Installing carpet on the stairs is not that hard. You can actually do it yourself, if you choose to. It could also give you motivation to design or further refine the interior of your house. There are two primary methods of carpeting your stairs, though there are many others as well. They are the waterfall method and the cap and ban installation.

The waterfall method is basically done by overlaying another carpet to cover the riser and the tread. The other method called the cap and ban installation is done by using the treads and ban to cover the risers.

The instructions below are going to teach you the cap and ban method. First of all, before installing carpet, you’ll need to have these tools handy: track slips, hammer, staples, knee kicker, measuring tape, utility knife, knee pads, staple gun, heavy rubber for padding, and a stair tool. You may have some of these already available in your tool box. If not, you can purchase them at your local hardware store.

You need to measure the stairs and the carpet that you are going to use by measuring the tread and rise – that gives you the total length of your flight of your stairs. Before installing the carpet you must apply the heavy rubber underneath to provide padding. While placing the carpet, make sure it fits properly and it should be secured on each flight. Put the tack strip in the stair and be sure that it is tight; by using a knee kicker you ensure the tightness of the carpet and make sure that it is securely fixed in place. It can also be used to help in stretching the carpet.

Once the carpet is in place, you’ll have to use your carpet tool by sliding it to attach the pins to the tack strip. Also do the same on each side of the tread. Stamping every 2 inches is also recommended because it would ensure that the carpet is secure. And don’t forget to staple the edges of the riser. If you’re done with the first step, repeat it succeeding to the next stair but be sure that the carpet is secured tightly on the current step before going on to the next one because any error here will affect all of the succeeding steps.

If you are not satisfied with the result, or this seems overwhelming, you would be better served by contacting a professional.

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Filed under: Carpet & Flooring