Unsatisfied with carpet install on stairs

[Justs]

Hello all, I am new to this forum and seeking some advice (validation or reality check.)

I am a fairly adept DIYer but no experience installing carpet. We just had all of the floors in our home replaced which included carpet, hardwood, and LVP. We paid a small fortune and now that the job is "complete" I have about 30 days to review the work before final payment. I am a bit OCD and would like some advice as to whether my expectations and dissatisfaction with portions of the carpet install are realistic or unrealistic.

The overall install is acceptable but the stairs to my basement look terrible to me. The installer blames this on the (1995) drywall being cut poorly and lack of nosing and skirt boards. Here are some images of the final product. Can anyone with experience tell me if this is what a final stair carpet install should look like? Gaps at edges, not wrapped or turned under, wall scratches, etc. Am I expecting too much? If not, what could be the solution for the wall gaps and slack edges?

 

[Floorist]

That is cheap carpet. With good carpet and decent pad, the edges could have been turned under. Still that is not a very good installation job either.

 

[Nick]

Doesn't look like he put tack strip on the steps either

 

[Justs]

That is cheap carpet. With good carpet and decent pad, the edges could have been turned under. Still that is not a very good installation job either.

Thank you @Floorist for the reply. It was lower end carpet for that stair as it leads to the basement and not an area we wanted to devote any significant $. In your opinion is that a job that needs to be redone entirely or is there something that can save it?

View attachment 8216 Doesn't look like he put tack strip on the steps either

You are correct @Nick I just checked and verified there is no tack on the sides. Safe to assume this should have been a standard inclusion?

 

[Floorist]

It needs tack strip. Should have been done. With strip, he might be able to get it to stretch out to cover the edges. Probably tear up the carpet pulling it, if he stapled it on.

 

[Justs]

It needs tack strip. Should have been done. With strip, he might be able to get it to stretch out to cover the edges. Probably tear up the carpet pulling it, if he stapled it on.

Thanks. I see you are in MO. Have any recommendations for an installer in KC?

 

[Floorist]

Thanks. I see you are in MO. Have any recommendations for an installer in KC?

No sorry, I haven't lived in KC since 1992. Went back home to southern Mo.

 

[Nick]

If he cut it a little full, That cpt would grin when he tucked it ..

 

[Don Monfils]

It looks like the installer centered the pattern.
The sheet rock does look like it was poorly fitted. Tackstrip on the sides of the steps would have helped, or the carpet could have been turned ( folded over) to make it look better.
That takes extra time and effort.
It looks like there is 7 steps. I would guess the installer made less than $30 for the stair installation. Given the low profile of the carpet and the crummy sheet rock I think it’s a fair job.

Stairs should have a wooden stringer on the sides of the wall.
Like this

 

[Floorist]

It looks like the installer centered the pattern.
The sheet rock does look like it was poorly fitted. Tackstrip on the sides of the steps would have helped, or the carpet could have been turned ( folded over) to make it look better.
That takes extra time and effort.
It looks like there is 7 steps. I would guess the installer made less than $30 for the stair installation. Given the low profile of the carpet and the crummy sheet rock I think it’s a fair job.

Stairs should have a wooden stringer on the sides of the wall.
Like thisView attachment 8217

With the thin pad stores normally sell with that stuff, folded over on the edge would have made a hump.

 

[Nick]

That stuff would Grin..

 

[DarisMulkin]

There may not b e tackless at the side of the stairs which I have only done maybe a half dozen times over 53 years because of crookedness, Not a firm believer in that way, chances are the padding would be thicker than the 1/4 " tackless. Granted no tackless in the gully is not there. But the biggest problem is more with the builder because there are no skirting boards to cover the shortness of the drywall. When steps are built usually there is a approximately a 3/4" gape for the skirting board to slide down into to cover all this shortage of drywall. I see Don snuck in ahead of me and has a picture. When I do stairs I cut to the widest point and trim it down as I work . The other alternative would be turn an inch under at the sides of each step. Not knowing how wide the steps are this could have cost you much more in yardage if it was over 3 ft. or 4 feet. If you look where the carpet is touching the nose of the step and at the back of the step but not in the middle chances are the re are not studs and the drywall is bowing slightly. The carpet is cut on a row which is almost a must in loop pile carpet, otherwise it will fray or the yarn will fuzz. So all in all the job could have be a little better, I'm not going to hang the installer but most all the problem lies to me is in the skirting boards if they were there you wouldn't have to much to complain about. To me it makes no difference if it is as someone said cheap carpet or million dollar yard carpet the job should be the same-pristine. I saw this on another site and I came up with the same conclusion then as now but somebody beat me to the punch.

 

[Ernesto]

The sheetrock job is severly lacking. Skirt boards would help immensely.
We see that all the time out here in the west.
Could have been tucked better on the riser/tread.
On my phone i cant tell if he used strip in the sides but it looks clean besides the crap sheetrock job.

 

[Floorist]

Looks like he stapled the carpet to the stairs. The stores around here use 3/8 pad under that thin commercial stuff. If you roll it under on the edges, you have a hump. I see a lot of them without skirting. We put tack strip up the sides and tuck it in.

 

[highup]

I'm with Don on this. If the walls were perfectly parallel and perfectly straight on both sides a better job could have been done. The sheet rock gaps aren't the installers fault so he did what he did. Tackstrip on the sides of the tread would have helped to reduce those side gaps.
If I see a problem like that, I bring it to the home owners attention to get their OK or their not OK.
If the sheetrock went all the way to the tread and the risers, (no gaps) turning the edges and tacking might have been the only option with that type of carpeting, especially if the walls are not flawlessly straight.
Turning and tacking the edges would have been very expensive if I was doing it.
Not a flawless job, but also not a flawless stairway. I'd give it a pass and live with it.

 

[highup]

Looks like he stapled the carpet to the stairs. The stores around here use 3/8 pad under that thin commercial stuff. If you roll it under on the edges, you have a hump. I see a lot of them without skirting. We put tack strip up the sides and tuck it in.

I've cut the carpet 2" too wide then creased the carpet on both sides using a straight edge and a stair tool. Place the straightedge 1 inch from the edge, then rub hard with the stair tool. That weakens the backing in a straight line. Do that on both sides. Now ford the edges over as hard as possible, even pounding with a rubber hammer. Once that fold is made, open it up and squirt some hot glue in the fold, then fold it shut again using a weight to follow the process as you continue down that edge. You could do that crease procedure I mentioned, then use a little contact cement instead of the hot glue, You better be good with your measurements when making the fold or you gonna be buying some carpet.
That creasing system works if you are turning and tacking, but don't do the gluing. The pre-creasing before you start installing makes the edge folding process much easier.