Carpeting Your Stairs: Choosing and Laying the Right Carpet

Stair carpeting can be bought in a standard width of 690mm, and laid centrally on the stairway with the exposed wood on either side protected with paints or varnishing. Fitted carpeting, laid the full width of the stairs, is more difficult to fit and should be left to an experienced carpet layer.

Stair carpet is subject to heavy wear, so choose a good quality pile carpet. Avoid cord, needle felt and sisal which, although hard-wearing, do not grip the feet and could be slippery.

Estimating length

First measure from the front to the back of one tread and multiply by the number of treads. On a curving staircase, or a spiral staircase, take the widest measurement. If the stairs turn a corner on a half landing measure its length and add it to the total, also the length of the upstairs landing if you want the carpet to run to the far end.

Now measure the height of a riser, the vertical part of a stair, and multiply that figure by the number of risers. Add this total to the one you already have to find the length you need to carpet the stairs. It is advisable to move the carpet from time to time to even out wear - to allow for this, add the depth of the bottom tread and the height of the bottom riser.

In addition to the carpet and underlay pads, you will also need carpet adhesive and metal stair grippers - angled strips with projecting teeth that grip the carpet backing. The length of the grippers should be the same as the width of the carpet, and you will need one for each tread.

Preparing the stairs

If you have removed old carpet, check the condition of the woodwork. Remove old nails, old grippers and any patches of adhesive. Brush the stairs thoroughly.

Put a pad centrally on the first tread down from the top landing, with one edge against the riser and the other overhanging the front of the tread. Place a gripper in the angle between the tread and the riser and nail it to the riser. To avoid hitting the teeth of the gripper, use a small hammer to drive the nails partly home, then finish off using a nail punch. Fit grippers and pads to all the stairs except the bottom one, and do not fit a gripper where the bottom riser meets the floor.

Laying the carpet