I hate stairs, do you?

[highup]

I'm all my years, I've never done a set of curved stairs in a runner fashion.
I'm measuring a job 60 miles from town tomorrow in a "lake home"
It's the upstairs bedrooms, a "sitting area" at the top of the stairway and these stairs.
I recall doing a couple of wall to wall curved steps in the early 90's and I cut each step individually.
I'm assuming these get done one at a time also.
What happens to the carpet angle as it folds over the nose? The riser would end up at an angle instead of perpendicular to the tread.
.....or starting at the bottom, the tread would go wonky.
The left side will be longer than the right side, correct?
I'm just measuring, but I have a feeling this is going to get pinned as a "Randy Job"
What's the procedure on these? Do the risers separately?
...or can one just cut a small pie out of each riser/tread joint to riser joint to maintain an even space on each side of the stairs?
The large radius of this stairway will probably help me a little?
The new carpet is also a cut pile, but it won't be white. The carpet is almost new, but the new owners aren't into the white and sterile look so it's going away.
Got any good news for a novice installer?

 

[DarisMulkin]

Got any good news for a novice installer?

Pattern scribe always worked for me, do each step individually, and if doing contour style, squeeze clamps are a great help keeping everything in place.

 

[Floorist]

Stairs were always my favorite part of a job. Loved the challenge.

 

[highup]

Got any good news for a novice installer?

Pattern scribe always worked for me, do each step individually, and if doing contour style, squeeze clamps are a great help keeping everything in place.

So, fit each of the approximately 18 stairs, then send them out for binding, and then go back and install them?
Do you cut each step an inch or two, too long to account for pad and do the final trim as you go?

 

[highup]

Stairs were always my favorite part of a job. Loved the challenge.

The shop I worked out of always sold 500 oz carpet..... that's why I never liked them. Double strip, then heat each step one at a time with a hair dryer so they could be stretched and tucked. Nope, I just never liked em.

 

[DarisMulkin]

heat each step one at a time with a hair dryer so they could be stretched and tucked.

hair dryer is your best friend on ALL carpet installations.

 

[MSLI]

Those type of steps intimidate me to every time

That set of curved steps can receive a predetermined width, bound ahead of time and installed top down. I would do 3ea. Sets of 4 steps, installing tackless on treads and just have at it, starting at top tread. Do a separate top riser at the end.
Step #1 : fasten onto tkls. Crain stair stretcher to nose, staple under nose. Crease into crotch/ put in a few staples, then cut from outside to inside (spindles)
BUT STOP the cut 1” from the binding.

Step # 2 : Shift the cut edge up towards step # 1 until you find the wood margin balancing point for tread #2

Rinse and repeat step # 1 until done then come back and back cut / tuck the extra cpt. into the risers.

PS > I always reviewed my go to method with the customer at time of measure and then showed them Other options, like Daris said ( scribing the inside and outside curves, doing individual steps) and price out those options separately.

Note: you may want to fabricate a pie shaped board for the Crain stretcher, but in may not be necessary .

Have fun and you are more than qualified!

 

[highup]

hair dryer is your best friend on ALL carpet installations.

Hair dryer absolutely a friend, especially on wide steps so you can get side stretch. I've done that a lot.

 

[highup]

Those type of steps intimidate me to every time

That set of curved steps can receive a predetermined width, bound ahead of time and installed top down. I would do 3ea. Sets of 4 steps, installing tackless on treads and just have at it, starting at top tread. Do a separate top riser at the end.
Step #1 : fasten onto tkls. Crain stair stretcher to nose, staple under nose. Crease into crotch/ put in a few staples, then cut from outside to inside (spindles)
BUT STOP the cut 1” from the binding.

Step # 2 : Shift the cut edge up towards step # 1 until you find the wood margin balancing point for tread #2

Rinse and repeat step # 1 until done then come back and back cut / tuck the extra cpt. into the risers.

PS > I always reviewed my go to method with the customer at time of measure and then showed them Other options, like Daris said ( scribing the inside and outside curves, doing individual steps) and price out those options separately.

Note: you may want to fabricate a pie shaped board for the Crain stretcher, but in may not be necessary .

Have fun and you are more than qualified!

Patterning a few steps at a time was actually on my mind. Not having done anything like this, I don't think I'd want to do more than 3 per set, but the last run would be 4.
Oooh, a pie shaped gizmo for the stretcher
My brain hadn't moved that far forward.
Before I cut the excess off of a step, I've locked the binding with super glue. I lay a bead on the binding's thread both front and back for about 1/2" above and below my estimated cut.
It soaks in and doesn't take long to dry. Maybe 30 seconds to a minute. After the cut, a drop can be put on the end of each side. It dries hard, but it's clear.
Good news. It's not a runner. The oak edges are separate, they were added on top of the treads after the fact. The may still be a bit of a pain, but the edges are tackstriped, so they'll get tucked in like a wall.

 

[MSLI]

Good news. It's not a runner. The oak edges are separate, they were added on top of the treads after the fact. The may still be a bit of a pain, but the edges are tackstriped, so they'll get tucked in like a wall.

