How to Lay Carpet Runners

Installing carpet runners on your stairs is an easy project that improves the appearance and safety of your home's staircase. Carpeting protects the wood beneath the runner while also muffling some of the squeaks and creaks of a wooden staircase. This is a very manageable home improvement project that you can complete within a day or two.

1. First: Lay down tackless strips

   Use your sheet-metal snips to cut one tackless strip for each stair. Cut each strip two inches shorter than the width of the carpet runner. Place the tackless strip flush against the riser, ensuring that that the pins are angled away from you, toward the riser. Use your hammer to nail down the strip.

2. Second: Fit and affix carpet pads

   Cut each carpet pad so that it is the same width as the tackless strips. Make the depth of each piece of carpet padding three inches more than the stair riser itself. Place the carpet pad so that it directly abuts the tackless strip, but does not cover it. Leaving three inches between each staple, use your electric stapler to affix the carpet pad to the stair, then cover the stair nosing, and staple the padding to the underside of the nosing. You may need to trim each piece so that there is no overhang.

3. Third: Secure the runner

   Every three inches, use the electric stapler to affix the runner to the floor below the bottom riser. Align each runner with the tackless strips on the tread of each stair. Using the knee kicker, engage the tackless strip every three inches. This should pull the runner taut against each tackless strip.

4. Fourth: Pack the runner into the riser

   Use a rubber mallet and carpet tool to drive the carpeting between the tackless strip and the riser.