What Does it Mean to Cap and Band Your Staircase?

Approach

• When you cap and band your staircase, you you wrap each tread in carpet. Exposed edges are turned under and tacked in to give a cleaner look. The "cap" refers to the part of the carpet that covers the tread, while the "band" refers to a separate piece of carpet that covers the riser — the front face of the step.

Technique

• Carpet installers begin on the top riser when using the cap-and-band technique. They start by stapling on padding. They then cut a piece of carpet about 1.25 inches taller than the riser height and staple it to the riser at the bottom and the top. The 1.25-inch excess is rolled under the tread and secured with tacks. At this point, the installer places tackless strip on the treads and cuts more padding to fit all around the strip.

Final Steps

• Next, the installer staples down the padding and cuts out carpet pieces to cover the tread before securing these pieces to the tackless strip. The corners of the carpet piece must be mitered, meaning the mechanic must cut the square edge of the carpet piece at a 45-degree angle and roll the edges of the carpet under the nosing — or lip — on the tread. The edges of the carpet piece are secured to the tread with staples, and the mitered corners are sewn back together with colored thread to give a cleaner look.

Considerations

• Another way to deal with exposed edges in cap-and-band carpeting is by binding the edges. Some installers can do this on site, although others prefer to bind the edges at their shops. In some cases, binding the edges can provide a more finished, elegant look. The pile on the carpet is the soft visible surface, and carpet is usually constructed so that the pile has directionality: When you run your hand across it one way, you force the loops to lie upright, whereas in the other direction you flatten them. When capping and banding your staircase, the carpet should always be installed so the pile faces toward the bottom of the stairs to minimize wear.