Wow that’s pretty funky, can’t say I’ve ever seen that before….. Nice job with the super glueing of the bound edges. Nothing worse than loose looking edges, I like using my glue gun for that same effect / purpose.

 

[Darren Ramey]

I've done a bunch of curved sets. Even a couple with borders. Some sets are consistent and you can patern one out and make them all the same. Some however, every step is different and you have to pattern them all. These steps shouldn't that bad, you can pull the old ones off and use those for patterns. Curved steps aren't that hard, you just have to treat every step like a pie. Sometimes you can cut the treads straight and kick some curve in to them as you are putting them on, but that depends on how flexable the carpet is.

I have a set coming up at the beach about 4 hours from here. Just 5 are curved on one side at the bottom. It's going to take 2 trips, so I am charging them out the wazoo.

 

[highup]

Wow that’s pretty funky, can’t say I’ve ever seen that before….. Nice job with the super glueing of the bound edges. Nothing worse than loose looking edges, I like using my glue gun for that same effect / purpose.

You've probably worked in a lot of older homes.
I've seen quite a few of these over the years. Probably cheaper than full oak treads and risers, but I'm wondering if this cost savings means higher cost in labor to install treads this way.

 

[highup]

I doubt I'll be installing these since it isn't a runner. They may have made a plywood or particle board pattern to space the oak. If so, a pattern might work when cutting each step.
I did discover the customer is looking at some patterned carpets. . Not woven, just patterned. That would mean the new carpet would be thinner than this Saxony plush.
Height could become an issue, so possibly adding 1/8 or more to each tread.
Before ordering, we'll need to figure that out.

 

[MSLI]

I did discover the customer is looking at some patterned carpets. . Not woven, just patterned. That would mean the new carpet would be thinner than this Saxony plush.
Height could become an issue, so possibly adding 1/8 or more to each tread.
Before ordering, we'll need to figure that out.

I would be tempted to remove one step, and figure out a way to even up the tread using thick felt padding, right up to the oak sides and then perhaps install a runner overlapping the oak by 1” ( waterfall method )

 

[Csason]

Worst staircase I ever did was imported from Italy it was before camera phones and real installers didn’t take photos lol. They were wrought iron . They had to put them in and build around them .
They were in a neighborhood with helicopter pads near homes and this particular house (new construction) had an “observatory “ on the third floor.
It was being built by a 24 old who never knew his father or that the father was filthy rich. He died and left this kid 24 million .
The stairs were circular you could walk all under them as you entered the foyer 30x30 feet, so I had to use a telephone repairman’s “ladder swing” basically a harness to attach under the stairs to sit on while I made the seams underneath, each stair was a complete wrap around, with the seams visible underneath. The ladder swing made a seat so the installer could sit and work . It took me a week and a half after padded to install.

 

[highup]

There's probably a half inch difference in height from the carpeted tread to the oak. If I was doing it, I'd be tempted to remove the tackstrip on the sides and try turning the edge under, which might get the edge thickness about right.
I've done runners before turning the edge under. You do one run at a time and use hot glue to fold the edges under, then install it.
I would have folded a stair back and investigated more had I known they were thinking of a lower profile patterned carpet.
I was told it was something similar to what's there now.

 

[highup]

Worst staircase I ever did was imported from Italy it was before camera phones and real installers didn’t take photos lol. They were wrought iron . They had to put them in and build around them .
They were in a neighborhood with helicopter pads near homes and this particular house (new construction) had an “observatory “ on the third floor.
It was being built by a 24 old who never knew his father or that the father was filthy rich. He died and left this kid 24 million .
The stairs were circular you could walk all under them as you entered the foyer 30x30 feet, so I had to use a telephone repairman’s “ladder swing” basically a harness to attach under the stairs to sit on while I made the seams underneath, each stair was a complete wrap around, with the seams visible underneath. The ladder swing made a seat so the installer could sit and work . It took me a week and a half after padded to install.

....so you're saying he had 23 million after you left?
I probably would have walked or passed on that one.

 

[MSLI]

There's probably a half inch difference in height from the carpeted tread to the oak. If I was doing it, I'd be tempted to remove the tackstrip on the sides and try turning the edge under, which might get the edge thickness about right.
I've done runners before turning the edge under. You do one run at a time and use hot glue to fold the edges under, then install it.
I would have folded a stair back and investigated more had I known they were thinking of a lower profile patterned carpet.
I was told it was something similar to what's there now.

That’s a great idea but maybe leave the tkls because the turned under cpt. Will probably be shy of the half inch….. Schedule it for 3.50 days and have supplies + portable binder on hand, then dry fit the top and decide.

 

[havasu]

With bad knees, just walking up stairs suck!

 

[highup]

That’s a great idea but maybe leave the tkls because the turned under cpt. Will probably be shy of the half inch….. Schedule it for 3.50 days and have supplies + portable binder on hand, then dry fit the top and decide.

Tell the guy that's installing it.
Nobody this side of the Rockies has a portable binder anyway.