Replacing Carpet on Stairs
Replacing old carpet on your stairs can be a tricky process, but with the right tools and a bit of patience, you should have no problem making it happen. Also, by taking on this project yourself and buying your own materials, you should be able to save yourself some money as well. First, you will need to acquire the following tools: hammer, staples, staple gun, measuring tape, hand-saw, utility knife, stair tool and 2-inch nails. Now, use your hammer and utility knife to remove the old carpet and all staples and debris along your staircase.
Take your measuring tape and measure the height of the riser on one of your steps and the depth of the step itself. Add these numbers together and then multiply this sum by the number of steps you have. Also, add one additional step to this figure to get your final carpet length. Also, measure the width you would like and add an extra inch just for good measure. You can either cut the carpet yourself with a utility knife or have a professional take care of it.
Next, begin at the bottom of your staircase and cut the length of tack bar required for your first step. Then hammer the track strip into the back of the step while leaving roughly a 1/2-inch between the strip and the riser. Each strip has small slots that you can use your nails to nail into. Repeat this process for every step, then cut and lay carpet padding across each individual step by using your staple gun. Finally, you can lay your carpet down and staple the bottom and top ends before pushing the carpet into each tack strip on each step. Remember to go through and trim the extra carpet with your utility knife once you're finished.
