Installing Carpet on the Stairway

Carpeting installed on your hardwood stairwell can give this part of your interior a cozy, comfortable feel. Furthermore, stairs that are carpeted are less hazardous and less given to cause a slip and fall where somebody could become hurt.

Even though many people assume that putting in carpet on the stairwell is a complex task, it is in truth rather basic and you need have only primary skills to do it yourself. And even though laying carpet on the stairs may not be as energizing as shopping for tropical wall hangings or wall decor art, doing so can save you a ton of money over paying a professional contractor.

The key to appropriately putting in carpet on the stairs is to take the precise measurements. Measuring is the first step when installing carpet. No matter what style you wish to use for this job, you want to start with the correct set of measurements to get you on the correct track. The following is a effortless step by step set of directions for the “waterfall” procedure of installation. The waterfall technique is perfect for common steps that have uniform width and general height. Let's look at how to take correct measurements when utilizing this technique of carpet installation.

Take measurements of the width of the whole stairway

The very first task you want to do is to measure the breadth of the total staircase. Staircases that are uniformly sized will only need that you measure the width at the stair's widest portion. Set one tip of a basic measuring tape at one end, and next measure across the breadth of the step to the other end. Make a note of the measurement and keep in mind that adding two to four inches of carpeting as a margin is ideal.

Measure the breadth of every riser

When we ascend up the steps, what we step on is called the “riser”. For the waterfall method, you essentially need one long piece of carpeting to encompass the whole set of stairs. Thus it is important to measure how wide every riser is. To take this measure, measure from the top of the riser up to the joint where the riser ends. Take a note of this measurement.

Take measurements of the "fall" of each step

The length between one riser and the next is the "fall". To measure the fall, start out at the end of one riser and stretch your measuring tape to the start of the next one. For stairs that have "nosing", the fall stops beneath the jutted out section. Write down this measurement.

Combine the dimensions for the fall and the riser

To do this, just sum up the two former measurements, and to this sum add a few inches for margin. This will allow you to neatly disguise the edges and the corners with enough carpet during the installation. Once you have determined the length of each step, including the allowance, you will only want to multiply this figure by the amount of stairs that you plan to cover. This will give you the total length of carpeting you need for the stairs.

Lastly, take these dimensions of entire length and width with you when shopping for carpet, and allow a pro to assist you in selecting the carpet for the job.

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