It may seem intimidating to install a stair runner yourself, but it’s so darn easy that we’ve done it twice! Thrice if you count demonstrating it on live TV (more on that later). Just follow the steps in our tutorial below, including our trick for making sure your rug is the perfect size for the project.
Adding a rug or runner to your stairs isn’t just a stylish decor choice that can add color, personality, or pattern. It’s also a safety feature! We find that adding a stair runner cuts down on slips, falls, and even makes it easier for our dog to traverse them. They also absorb sound, meaning your less likely to hear your kid clomping up and down the steps. So we highly recommend adding one if you’ve got young children, pets, or even just clumsy adults around.
DIY Stair Runner Before & Afters
The first time we installed a stair runner, it was to replace a dingy carpet runner that came with the house. You can see in the photos below that we not only livened up the stairs with a bold striped rug, we also modernized the steps by painting the risers, trim, & balusters white and staining the wood handrails dark.
For our second install, here in our current home, we used a beachy sisal runner instead. We also painted the treads a wary gray to brighten them up.
The “third” stair runner we added was for a DIY segment we taped for The Rachael Ray Show. We only shot about 3 staples on camera, but we prepped the small fake staircase backstage. It’s too bad we didn’t get to do a whole staircase. That runner is cute!
Overall, you have lots of ways you can customize this project to suit your style and your stairs. So let’s dive into the tutorial!
Tools, Materials, & Cost
Here are the supplies and tools you should have handy to install your own stair runner:
- Stair runner
- Rug pad
- Tape Measure
- String
- Painter’s Tape
- Electric staple gun & staples
- Sharpie
- Scissors
- Needlenose pliers
This doesn’t have to be an expensive project either. Our first runner installation cost less than $300! It mostly depends on the runner you choose and how much you need.
Steps To Install A Stair Runner
Our project in total took us about 20 hours, but that also included removing the old runner and painting the risers and railings. The actual stair runner install only took about 4 hours, although may depend on the length of your stairs. We’ll go into each step in more detail, but here’s an overview of the process:
- Remove your old runner (if needed)
- Measure
- Select a runner
- Paint or stain your stairs (optional)
- Mark your placement
- Cut the rug pad
- Prepare your staples
- Start at the top
- Connect two runners (if needed)
- Finish the bottom edge
Step 1: Remove your old runner
This step only applies if you have an existing rug, runner, or carpet on your stairs that needs to go. This process may take time – especially getting all of the old stapes up! We counted nearly 600 staples in our old carpet. We have a separate stair runner removal tutorial for this, including what tools you’ll want to help get that old carpeting off.
Step 2: Measure
Before buying your runner, you’ll need to measure how much you’ll need. As with any rug, the important measurements are length and width. Knowing this will also help you determine if you can purchase a stock size or need to order something custom.
Measuring runner length
We suggest using a string or flexible measuring tape to determine the length of one step. This means riser + tread, including around the front bullnose edge. Multiply this measurement by the number of steps you have, and then add 10-15% extra. Having too much material is easier to deal with than not having enough!
Measuring runner width
Most stair runners don’t go wall-to-wall. Instead, they leave about 2-3″ exposed on either side (see above). This number is personal preference, and it may be dictated by stock sizes. Measure the width of your narrowest stair, and subtract 4-6″ to get your runner width. Just be mindful that many staircases “flare” at the bottom, so make sure whatever width you choose will fit and look good from top to bottom.
Step 3: Select a runner
Virtually any carpet or rug can be turned into DIY stair runner. However, we suggest choosing something that will be durable and easy to clean, especially if your stairway gets lots of foot traffic. Indoor/outdoor rugs and natural fiber rugs like wool or cotton are great for these reasons. We also suggest something low pile, since they are easier to keep clean. We have used both stock and custom runners for our stairs.
