Tips for Installing a Carpet Runner
Installing a carpet runner on stairs in your home is a good way of ensuring the safety of your family. Even if you have never put down a carpet runner before, you can easily do so yourself during your free time.
When you start your project, be sure to install tackless strips on your stairs first and foremost. These will provide the base for the installation of the carpet runner itself. Strips should be four inches shorter in width than the runner. Place them about a half-inch in distance between the riser and tread, and make sure the points of each strip face the step corners.
Carpet padding should be next and put in over the tackless strips. Make them the same width as the strips and wrap them loosely around each step's front edge for best results.
Lay out the carpet you will be using for the runner and begin cutting your runner section. Cut the carpet in widths of approximately three inches, or whatever works best according to the width of your individual stairs. Create chalk lines on the back of the carpet to mark where you will be cutting the pieces. Afterward, use an awl to place against the chalk guidelines to fold alongside them.
It may feel tricky at first with the next step as you lay the runner along the stairs. Once again, use the awl to push the carpet along the tackless strip, folding the edges under as you work your way up or down. Use a high-grade staple gun to affix the carpet on the riser just below the tread, taking care to not staple through any folds. Tuck the carpeting into each corner the steps, pushing the material as flat as you can. It is important to make all the edges straight to ensure the safety of your family and visitors using the stairs.
