How To install floor covering On Stairs
There are basically two methods of installing floor covering on stairs. One is the waterfall recipe where one piece of floor covering covers each riser and tread. The other is the cap and band installation. In this case the cap is a piece of floor covering installed over the treads and the band is the piece that will cover the risers. In this narrative I will show you how to setup floor covering using the waterfall method. These instructions are for basic stairs and not for spiral stairs which would want additional procedures.
How To install floor covering On Stairs
Tools Needed:
Tack strips
Staples or upholstery nails
Measuring Tape
Knee Pads
Knee kicker (check your rental store)
Stair Tool (check your rental store)
Utility knife
Hammer
Safety glasses
Obviously you'll need to remove all the old carpet. Get rid of the tack strips and don't try to use the old padding. Make sure any nails and staples are removed and sweep down the area to be carpeted.
Before you get started you're going to have to form out how much floor covering you'll need. To think the width plainly measure over the tread. If your stairs are open on one or both ends make sure to measure under the nosing to where it meets the riser and add it to the total width. form the total distance of your flight of stairs by measuring the tread and riser. Assuming your going to use floor covering pad make sure to add at least 3 inches per stair. If your steps have nosing add one foot to the total flight measurement.
Okay, let's get started. Apply the tack strip to the stair crotch location. Next you'll need to tighten the floor covering by tucking in the crotch. You can do this by using a knee kicker. It is a tool used to setup floor covering in small areas and stairs. It consists of a piece of metal tubing with a pin plate attached to it. On the other end it has a padded upholstery where you can position your knee to apply pressure to the carpet. You should be able to find one at your local rental store. plainly place the padded end several inches above your knee and add pressure.
This is where you will use the knee kicker:
To attach to the tack strip you need to use the knee kicker to stretch the floor covering straight from the center of the tread and hook it to the tack strip located at the crotch. Once the floor covering has been hooked to the tack strip you need to firmly attach it by sliding your floor covering tool back and forth to compress the pins. Using your utility knife or floor covering knife trim as needed. A floor covering knife is great as it has two sides and is sharper than a utility knife. Repeat this process on each side of the tread. Before going to the next tread make sure the floor covering is smoothed out on the riser and then staple to the stair lip. I would advise you staple about every 2 inches. Don't forget to also staple along the edge of the riser.
Make sure to step back and take a look at your work before going on to the next tread. Is the floor covering smooth? Did you kick it in evenly? It is also a good time to give your knees and back a rest. If all looks good the continue onto the next tread. If not you'll have to pull the floor covering off and setup it again. Repeat this process until you are finished.
Once done stand back and admire your work and give yourself a pat on the back. You now have a gorgeous finding staircase.
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