Using a stock runner
For our striped runner, we used a rug from Annie Selke (formerly Dash & Albert) because they are known for their durability. They also have tons of patterns and colors, and most styles come in a variety of sizes. We used two 2.5′ x 8′ Birmingham runners, but they now also sell a 20-foot version and as a customizable size. After 7 years of use, we can vouch that it held up great (apart from some fading from sun) and felt quite soft underfoot!
Stock runners are typically cheaper, but they may require more ingenuity to fit precisely to your space. Don’t worry – we’ll show you how!
Using a custom runner
For our sisal runner, we ordered a custom outdoor rug from Sisal Rugs. This gave us great control over the exact look – we picked the color, border material, border color, size, etc – and only cost us slightly about $100 more than 2 Annie Selke rugs would’ve at the time.
We have been equally happy with both types of rugs we’ve used – stock vs custom, cotton vs sisal, bold vs neutral – so you should feel good about choosing whatever is best for you.
Step 4: Paint or Stain Your Stairs
If your stair makeover plans include any painting, staining, or other potentially messy updates: do them now! You don’t want to have to worry about dripping a new rug later!
Before we added our striped runner, we stained the handrail a darker color and painted the balusters, trim, and risers white. These were somewhat time-consuming tasks, so they are great to tackle while you’re waiting for your rug order to arrive.
Before adding our sisal runner, we decided to paint the stair treads a warm gray to cover up some discoloration in the stain. We used this Porch & Floor Enamel in Requisite Gray by Sherwin-Williams. It didn’t require a primer and has held up great!
This also is a great time to do any other repairs to the stairs – like if you have a loose or squeaky tread, or need to fix any nearby molding.
Step 5: Mark Your Placement
Once you’re ready to install your runner, start by marking its placement on every step. This will help make sure it stays straight and doesn’t drift to the side as you install it. We used a measuring tape and painter’s tape to mark the edges along each tread, which you can see below.
Alternatively, you can check your placement with a ruler or measuring tape as you go. We just found it faster to tape down guides at the start of the project.
Step 6: Cut The Rug Pad
You’ll want a rug pad under your runner to (1) provide more cushion and (2) keep the runner in place. If you don’t want extra cushion, you can use carpet tape instead. We have used both a felt rug pad and a rubber rug pad with equal success. Just make sure whichever you choose has a non-slip design. Both are sold in multiple sizes, including runner lengths, and don’t need to be very thick (we use 1/8″ depth).
We prefer to use the rug pad ONLY on the tread surface (not the vertical riser). This saves money and also prevents unnecessary bulk against the riser. But it does require some time upfront to cut the rug pad into strips. Luckily they usually cut easily with household scissors. We leave it long enough to wrap around the front nose of the stair.
We leave enough overhang so the rug pad can wrap around the bullnose of each step, as you can tell above.
Step 7: Prepare Your Staples
Here comes the weird step, but we promise it’s worth it! After some trial and error, we found an electric staple gun designed for upholstery projects to be the most effective way to secure a stair runner. A hand-powered staple gun was too light-duty. We needed something with more oomph!
The drawback to this approach is that your staples may be visible UNLESS you take the time to color them first. I know it sounds weird, but trust us. It works!
For our sisal runner, we used a gold Sharpie to roughly color a strip of staples before loading them into the stapler. For our black and white runner, we did the same thing with a black Sharpie.
Matching the exact color of your rug is not important because the main benefit of this approach is that it removes the SHINE of the staples. The staples were mostly visible when they catch the light, so the Sharpie ink dulls them enough that they camouflage into the pattern of the rug.
Coloring one big strip of staples before you put them in the stapler is much faster than doing it individually after they’re stuck into your rug. But you can test it on a few stapled staples first if you want to determine what color offers the best disguise.
Step 8: Start At The Top
Begin stapling your runner under the lip at the top of your staircase. Take your time to position your runner precisely – keeping the top edge flush, and your edges aligned with your tape markings. Use the electric staple gun to secure it at each edge and about 4-5 places in the middle. Your rug’s pattern may determine where best to place your staples so they are as hidden as possible. You can also go back and add more staples later if it is sagging anywhere. The important part now is to just get it attached.
