measuring for stair carpet, not normal stairs.

astonsmummy

Hi
I was wondering if anyone can help me, i want to measure my stairs for carpet which i know is easy but my stairs arnt just standard straight up.
I'll try and describe as best i can.

They go up about 10 steps then there is a landing bit, well it's a big step, then you turn right and there is another big step, i mean big as in area not height, then you have about 3 or 4 more steps to the landing, so basically you go back on yourself as you go up the stairs, does this make sense?

Basically i'm confused as i want to do the stairs and landing but have no idea

milkydrink

If you're getting someone in to fit it they will measure up too.
Its pretty hard to measure the stairs unless you know what you're doing.
I got my stair carpet in Crawley. You know the little shopping estate as you go from Debenhams to Three Bridges (there is a big tile place there, a plumbing place there, I think a BathStore has opened up there now), well there are two carpet places there, I got mine a the one NEARER to town - (my sister got hers there too & shes very fussy). The second shop is too expensive. I asked him what he had for about £15 a square meter - he said, nothing in that price range!!

astonsmummy

No my uncle will fit it, i can't afford to pay someone, thats why i',m measuring it myself, plus i want to measure it so i'll know roughly hw much it's gonna cost me.

pandas66

When I had mine down at Christmas they came out free!

The fitting was extra anyway and he said I didn't need to have their fitters. I'd have a wander and see!

milkydrink

If your uncle is fitting it, then he probably knows a bit about carpet fitting, have you asked him to measure it?

OR, I do know you don't run a carpet fully up a stair way, but its done in sections (I think its a safety thing, incase it were to give, you are less likely to fall all the way down).

You work out your sections & draw them on a piece of paper, & work out if you get a piece of carpet 4 meters x 4 meters that you can fit all the sections in. To be honest its pretty complicated (a lot more so than rooms). That place I recommended did the fitting very reasonable & they included free underlay.

I had my bedroom done (& its very big), my stairs & landing.
They included free underlay for the bedroom & allowed me to pay a few pound more & upgrade to an expensive underlay for the stairs & landing.
They measured, delivered, fitted, door bars, gripper rods & underlay for about £650 for the bedroom, stairs & landing. That was for a 100% wool carpet (berber style).

By far the bigger half bit went in the bedroom.

HugoSP

astonsmummy wrote: »

Hi
I was wondering if anyone can help me, i want to measure my stairs for carpet which i know is easy but my stairs arnt just standard straight up.
I'll try and describe as best i can.

The easiest way for you is to take up the old carpet and measure that. Failing that (for all I kow you may not have a carpet on your stairs) I'll take you through your description.

They go up about 10 steps then there is a landing bit well it's a big step,

The 10 steps are easy. Measure the width then measure each step and riser, or measure one of each and multiply as necessary. working from the lower floor you need to allow for each riser and step up to and including the riser that is just before your first landing bit. Add some 20% to that length. Plus, you may find that it is easier to fit this run in more than one piece, overlapping at risers. If this is the case then allowances would need to be made for the overlaps.

To overlap, the bottom piece is fitted first rising up the riser to the underside of the edge of the step that is to be covered with the next piece.

Then the next piece is fitted so that it overlaps the area of the first piece that is fixed onto the last riser. The overlap is down to the step below that riser, so that the join is in the corner between the step and the riser. So this riser will have two pieces of carpet attached to it, one underneath the other.

The landing bit you talk about you need to measure as if for a room then add the necessary carpet for the last riser just below this step/landing bit. You can also leave some excess to curl up the next riser as well so that you get the overlap with the carpet for the next step/riser.

then you turn right and there is another big step, i mean big as in area not height,

This is treated in the same wa as the last big step.

then you have about 3 or 4 more steps to the landing, so basically you go back on yourself as you go up the stairs.

Treat these in the same way as the first set of steps. The landing carpet at the top of the stairs will have to be cut to allow a flap of carpet to fall over the top riser.

Print this off if you can and have a good look at the stairs. You will see what I mean.

Any more questions, come back

adandem

As mentioned, if your uncle knows about carpet fitting, he can measure up for you, if he doesn't I'd get someone in as stair carpets can be quite tricky.

astonsmummy

cheers hugo, i'll have a bash later, tbh i'll probably get somone in as i realise now it's so complicated, but i just want to get a rough guide on how much it will cost me for the carpet.

astonsmummy

he lives in worthign and wont be down for a while.

milkydrink

astonsmummy wrote: »

cheers hugo, i'll have a bash later, tbh i'll probably get somone in as i realise now it's so complicated, but i just want to get a rough guide on how much it will cost me for the carpet.

Is he a "proper" carpet fitter then, if so wait for him.

The place I used, I think they charged me £10 to come out & measure, but then they take that off the order.

So IF your uncle can't measure but can fit, you could always get them out to measure.

HugoSP

If the OP still has the old carpet down then I say use that to get the measurements. But when the carpet is ordered it will be oversized.

Stair carpets are supplied on narrow rolls to reduce wastage but there is no reason why 4 metre wide pieces can't be used. The OP may save a fortune by looking for remnants. The small remnants are often sold for very little as they will do very little else. There is often nowhere else in a house that pieces as little as 5ft x3 ft can be used. if the OP can get hold of a number of similar sized pieces then she has her stair carpet!

If she is doing a whole floor of the house in the same colour then I would seriously consider leaving the stair carpet until last and seeing if there are enough offcuts to do the stairs.