How to Carpet Stair Corners

Carpeting staircases tends to be challenging just because of the various surfaces and corners. The corners need special attention so the carpet does not bunch up or sag over the area. Learning how to position the tack strips, the padding and the carpet so that they all fit neatly into a corner will make your carpet installation look professional and keep the carpet from pulling away from the staircase over time.

Tackless strips
Tack hammer
Carpet padding
Utility knife
Staples
Staple gun
Knee kicker
Blunt chisel
Hammer

Instructions

- 1
  Install the tackless strips, 1 1/2 inches shorter than the step, along the back edge of the stair tread by hammering them in place with a small tack hammer. Before you hammer the strips in place with the pins facing the corner, pull them out about 3/4 inches from the riser in the back. This will leave a space for the carpet to make the corner turn.
- 2
  Hammer another tackless strip on the bottom of the riser but lift it about 1 inch from the base of the riser. Point the pins in the tackless strip to face the corner. Repeat this for each of the stair corners.
- 3
  Install carpet padding on each step but do not cross over the tack strips. The presence of the padding and the carpet will cause too much bulk to fit in the corners. Cut the padding to fit as flush with the tackless strip as possible using a utility knife. Staple the padding in place with staples every 8 inches using a staple gun.
- 4
  Lay the carpet over the step and bring it up to the corner. Use the knee kicker to stretch the carpet over the tackless strip on the tread, starting at the middle of the step and working out to the sides. Use a blunt chisel and a hammer to push the carpet into the corner of the step.
- 5
  Roll the carpet up to the next step and repeat for each corner.

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Carpeting