With the runner stapled along the top, pull it tight against the riser and staple along the bottom into the RISER, not the TREAD. At no point during this process will you need to nail into the treads. This way you don’t have to worry about bare feet ever feeling cold metal.
Next, pull the runner tight along the tread and repeat this process, starting with another row of staples under the lip of the next tread.
Use your judgment as to where & how many staples are needed to hold your runner tight to the stairs. With our sisal runner (above) we had two “lips” under each tread, so we had to do two rows of staples along the top of each step. Also, don’t fret if you need to remove a misfired staple now and again. Just keep some needlenose pliers handy.
Continue this process, working down your stairs towards the bottom. Just remember to keep pulling your runner tight and make sure it’s not drifting to one side as you go. Oh, and don’t forget to put down your rug pad strips as you go.
Also, we find the electric staple gun works best when you apply pressure to the back of it as you fire. This helps the staples sink deeper into the swood.
Step 9: Connect Two Runners
If one runner won’t reach the bottom of your stairs, it’s easy to seamlessly connect two separate runners. The best way to do this is to hide the transition under the lip of a tread. Use scissors to cut off any extra material from your first runner so that it terminates under the lip.
Staple that cut end right under the bullnose edge of the tread, just as you have been doing.
Then attach the second runner under the lip, just like you did with the first runner at the top of your stairs. From there, you can continue down your stairs with the second runner. Here is a finished picture of our stairs. Can you find the spot where one runner ends and the other begins?
You can kinda see it there about 3 steps up. The transition is not 100% undetectable, but it’s so subtle you only really notice it if you’re looking for it.
Step 9: Finish The Bottom Edge
Once you get to the bottom, use scissors to cut off any excess material – leaving about an extra inch of material. Fold this extra bit back under the runner and staple it into the bottom of the rise. This fold gives a cleaner, even edge on the bottom (since some runners will fray slightly when cut).
And just like that, you’ve finished your stair runner installation!
You can read more specifics about installing our sisal stair runner, and see more before & after pictures of that space.
Stair Runner FAQs
Here are answers to other questions we frequently get about installing a stair runner.
How well do stair runners hold up?
Our stair runners have held up very well, even with busy kids & pets in the house. Like any rug or carpet, they require regular vacuuming and the occasional stain removal. But as long as you choose a durable material like an indoor/outdoor polypropylene rug or a natural fiber rug, you should have little trouble. We lived with our striper runner for over 7 years before moving, and we only experienced light fading at the bottom (where it got lots of sunlight) and some small, but barely noticeable, fraying on the nose of a step or two.
Do stair runners damage the stairs?
When you install a stair runner, you will put small staple holes in your stair risers. A stair runner also may cause your paint or stain finish to fade unevenly, due to the steps being partially covered. However, both of these can be remedied with wood putty and a fresh coat of paint or stain.
What are the advantages of a stair runner?
In addition to improving the look of your stairs, you’re also making your steps safer and quieter when you install a stair runner. Rugs absorb sound and cut down on the noise of loud footsteps. They also are less slick than wood steps, which makes slips and falls less common.
How do stair runners stay in place?
Stair runners stay in place thanks to a combination of staples and rug pads. The staples hold the rug tight to each riser, helping it form to the shape of the staircase. Rug pads under the tread keep it from moving underfoot. Alternatively, you can use stair carpet rods to hold the rug tight to the riser.
What are alternatives to a stair runner?
In our historic beach home, we didn’t want to install a permanent stair runner. We used two alternate solutions to help our dog not slip on the stairs. On our front steps, we used non-slip sisal treads held in place with carpet tape. On our back stairs, we used clear non-slip treads for a nearly invisible look.
*This post contains affiliate links, so we may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links on our site at no additional cost to you.
