in place and not a tripping hazard.

Keep in mind that carpeted stairs can be more dangerous, are more difficult to clean, and is the fastest wearing part of the house. I'm glad to be rid of mine and now we enjoy the easy to clean hardwood. Carpet is falling out of favor because of all the downsides of it, such as holding dirt and allergens.

Reply to
Edwin Pawlowski

This is not a hard process and can be done with just a handful of "special" tools. I installed mine a couple of years back and had it done in under 2 hours. I started at the bottom and worked my way up as that seems the most logical way to go. The key tool that I used was my pneumatic stapler with 3/4" staples. Keep it tight by stapling the carpet where the riser meets the bottom of the tread and then where the back of the tread meets the bottom of the next riser and so on. I am just a DIY'r, but everyone comments how nice the stairs looks. If you have the inclination, air compressor and a pneumatic stapler, go for it.

Reply to
Brew Man

Maybe we could swap stairs? :) We have carpet on our stairs and I absolutely hate it, have thought about removing it since we moved in. It's the first thing you see when you come in the front door and it always looks awful. It's a royal PITA to vacuum, and steam cleaning is even more so of course. The crease at the bottom of the riser (is that the right term?) always needs extra time to remove pet fur, etc. that accumulates there.

KD

Reply to
KD

If carpet is a bad idea then I need to do something so they are not slick for the kids in socks and such.

Any suggestions??

KD wrote:

Reply to
The dude

falling out

Not with me it's not. I like carpet, and totally do not like hardwood floors at all. Sure, I have to have the carpet cleaned a couple of times a year, but it's worth it to me. The funny thing is, most of the people I know who do have hardwood floors, have area rugs everywhere. What's that about? Different strokes I suppose, but I doubt if the carpet people are going out of business any time soon.

Cheri

Cheri

Reply to
Cheri

no running in the house!

Reply to
Bob

i have bare wood stairs going down into my basement and they can get slippery with just socks on. i am contemplating putting those rectangle rug pieces down on each step. they are about 10" deep and 20-24" wide. anyone?

Reply to
readandpost

"readandpost" wrote

Is it a finished basement where looks are important? Is it the sort of indoor-outdoor square 'stick on tiles'?

That sort will fray fairly fast. at the edges and can be hard to pull back up after being down for a while, but may be suitable enough for an unfinished basement with a bare (not fancy) stair, and add a safety bit. It wont look good enough or last long enough though for a finished basement that guests etc may traverse.

I have a friend who had a semi-finished basement and a problem like that. Game room and pool table down there so the hubby and his buddies would gather to have beer and play pool. That part was floored. The other side was dirt floor with paving stones set in it.

For stair safety, she ran a long thin runner of that outdoor 'green grass' stuff (heavily staple gunned down with dark staples) and it was sufficiently nice looking and durable for the conditions.

Reply to
cshenk

"The dude" wrote

Google "stair treads".

Reply to
rose

Reply to
The dude

Gag. Not those nasty clear self-adhesive things? Just strip the wax off the stairs, and make sure the hand rail is solid. As soon as the shine wears off, the steps will be fine. Yeah, you'll have to touch up the finish every few years, but the wear marks add character.

I suppose you could rout some shallow grooves in the walking zone of each step to provide gripping edges, but the refinishing would be a ton of work.

-- aem sends...

Reply to
aemeijers

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