We measure each step, not the first one times fourteen. Depths and heights drift, especially in older houses.
We center the runner and set how much wood stays visible on each side, usually three to five inches.
Turning steps get their own template. Each one is a wedge, and no two are the same wedge.
Bound, serged, or a woven border. We tell you what each does to the look and the lead time.
Look at the front edge of a tread. On a waterfall the carpet rolls over the nosing and drops straight to the next step. On a cap-and-band it wraps the nosing tight and tucks into the crotch where the riser meets the tread. Cap-and-band takes longer and looks sharper, especially on a stained handrail staircase. We fit either one by hand, step by step. Call +1 240 751 5542.
We measure every tread, riser, winder, and landing and write each one down.
You choose the runner width, the edge finish, and waterfall or cap-and-band.
We pull old tack strip and staples, check for loose treads, and clean the exposed wood.
Pad on the treads, tack strip in the crotch, runner stretched and fastened at each step.
Waterfall drops straight off the nosing and goes faster. Cap-and-band wraps the nosing and reads tailored.
Serged edges look hand-sewn and slim. Cotton or linen binding gives a crisp tape border along both sides.
Every winder is a separate wedge, cut and fit on site. They are the reason two staircases never price the same.
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Stairs look uniform from the bottom. They almost never are. The bottom step usually runs deeper than the rest, the top riser often comes up short, and a house that has settled will drift a quarter inch from step to step. Add a winder or a mid-flight landing and the geometry changes again, since each turning step is a wedge with its own two edges.
So we write down every tread depth, every riser height, and the width at several points. That sheet drives the yardage and the cut list. A quote built on step count times one guessed dimension will be wrong, usually short. For carpet that covers the full stair and continues into the rooms, see residential carpet installation.
Waterfall lets the runner roll over the nosing and fall straight down to the next tread. It is quick, it suits a plain modern stair, and it leaves a small void behind the riser. Cap-and-band wraps the carpet over the nosing and pulls it tight into the corner where the riser meets the tread. You see the stair profile through the carpet, and the job reads tailored.
Cap-and-band costs more because it is slower, step by step. On a stained oak staircase with a visible profile, it is usually worth it.
The runner gets finished on both long edges before it reaches your house: serged for a slim hand-sewn look, or bound with cotton or linen tape for a crisp border. Then we fit it. Pad goes on the treads only, tack strip sets in the crotch of each step, and the runner is stretched over both and fastened tight so nothing shifts underfoot.
A pattern makes all of this harder, so we lay it out first; see patterned carpet installation. The flooring cost calculator gives a rough range, but stairs get priced after we measure.
Rarely. The bottom step is often deeper, the top riser often shorter, and older houses drift a quarter inch step to step. We measure each tread and riser and cut to those numbers. Assuming they match is how a runner ends up crooked by the landing.
Most staircases look right with three to five inches of wood showing on each side. We center on the actual stair, not on the wall, since the two are seldom parallel. Wider stairs can carry a wider runner without looking heavy.
Waterfall lets the carpet fall straight from the nosing to the next tread, leaving a small gap behind. Cap-and-band wraps the nosing and pulls tight into the corner where riser meets tread. Cap-and-band takes more labor and shows the stair profile.
No. It has to bend over the nosing without grinning open at the back, so a stiff backing or a very loose loop can be a problem. Most cut pile and tight loop wool goods work well. The edges also need binding or serging, which adds time before install.