Katherine says
As I write this note you have had 502 comments – it’s easy to see why. This looks AMAZING. Wow!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw, thanks Katherine!
xo
s
Georgia says
FAB-U-LOUS!!!
Karen says
Looks AWESOME!
Allison C says
It’s beautiful! A job well done guys. I’m saving this post for our stairwell!
Sandra T says
Okay, gotta be honest with you…I love the look without the runner. And I think the newel posts and railing would look better if they matched the stairs. I know your reasoning (I promise, I read the whole post and quite a few comments), but the white risers/stained steps is such a CLASSIC look…the rug is just too “in your face” for me! Btw, how’s about a whole house tour? I’m forgetting what you guys have done, and I know it’s been lots! Come on, Sherry, give us a tour! :)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, I owe you guys a house tour video like crazy! We’re in the middle of so many things (half-peeled wallpaper in the dining room, cabinets down in the kitchen) but it looks like I just need to pull the plug and walk around with a camera even with things halfway-done! Hope to post that next week or so for you guys. Just have to wait for a nice sunny day!
xo
s
Katie says
We love the crazy!! Show us the crazy!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, thanks Katie!
xo
s
Patty Lucas says
My husband and I painted our living room – sort of a pumpkin color. Really big jump for us. The room was white, then beige now pumpkin. I love it. Also put up crown molding and new wood trim around the fireplace tiles. Not bad for two old souls. Now I’m thinking we need a runner down the stairs, yours looks beautiful.
YoungHouseLove says
Love it! Sounds like you’ve been busy!
xo
s
Shannon says
Holy Wow! I’m dying over here, guys! What an amazing project. I’m feeling really inspired to get a runner on my stairs now. We’ve only lived here for 3 months, but I’ve fallen down the stairs once and so have 2 of my 3 kids. A stylish runner might be just what the doctor ordered.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Shannon!
xo
s
HeatherB says
It looks so awesome, you guys! And staining the railing darker really works. One of the things that overwhelms me sometimes is trying to decide the small details: do I paint the risers or leave plain? spindles stained, painted white or another color? Rail painted or stained? What about the newel post? I am not sure I would have thought to paint the post white and stain the rail darker than the floor…would never have occurred to me…but it was totally the right decision. Which is why your projects turn out “WOW!” and mine turn out “Oh, that’s nice”. It is all in the details, and you guys are awesome with those. Hoping to learn to think more and more outside of the box by keeping up with you!
Oh, and PS-as someone who fell down a wooden staircase much like yours literally minutes before you posted this yesterday: Good call on adding a runner for safety!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks so much HeatherB! This was one of those projects that had a lot of decisions to be made, like you mention. So since everything wasn’t cut and dry, we tried to do things slowly in steps (instead of painting all the trim and posts and risers at once, we did them slowly to make sure we liked each step before going further and painting more). I also think the key is checking out a ton of inspiration images and just seeing what you love best! There were so many stairways with dark newel posts and so many others with white ones so it really was comforting to look at them both and just say “both are being done and look great, so we just have to pick the one we like best” – it makes it feel less like there’s a right and a wrong decision, and more like you’re just choosing which one of two common options you like best :)
xo
s
sarah m. dorsey designs says
LOVE this! Pinning for sure. Thanks for the detailed tutorial!!
SassafrasNA says
That dining room may be winking, but Blue City has officially left the foyer!!!! HOOOPPP HOOOOPPP HOOOORRRRRAHHHHHHHH!!!! It looks absolutely marvelous.
YoungHouseLove says
Hooootie hoo!
xo
s
Sara says
I would love to take our carpeted stairs and do something like this. We only have baseboards underneath so we’d have to install hardwood or something on top (though I’m tempted to just paint the stairs and put a runner up as a temporary solution…)
Kelley says
This couldn’t come at a better time!! Our new house has a staircase similar to yours post-makeover (painted risers, wood steps, etc), and it has carpet runner already installed. Downside? It’s a dark-blue-floral-not-my-style runner. And it also shows every bit of dog hair (we have a cream colored dog that sheds like CRAZY), lint, etc. I hate it and want to replace it–and this tutorial has me thinking that it won’t be that hard after all! Thank you for sharing!
