As promised, here is the stair runner installation tutorial. The installers said it was fine for me to take pictures while they worked, but I was afraid of wearing out my welcome with questions. So, I kept those to a minimum. Hopefully, this tutorial will give you at least a good overview of what they did.
The staircase is the first thing you see when you enter our home. As you can see, they are always riddled with scuff marks no matter how I try to keep them clean. I wanted this area to look more “finished” and decided to add a runner.
At first, my husband and I considered a DIY project but decided to leave this one to the professionals. After watching the process, I think it would be an easy DIY project.
I ordered three runners from Ballard Designs to cover the stairs. They were on sale for $35 each, a bargain! The bonus is that outdoor rugs are easy to clean and are great for hiding stains and dirt.
The first step was to nail this strip across the back of the tread.
Next came the padding. The rug pad was cut to fit perfectly in front of the stripping and ended just shy of the width of the runner. Normally a runner is one continuous piece, but in this case, it was three separate pieces. Scissors were used to remove the binding. The installers started in the center of the stairs and worked their way up to the top of the stairs and down to hide the seam.
Finally, the runner was secured with 3/8″ staples starting at the back of each tread and then just under each tread at the top of the riser. This job took just over an hour from start to finish.
The vents on the stairs have always bothered me. At one time we had pretty wooden ones there, but boys with big shoes accidentally kicked them and they broke. So, we decided to go with something more durable. Before the runner was installed, the vents were white. To make them more seamless, I gave them a quick coat of black spray paint.
Love the runner, nice touch to the staircase!
Its so nice to meet you Rene!
I loved reading the "about" you section of your blog. We have alot in common!
I love what you've done with your stairs..they look beautiful!
We have stairs similar to yours too leading up to our bedrooms.
I am looking forward to visiting you here…Im your newest follower (purehunnybee)
Deborah 🙂
Looks great! Can I ask how much it cost to have them install it. I have been wanting to do a runner and this makes it look possible.
Marti
http://www.blackandbleudesigns.blogspot.com
Marti, the installation was $125. The cost varies depending on the type of carpet it is and if they have to cut and bind it.
It looks awesome!!
I have had 2 Dash and Alberts sitting in my closet to put on my steps for the past 2 years. We have carpet to pull up… ugh! Can you see the staples at all?
that installation price is not bad at all and they look utterly amazing!!!!! i may have to consider this for my stairs…. if and when we have the money of course, but i love the look!
Oh how pretty. Love your choice of runner and it looks amazing. Great idea. Hugs, marty
Thanks everybody! Michelle, I can see a few staples under the treads if I get down on my knees and look, but nothing glaring from where you would normally stand. I'm not sure how they hid them.
Looks great and seems pretty affordable! Especially getting the rugs on sale. I'll have to keep this in mind for when we finish our basement.
Wow, that looks great Rene! So pretty! Totally worth it to have a professional do it in my opinion…but I'm lazy! Haha!
Have a good one!
Yay!! What a gorgeous statement for your entry! And, of course your choice of a classic color and print are perfect! Makes me wish I had a second story!
I this the indoor/outdoor carpet in black? I am considering copying but not sure if I should do brown or black. In your pics it does not look black/black…if that makes sense. I think black/black would be too dark.
This looks GREAT. I really want to have a runner on my stairs as they are sort of slippery. How did you find the installers?
Anonymous, yes. This is the indoor/outdoor in black. I think what you see is the natural coming through making it look lighter.
MaryAnn, my husband has contacts because he was in the business. Any carpet installer could do this though.
This looks amazing! The pattern on the rugs looks beautiful. And great idea to paint the vents black. I honestly didn't even notice them in the after shots, until you said something! 🙂
How did you aproximate how much u would need? Was there alot of waste?
Lauryn, we measured the risers and treads and added about two inches to each one so that there would be enough to wrap the edge. There was some waist that could be used for another project. I hope this helps.
It looks beautiful Rene!!! Love what you chose and the price, too! You must be thrilled.
Yup, it looks incredible! And good thiniking to paint the vent–it really does almost disappear now.
Bonsoir! What an amazing update. I can feel the warmth and charm, just from your photos :-)Tres Magnifique!
Booyah…they look great Rene…and using indoor/outdoor carpet was the right thing to do! What a difference and I am sure it really warms up the space also.
Have a wonderful weekend.
Rene how great! I got my daughter in law this rug for their patio in red!!
Anita's Parisian Party
xoxo
Karena
Art by Karena
Your stairs turned out so nice! I love them…
Your runner is stunning! I love how you always manage to combine functionality with beauty! We recently removed the wall-to-wall carpeting the builder had put on the stairs and installed real wood floors there. This is definitely an inspiration for the future!
I really enjoyed this post. The "after" looks incredible!
I do not know how I missed this post the first time around! I came to your site tonight looking for your runner posts because I remembered that you purchased runners from Ballard and were planning to run them together down the stairs. I want to do the same thing on my back stairs and wanted to see how yours is holding up! Not sure if I want to brave the DIY on laying the carpet down… especially if a pro can be in and out of my foyer in an hour! Thanks for the update – the finished staircase looks incredible!
I live in Greensboro… We are renting this house and put cat has torn up two corners of the stairs… Do you know if these fellows do recarpeting of a select few stairs? I really don't want to recarpet the entire staircase…
Kelly, it is worth a try. Email me and I will give you their number.
René