Easy Installation of Carpet on Stairs

Remove any existing carpet from your stairs. Make sure to remove any staples or nails with pliers.

Vacuum the stairway carefully to remove any stray pieces of carpet, or splinters created when removing the staples.

Determine how much carpet you need. The quickest way to accomplish this task is to measure one stair, including the rise and tread, then multiply the measurement by the number of you have. Make sure to measure any landings separately. Use these same measurements to determine how many carpet tack strips you need; you'll typically need three per stair.

Purchase a carpet runner that matches the width and length of your stairs. Runners allow for the easiest installation on stairs, as cut-to-fit pieces require extra stapling and folding to make the carpet look like one piece.

Determine how much padding you need. In most cases, you'll only need to apply padding to the stair treads. The padding pieces should be about ¼ inch smaller all around than the carpet pieces to ensure no padding sticks out.

Cut the padding according to your measurements and staple or nail it to the treads, making sure the padding is completely flat and secure. Place staples at a diagonal for optimal security. Leaving any ripples or loose edges can lead to a tripping hazard after you install the carpet.

Install carpet-fastening strips at the back of the tread and the top and bottom of the rise.

Loosely lay the carpet runner over each section of stairs, making sure it's as straight as possible.

Start installing the carpet from the bottom and work your way up. Use a knee kicker to stretch the carpet out. Place the head of the kicker at the center of the tread and push the end of the kicker to stretch the carpet taut to the base of the rise. Hammer the carpet into the teeth of the fastening strips. Work slowly to ensure that the carpet is snug.

Install carpet on winding stairways in straight sections. Do one portion of stairs, the landing(s), then the next portion of stairs separately in the same fashion.