Callie says
I’m not a frequent commenter (but daily reader), but I have to come out of my normal commenting-muteness to say that this may be my favorite weekend project of yalls to date. It makes me want stairs. This looks really fantastic.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Callie!
xo
s
Steph @ SeeStephRun.com says
I am sorry if I missed it but where did you get that runner from?!
My husband and I have been staring at these photos since yesterday! We are moving in to a new home in a couple of weeks and will be tearing out some UGLY carpet (thick plush red carpet with green leaves)on the stairs and top level, putting down hardwood and adding a runner to the stairs. We LOVE how the vertical lines carry the eye up! GORGEOUS!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Steph! There’s a link in the budget breakdown in the rug line item about where we got it for ya!
xo
s
Steph @ SeeStephRun.com says
Thus proving that I am totally blind. SORRY! :-P
YoungHouseLove says
No worries!
xo
s
Allen says
Hey John, how much fun was it to write when the kiddos are older? Plural!!!
YoungHouseLove says
Pretty fun. And a little scary.
-John
Sara says
Great job! I’ve been working on my stairs too. I love this stripes! How can I work stairs that have two corners? as in, the stairs turn right, and then right again when going down. Look forward to hearing some ideas!
YoungHouseLove says
There have been some great ideas in the comments here for folks with turns in their stairs! Someone posted a link to a photo where the runners just went down the stairs and stopped on the landings that looked great! And I’ve also seen a runner get a mitered corner on those turns (picture it being cut on the diagonal, so the stripes are rejoined at the seam and appear to make a 90 degree turn with the landing and then follow right down the stairs).
xo
s
Jen V says
I love this so much it hurts to look at it! :) I need this on my steps…like yesterday!
Katy Simms says
I think that you have inspired me to paint my risers white when I tackle the trim/baseboards. I’m not doing a runner but I love the look of the white risers! Very classy. Great job, guys!
Shannon [Our Home Notebook] says
The runner looks amazing on your stairs! I love the light and dark contrast and the stripes seem so classic to me. Love, love, love it!
Jen B. says
Oh dear. This post has me seriously considering pulling up yucky dirty beige stair carpet (has seen two kiddies through messy baby/toddler years, it’s showing battle scars) for an impulse stair makeover. Our staircase curves at the top so I think I need to hunt down a plain runner to keep things simple. Hmmm. Thanks for the inspiration!
Felishia Burchard says
So inspired now!!! I was wondering what to do with our stairs but we have quadruplets, so wondering if that type of rug would hold up against their abuse!!! Another thing, underneath our carpet on the stairs is particle board, not real wood. Ideas???
YoungHouseLove says
I would check Pinterest! There are some awesome stair makeovers where people paint them without then being real wood and add a runner and they look great!
xo
s
Stephanie says
This looks magazine worthy! This is one of your best projects to date! Incredible transformation, looks amazing!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks so much Stephanie!
xo
s
Julie says
This looks great! We have a D+A rug that was left on the stairs when we moved into our home earlier this year. We have no idea how old it is or what care the previous homeowners took, but it still looks great to us. We saw the rug in a store recently and the colors (it’s bright green and white) were considerably brighter in the never walked on rug, but that is to be expected!
The only problem we are having is that there are a few areas where the rug is beginning to fray where it seems like the previous person who installed it cut the rug for whatever reason. I know on the bottom of the stairs, you folded the rug under to prevent this. Did you also do this on the step where you met the two rugs together? Do you have any thoughts or advice on this?
Looks awesome- thank you for sharing your home with us!
