Install a Stair Runner For A Revitalized and Safer Staircase

Prep the stairs

Since the wood has been unfinished for over a year, the stairs were looking pretty grimy from the daily foot traffic. There were scuffs, spots and drips, so I sanded each stair tread with 120-grit sandpaper to get back down to raw wood. This also opens up the wood fibers so that the oil finish can easily penetrate the surface.

After about 30 minutes of sanding, the wood looks clean and brand-new again!

Pro Tip: How to Fill Nail Holes

Nail holes need to be filled, but wood filler doesn’t usually take stain or finish very well and you end up with ugly splotches of wood filler that doesn’t match the rest of the wood tones. Here’s a little trick I learned from my contractor friend, Josh, that minimizes the discrepancy between the wood filler and the natural wood tones.

Apply a base layer of stain, finish or whatever you’re working with first, let it dry, and then apply the wood filler after. I also try to wipe away any excess and surrounding wood filler with a damp rag to get as much of the wood filler off the wood as possible. This way, I’m decreasing the area that the wood filler is in contact with the wood so the difference between the filler and wood tones is a lot less noticeable.

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Finish hardwoods

I used Rubio Monocoat to finish the stairs – it’s a two-part oil finish that was originally created for hardwood flooring, so it’s super durable and the application couldn’t be easier. Simply mix the two parts (oil and accelerator) at a 3:1 ratio, spread it on, allow it to penetrate and bond to the wood fibers for a few minutes, then wipe off the excess with a soft cloth. Super-easy and it smells good, too!

I allowed the finish to dry overnight, then I went back and touched up the risers with white paint, paying more attention to the outer edges since the majority of the stairs would be covered by the rug.

Cut and install rug pad

Now that the necessary prep work is done, it’s time to move onto the fun part – installing the rug!

First, I had to figure out where to position the runner so that it’s centered on the stairs. One way to do this is to measure the width of the stair tread, measure the runner and then do all the necessary math. Because I try to do as little math as possible, I found an easier way. I scooted the runner all the way up to one side of the stair tread, then measured the other side, where the tread wasn’t covered by the rug. Then I took this measurement and split the difference. I used painter’s tape to mark those measurements so my runner will stay straight and centered on the stairs.

Next, we used scissors to cut the rug pad down to size and stapled one to each tread. I used this Arrow Fastener pneumatic staple gun with 1/2-inch staples. I love how small and lightweight this tool is, yet doesn’t skimp on power and reliability.

Depending on the rug you choose, you may not need a rug pad, but I’m glad we added it because the stairs will feel extra cushy on our feet. Also, rug pads aren’t typically expensive and it takes minimal effort to install, so I’d recommend not skipping this step.

Install rug runner

I started from the top of the stairs and worked my way down, stapling the runner just under each stair nose and at the joint where the riser meets the tread. I spaced the staples about 2-3 inches apart.

You can also do a waterfall edge, where you don’t wrap the rug under the stair nose, but I prefer a more tailored, tucked-in look. I used a painter’s 5-in-1 tool to tuck the rug into the crease for the tightest fit.

I also colored the staples with a black Sharpie so that they’re less noticeable on the rug. Then I just continued down the stairs until the rug ended.

Pro Tip: How to join separate runners

I used a total of three runners on the entire staircase and because the rug pattern has a border. I had to cut it in certain places so that the pattern was continuous.

To do that, I used scissors to cut the rug just under the stair nose and then cut off the top of the border of the second rug and stapled it right where the first rug ended. I would have preferred to cut the rug at the bottom of the riser, since the stair rods would cover the seam, but I wouldn’t have had enough rug had I done it that way.

The seam where the rugs meet is barely noticeable – you have to really search to see it. I continued stapling the runner to the stairs until the second rug ended.

Install the last runner

For the third runner, I started from the bottom and worked my way up to the second rug. The reason I did this was because I wanted the border to end at the bottom of the staircase. This way, the rug looks like one long, continuous rug and the border pattern is complete and intentional. There’s also a professionally finished seam which will be great to end on.

Just be sure to double- and triple-check your measurements because you want the rugs to line up exactly with the previous one. For this reason, I only put in three staples at first just in case I had to pull the rug back up because I somehow veered off-course. Fortunately, everything lined up according to plan and so I went back and added the rest of the staples.

Install the stair rods and finials

As a finishing touch, I added brass stair rods. They’re purely decorative and a bit pricey I admit, but I think they add an extra level of elegance to the staircase. I used a pipe cutter to cut the brass tubing to length and screwed the hardware to the stairs.

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