Here's How To Fake A More Affordable Luxury Runner For Your Stairs

Whether you love the look or not, there are a handful of good reasons why you should add carpet to your staircase. For starters, carpets help absorb sound and prevent your stairs from getting all scuffed up. Moreover, adding carpet is an easy way to help prevent slips and falls by providing a bit of traction to your otherwise smooth and slippery staircase. 

Normally, you pay for a staircase runner by the foot, and depending on the size and shape of your stairs, you can end up paying hundreds of dollars for this. To save yourself some money, you can fake this look and instead buy a handful of normal-sized runner rugs and staple them together. Adding the staples under the lip of each stair will help conceal them, giving your staircase runner a uniform look. Look at local thrift, budget, and dollar stores to find the best deals on rugs so that you can maximize your savings. If you don't want to worry about finding rugs with matching patterns, opt for solid-color rugs to make your DIY easier.

Before you lay down any rugs on your stairs, it's important to start with a clean surface. Knowing how to properly clean each kind of staircase will help here. For hardwood stairs, you should sweep or vacuum them to remove loose debris, then give them a good wipe with some hot water, a gentle soap, and a mop or cloth. Once your surface is clean and dry, lay down some carpet pads on each of your stairs. This will add grip and prevent your rugs from sliding and wearing down. This ​​Veken Rug Gripper Pad will work well, but you can find this material just about anywhere.

With your pads in place, it's time to start stapling down your rugs. The number of rugs you need will depend on the length of both your stairs and the rugs you source. When laying the rugs in place, it's helpful to have a spacer to keep everything in a straight line. You can use a scrap piece of wood for this, or use a laser level and some painter's tape to mark the lines.

Place the top edge of your first rug under the lip of your first stair, and use a few staples to hold it in place. Continue stapling the rugs under the lips of each step, ensuring they're tightly fitted to your staircase as you go.  At the end, cut off any excess rug to give your runner a clean finished edge. If you do have leftover materials at the end, don't toss your old runners until you see what they can become. For example, you can turn a scrap piece of rug into gorgeous wall art.