YoungHouseLove says
So awesome to hear that it’s holding up so well! My guess would be that not rolling and overlapping the rugs might cause fraying later (we rolled the bottom one and overlapped things where the two meet in the middle so nothing is lose or free to fray if that makes sense).
xo
s
Katie says
This looks amazing – great job! I have been waiting for this post so I can finish my stairs (I like to see how you complete a project of this scale before I tackle myself). I was dreading stripping my railing, sanding then staining – I’m LOVE the idea of a stain/poly in one that goes over the current stain. Now I KNOW I can finish this before Thanksgiving when we have a house full of people over!
Thanks for the always inspiring and easy-to-recreate posts!
Katie
Liz says
So does this mean that the Foyer Listy McListerson is D-O-N-E??
YoungHouseLove says
I wish! We still have floor stuff to do and some other loose ends (and we might hang art on the steps) but it’s certainly closer than any other room here!
xo
s
Ashley B. says
I am so excited about the reveal! :) We rent, so I get my staining/updating “fix” through reading your blog! I’m also impressed and so excited with all of the new things you’ve done with this house! This seemed like a very involved project and I was wondering what Clara does while you guys work? I have a two and a half little girl myself and whenever I try to do any project, she’s always there to try and “help” me!
YoungHouseLove says
I know what you mean! She’s our little shadow. Usually we switch off on things, so if John’s priming I might take Clara for a walk or to the park or we’ll play in her room and then when she’s napping I’ll get in another coat of paint or something. We usually do the majority of our projects when she’s napping or sleeping, although for things we can do in one or two hour intervals, one of us just tries to keep her busy while the other one scurries around getting as much done as they can!
xo
s
Ash says
The stairs look great! I’m eyeing that same light fixture in your foyer for a place or two (or even three…) in my house… I hate that it came with 90% “boob lights!”
As for my weekend show & tell, which I don’t normally do, I know you’re a girl with an eye for a bargain Sherry, so I just KNOW you’ll appreciate that I went to Jo-Ann Fabrics and thanks to returning one item, and a coupon, I got over 2 yards of fabric for only (pause for dramatic effect…) $1.17, including 9.5% sales tax! Such a low expenditure has never occured in the history of Jo-Ann’s, I’m sure of it ;)
YoungHouseLove says
That’s amazing!! Such a steal!
xo
s
Kelly says
I love the runner project! I have wanted to replace ours and you make it look fairly easy. One question — how did you measure to know how many feet of runner you needed? Did I miss that in the post somewhere or an earlier one?
Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
I literally just measured every stair and riser and added it all up (I did it three times to be sure). Just in case one stair was slightly deeper or a riser was slightly higher, I just wanted to have the exact measurement.
xo
s
Ali says
Looks fantastic! We were thinking about doing this in the split foyer of our new house to give some punch to the stairs since they’re the first thing you see when you come in! Great tutorial. And I love any excuse to (safely :)) use my staple gun! Haha.
Emily @ Life on Food says
I love the new look. Makes me want to put a runner on our wood stairs. Nice call on the white rails. Really brightens up the stairs.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Emily!
xo
s
April says
Did you consider painting the bottom rail to match the spindles? Just curious. It looks like it blends in with the trim in the side picture. I am just wondering if you considered not doing white there? Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes, if you check out the picture and the paragraph above the budget breakdown we tried to explain our thinking on that. We went back and forth a few times, but thought this way would look the most balanced.
xo
s
Libby Boyle says
Love the runner on the stairs. The stripes look fantastic. I have similar stairs in my home but unfortunately, I won’t be returning to it for about three years. I would love my stairs to look like this. Great job!
Cris says
Dear John and Sherry,
I am from the Philippines. I am from Northern Cebu, a neighboring province of the places that have been destroyed by Haiyan. I have been reading your blog for close to three years now. Thank you for including in this post a link that encourages people to donate to the typhoon-devastated areas in my country. Every little bit helps.
