Stairway Carpet Runner

Before: The bare stairs looked plain.

1. Make sure there is enough carpet to cover the area. It’s difficult to seam a carpet runner on the stairs, so make sure you can get it all in one piece. The exception to the no-seam rule is if there is a landing or a turn in the stairs.

2. Starting at the top, staple the edge of the carpet runner to the riser (vertical face) of the top step, tight to the top lip.

3. Stair rods are the traditional way to install a carpet runner on stairs. They're brass rods that screw down to the treads to hold the carpet down. Pull the carpet tight, installing the rods by pre-drilling the holes and screwing the brackets down.

4. Our landing makes a 90-degree turn halfway up the stairs. Seam the carpet on a 45-degree angle to make the turn. Just cut the carpet with a sharp utility knife.

Tape the seam using carpet tape.

5. Continue placing the rods until you get to the bottom step. Staple the carpet in place at the bottom, hiding the staples by stapling as close as possible to the floor.