On stairs if you use padding with a thickness of 3 8 your stairs will not feel quite as spongy underfoot but the carpet will be able to tolerate more abuse than if you go with a thicker padding and or choose a density rating of 6 pounds or less.
Do you need carpet padding on stairs.
Wrap the carpet pad around the front edge of the steps and down the riser.
1 remove the old tackless strips with a pry bar if you plan to replace the old carpet.
Before you get started installing your carpet you first need to determine the look you want in your home.
Wood stairs with a runner are much safer and are pleasing to look at as you go about your day.
Stairs are the most common place in the home to have carpet and yet they are also the trickiest.
Smooth and stretch the pad so that it fits tightly against both the tread and riser then staple pad to riser.
One thing it doesn t fix though.
While each pieces of padding only runs from strip to strip the carpeting extends the full length of the stairs.
A well done stair runner installation can greatly improve the look of the staircase as well as improve the safety of the structure.
Step 3 begin attaching your carpet pad.
Take care to place your staples roughly six inches from one another.
When all the padding is attached you ll need to make a template and cut the carpet to fit.
What commonly happens is that the carpet is cut too short which creates a noticeable seam when.
The hollywood method and the waterfall.
Carpet is great at blunting or even completely eliminating the sound of people walking on wooden stairs.
Start this step by using your staple gun to attach your padding to the tackless strips you placed on each your stairs back verticals.
This is because in addition to having to decide on carpet style and color the carpet has to be of appropriate durability and thickness to be installed on the stair.
Consider that you ve got both padding and carpet working for the cause and you ll realize that bare wooden stairs can in no way match the quiet that carpet offers.
Experts at the carpet and rug institute suggest selecting one with no more than 3 8 inch thickness and with 8 pounds density to back the low profile carpet used on stairs.
Install carpet padding in pieces to fit over the top of each stair tread.
Choose a high grade pad.
There are two ways of installing carpet on stairs.
If you precut the carpet lengthwise be sure you accurately measure the total length including the risers treads and around the nosing.
Choosing carpet for the stairs can be a bit more difficult than choosing carpet for other areas of the home.