Warm regards,
Cris
YoungHouseLove says
Oh Cris, I’m so sorry for what’s going on! I can’t even imagine. You’re in our thoughts!
xo
s
sarah @makingitmyhome.blogspot.com says
any tips for installing a stair runner on a curved staircase?
YoungHouseLove says
A few folks have asked but I’m not sure how you could do that other than doing each step separately (and maybe not using a pattern so it’s less hard to line up). Anyone have tips for Sarah?
xo
s
Marie says
We installed a D&A striped runner over a year and a half ago. One complaint I do have is that it does stretch with time. It is not horrible but it will shift on the steps. The stretch is especially noticeable down the hall. There was old carpet there before so it had to get covered. My second complaint is that I am paranoid about stuff spilling, puking, getting blood on it. Mainly a problem on the stretch going down the hall once again. Overall I have been happy with it and I hope you love yours as well.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for the tips Marie!
xo
s
Cynthia L says
ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC. Couldn’t have been better. Love it, love it, love it.
Claire says
I love the stairs. You’ve inspired me to try this on our stairs! However, how would you handle adding a runner to stairs with a right angle? We have two stairs, a small landing, and then the rest of the stairs to the left.
YoungHouseLove says
I’ve seen photos with a runner just on the stairs with a bare landing or with the rug cut on a 45% angle to create sort of a mitered edge (so the stripes turn with the stairs and then run down the next set). Hope it helps!
xo
s
Claire says
I love the stairs! How would you tackle a runner on stairs with a right angle? We have two stairs, a small landing, and then the rest of our stairs to the left.
Nikki says
LOVE that before and after comparison! Amazing what a difference it makes!
Unrelated: do you recall where you got that white garden stool below the console table? I’ve been looking for one just like it, but can’t find anything less than $100 bones!
YoungHouseLove says
HomeGoods! They’re so cheap there I can’t resist them. Wait for sales, but I have found them for $29 and $39 and seen identical ones in catalogs for $120+
xo
s
Marcelo Souza says
Hey Guys!
Here in Brazil we would stop the process at Saturday, November 9th – AFTERNOON.
I´m not saying that I don´t like the carpet, But here it´s SO unusual, that we barely think about that.
Hugs!
YoungHouseLove says
So interesting! I love learning things like that!
xo
s
Margaret says
Thank you SO much for this post. My husband and I have been stumped by our slippery dark laminate stairs since we bought our house in May. The pets and I are constantly slipping. Never thought I could tackle a project like this on my own but now I may have to try…any ideas for odd shaped landings? Would they just require some precise measuring and knife skills?
Margaret
YoungHouseLove says
Hmm, anyone have landing ideas for Margaret? I’ve seen people miter the corner (cut the rug in a triangle, and then turn it so the stripes make a 90 degree turn) or just do the stairs and leave the runners bare. Good luck!
xo
s
Jamie Kronman says
We painted our risers and balusters white a few months ago and it made a HUGE difference. I wanted a runner but my husband firmly did not. Our youngest is almost 3 so hopefully we won’t have any major falls! Fingers crossed. Your stairs look beautiful!
Michelle says
It looks awesome!! We recently redid our stairs by pulling up carpet and replacing the crap particle board under it with hardwoord. We are most the way there but now you’ve got me thinking about staining our stairs. Can you do that if they have been finished or do you have to sand and then apply stain? Or are there other tricks? Sorry if you have already answered this question. :)
Thanks, Michelle
YoungHouseLove says
I think it depends how sealed/glossy they are and what they’re sealed with (wax? poly? etc). I would google around to see what you can do to test if it’s wax or poly and then read the cans of stain to see which ones would work on that type of floor, and what sort of prep they recommend. Good luck!
xo
s
Phoebe Hogeland says
Hi guys!
