The basic principles of installing carpet on stairs are not very different from those of installing carpet on your floor. The only difference is that you’re going to deal with treads and risers when working with stair. And while it can be quite to lay carpet on your floor, installing one on your stairs can be quite tricky. However, if you are familiar with the techniques on how to do get the job done, you can practically do it yourself and not hire a professional. First off, there are two ways to lay carpet on stairs: the waterfall method and the cap & band method. In the waterfall method, the stairs is covered by a single piece of carpet. In the cap & band method, the tread of the stairs is covered by the cap while the risers are covered with the band.


This article is going to show you the step by step process of installing carpet on the stairs using the waterfall method:

Step 1. Prepare the materials you are going to need: standard sized carpet, carpet pad, tack strips, carpet staplers, hammer, knee kicker, and carpet knife. You’re also going to need safety glasses to protect your eyes from debris while working.

Step 2. Next, figure out how much carpet you’re going to need by measuring the dimension of the stairs. Measure the width by getting the length of the tread. Make sure you leave an allowance if both ends of the treads are open. To get the total length of the carpet, simply take the measurement of the rise and the tread.

Step 3. If you are going to replace and old carpet with a new one, carefully remove the existing carpet along with the carpet pad and tack strips. Sweep the stairs clean and use a vacuum cleaner if necessary to make sure there are no debris. Once you’ve smoothen the entire surface, install the tack strips first on the sides of the treads using a hammer. Do this on all stair treads.

Step 4. After installing the tack strips, lay the carpet pad next. Use the stapler to set the pad in place in each tread and riser and underneath the tack strips. Make sure the staples are four to six inches apart.

Step 5. Starting from the bottom of the stairs, begin installing the carpet. Hold the edge of the carpet and stretch it until it is hooked into the tack strip. Set the carpet in place using a knee kicker and trim the excess using a carpet knife. Repeat this step on every tread but make sure the carpet is smoothly placed before proceeding.

Step 6. Once you are done covering the entire stairs, staple the edge of the carpet on the riser of the last step. Again, the staples should be four to six inches apart.

Step 7. Check your work and make sure the carpet is laid smoothly and evenly on each tread. If this is not the case, you should take the carpet off and repeat the process. If everything is done according to plan, you can start enjoying your new, carpeted staircase.