How to Install Carpet Runners on Straight Stairs

Installing Tack Strips

• 1

  Measure the width of the carpet runner. Cut tack strips to measure 2 inches narrower than the width of the runner. Use sheet metal strips and wear heavy gloves.

• 2

  Place the first two tack strips in position on the top stair. One tack strip should be centered at the bottom of the riser about 1 inch above the tread. The second should be centered at the back of the tread about 1 inch in front of the riser. Use a piece of 1-by-1 inch lumber as a spacer so you can place the tack strips without having to measure every time. The tacks in the tack strip are slanted. Make sure the tacks on the tack strip you placed at the bottom of the riser are slanting toward the tread below. The tacks on the tack strip you placed at the back of the tread should be slanted toward the adjoining riser.

• 3

  Hammer the tack strips down using a hammer. The tack strips come with nails already set in place. Hammer them down in the stairs. Continue installing the tack strips. Wear knee pads.

Installing Carpet Pad

• 4

  Measure from the front edge of the tack strip on the tread to a point 2 inches below the nose (front rounded edge) of the tread. Your measurement should take into account the distance around the nose.

• 5

  Cut your carpet pad into sections that are 2 inches narrower than the carpet runner and the length of the measurement you just made. Cut one carpet pad for each stair. Use a carpet knife or a utility knife with a very sharp blade.

• 6

  Place the first piece of carpet pad just in front of the tack strip on the tread. Use a staple gun to attach it to the stair tread. Pull the pad down around the nose of the tread. Staple it to the top of the riser below. Install all the carpet pads.

Installing the Carpet Runner

• 7

  Square off the bottom of the carpet runner using a carpenter's square and a carpet knife. Put the bottom edge of the carpet runner in place at the bottom of the first riser. Staple the bottom of the carpet runner to the riser, placing a staple every three inches.

• 8

  Pull the carpet runner up over the bottom tread and push it hard against the tack strip at the bottom of the riser using a knee kicker. A knee kicker is a specialized handheld tool for installing carpet. One end is a pin plate that grips the carpet; the other is a long tubular handle. The installer uses the knee kicker to force the carpet into position. Place the pin plate of the knee kicker at the center of the tread 2 inches in front of the riser. Hold the knee kicker level with one hand to keep it level. Bang the long handle of knee kicker with your knee to push the carpet hard against the tack strip, which will engage the tacks and bend them to hold the carpet. Push the carpet runner into place against the tack strip every 3 inches.

• 9

  Pack the carpet runner tightly into the intersection where the riser meets the tread. A stair tool looks and feels like a heavy-weight putty knife. Use it to pack the carpet runner into the intersection. Use a hammer to bend down the tacks in the tack strip at the back of the tread.

• 10

  Continue installing the carpet runner on the straight staircase. When you reach the top riser, cut the carpet runner to fit just below the nose of the floor. Use a staple gun to attach the carpet runner to the top of the riser.