Wow, that looks great, I’m going to try it! I notice in your foyer picture that you have a built in in the next room just like the one in my dining room (I get the feeling that we don’t live too far from you, we live in Stratford Hills, oh and coincidentally have a daughter named Clara – our others are Eliza and Reid, if you need some name ideas, lol). The top of my built in looks terrible with my more mid-century modern décor – and I would love to somehow change it :~). Our house is a mid-60s split level. I have considered everything from just cutting off the top and putting a straight piece of molding up there, to putting one of those paper mache deer heads on it, lol. Does yours go with the style of that room of your house or do you plan to amend it somehow?
Thanks! Great ideas, love your website!
XOXO
Phoebe
YoungHouseLove says
So funny! Love your other kiddo names! And as for those built-ins I’ve seen some on Pinterest that are built all the way to the ceiling or that have just a flat piece of crown molding on the top, and they both look great, so those are our plans as we go in there!
xo
s
Phoebe Hogeland says
I love the idea of going all the way up to the ceiling. I will let you know if I somehow get it done before you do! Otherwise I can’t wait for your instructions! :~)
YoungHouseLove says
Good luck!
xo
s
Rhoda @ Southern Hospitality says
Great job, you guys!! Love how your runner turned out. And thanks for the shout out!
YoungHouseLove says
Of course!
xo
s
betts says
I would love to ebonize my railings like you did, but where the spindles meet the stairs looks like this : http://www.google.ca/imgres?q=stairs+painted+risers&sa=X&biw=1152&bih=533&tbm=isch&tbnid=5JbIak_XIwVBLM:&imgrefurl=http://www.stair-treads.com/common-stair-treads-and-risers/white-risers.html&docid=9JD0a0OOjifMUM&imgurl=http://www.stair-treads.com/images/white-risers.jpg&w=233&h=350&ei=qgDDUajeLcf84AO3ooHgCA&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=234&page=1&tbnh=139&tbnw=96&start=0&ndsp=23&ved=1t:429,r:8,s:0,i:103&tx=51&ty=72
Instead of meeting the stairs like yours. Would you paint that white or would you ebonize it? I would probably paint the end post white too, to make it not too heavy on the right side with one railing on the left (looking up)
betts says
Mine is currently the same color as those treads. My end post also meets the floor, unlike the picture.
YoungHouseLove says
The ebonizing idea sounds lovely! I say go for it!
xo
s
Jenelle says
So nice! Love the runner and painted white backs! We recently redid our stairs too, unfortunately there wasn’t nice wood risers under the carpet. Very poor quality and in very rough condition. I didn’t want edge to edge carpet back on and there was no room in the budget to replace the risers. SO we painted the whole staircase white and installed a (well, 3 to make 1) charcoal grey semi shag runner. Not sure if it will hold up to traffic since i used a combo or carpet tape and staples.(where was your post when I needed it!?!) lol. Oh well its a BIG improvement and looks good for now AND was in our budget, Total spent $125… maybe it’s our phase 1.
YoungHouseLove says
Sounds awesome!
xo
s
Katie says
Can you vacuum the runner like any other rug? It looks great!!
YoungHouseLove says
Yup, so far I just ran the vacuum over each step like we did with the last runner. Seems to work!
xo
s
Marie W says
John & Sherry,
Well, your stair rails inspired me to paint/stain ours. We did this over the past weekend and let me just tell you that you make it look WAY EASIER than it really is. It wasn’t difficult, but we learned a lot along the way. Lesson one – the stain drips. Lesson two – to remove stain from carpet – WD40 takes it right out. Lesson three – to remove stain from painted walls – Fingernail polish remove does the trick!! Thanks for inspiring me. Feel free to check out my befores and afters at http://instagram.com/mariewhite617
Thanks again. Love your blog and work and inspiration!!
Marie W
YoungHouseLove says
Love the tips Marie! Thanks so much for sharing! The afters look amazing!
xo
s
Jennifer says
Love it! I am actually thinking of replicating it. where did you get the moravian star pendent?
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Jennifer! That’s from a local lighting shop here called The Decorating Outlet, but we’ve seen them on ebay and Joss & Main too!
xo
s