This weekend I finally got around to installing new runners on my stairs. Last September, I had worked my then pregnant butt off to install the first set of runners and by January they were ruined by heavy-footed, clumsy water heater installers. Long story short, I ordered the company who sent the installers to buy me some new runners and they did as they were told. Lucky for me, the runners I had previously installed were no longer available so I had them order the ones that I really wanted but couldn’t afford at the time. So a few months ago my beautiful new runners arrived and I promptly procrastinated and left them rolled up in the corner of my dining room.
Until this weekend. I think the reason why I procrastinated so long is because the first time I did this it took a really long time and it was so physically hard on me. But I was really pregnant and learning as I went. This time was a breeze, comparatively. I knew exactly what I was doing and I also had the benefit of knowing what mistakes I made the first time so I could be sure to correct them this time around. In all, this installation took me around four hours, and that’s including a lunch break.
How to Install a Stair Runner
Anyhoo, here’s how I did it. First, I cleaned the stairs really well with a wood floor cleaner. Then I took rug pads and cut them to fit the stair treads with just a little bit going over the lip.
I also cut this rug tape into long strips and stuck two on each riser.
Then using my pneumatic upholstery staple gun I started stapling the top of the first runner just under the lip of the upstairs landing.
I added a few staples to the bottom sides of the runner on the riser just to make sure it doesn’t shift when it’s being walked over.
Next I rolled the carpet over the lip of the next stair and, using a measuring tape, made sure that there was an even amount of bare stair on each side of the runner. With everything centered, I began stapling on the underside of the stair lip.
Slowly and carefully, I continued that process until I came to the second to last stair and ran out of rug. I knew this was going to happen. Each runner was only 8 feet long and I knew I needed at least 10 feet of rug to cover each section of my stairs. That’s why I got three runners.
This is where it gets a little tricky. I stapled the end of the first runner down on the riser. Then I took the new runner and worked from the bottom of the last stair up to meet the lip of the stair where the first runner ended. Using that measurement as a guide I then cut the new runner to the length I needed to make up the shortage.
I then stapled the new runner at the bottom first, and then under the lip of the bottom stair, and then when I got to the lip of the next stair I just folded the cut portion of the runner under and stapled it right up under the lip of that stair.
When it was all said and done, you can’t even tell that I had to do some slicing and dicing.
After that, I just continued the process on my next section of staircase.
I had about four feet of the third runner left over so I decided to use it as a throw rug for the landing. Using just some wide linen style ribbon I had lying around, I bound the cut edges of the rug and voila–a new landing rug.
That’s all there is to it! This runner installation went so much smoother than the last time and I think it turned out even better than the first set of runners I had. I love the pattern and color of these runners and the quality of Dash & Albert rugs is superb. I love how it turned out!
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This is exactly what I want to do in our home! What color is the rug? I want to do the grey, but online it looks more like taupe.
Thanks!!
Hi Brittany! The color is a blue-grey. It’s absolutely perfect if you love grey that tends to go blue in certain light.