Take the carpet you need to replace the riser and the tread above it from one of the closets (guest bedroom, coat closet etc) Use that carpet to replace each stair and riser (remember, you can't replace just the riser) Then replace the carpet in the closet with a rem that is close to the original. You won't notice the different carpet in the closet nearly as much and it will be much less expensive than replacing the whole staircase. Just my $.02. Happy Holidays!

If they are cap & band, bullnosed upholstered steps, you can just remove and replace the riser.

How do I find out if the stairs are cap and band, bullnosed unholstered steps?

Theses are bullnosed upholstered steps

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If they were waterfall style, they would fall right over the tread nose and go straight down to the next treads back.

Is bullnosed the same as hollywood style? How is the carpet tacked in the above photo? Is it all one piece and just stapled? Thanks!

Different regions/areas have different slang names for thing in the trade. I don't call them Hollywood. I always considered hollywood steps to have a curve to the nose, instead of a rectangle or pie.

we call those california style.

some retailers call them upholstered i think to make them sound better for the sales floor.

True upholstered stairs we always considered sewn boots encasing the entire stair and side of the stair, and is rarely done anymore except by some very experienced craftsmen and on some wovens that require sewing.

We had a sub a while back that would never waterfall and always did those turned nosing installs he called california even when we specifically state waterfalls. We had to let him go becasue he wouldnt waterfall when we told him to and always made excuses for it that made no sense. After we let him go, we found out he couldnt waterfall properly to get the right stretch.

The problem we have run into with the pictured california style is that since stairs are a high traffic area they can never be tightened up over time if they develop looseness over the years, since they are secured at both places where the riser and the tread meet, which is the main reason i never recommend having them done with good quality carpet. If a lower quality carpet then I guess it really doesnt matter because it will be getting replaced in a few years anyway. At least thats my experience with them and trying to repair them for custoemrs.

That is all tackstrip, except under the nose. They can easily be tightened up, since stairs usually need restretching across them, towards the sides, not towards the riser.

Does the type of carpet you use determine the finished look? The picture floorguy shows looks great. Here's a photo of our stairs. Do you think they are installed differently or is it just the type of carpeting we used? I was surprised the stapling was so visible, is that usual? Thanks

Here is a link that might be useful: carpeted stairs

momof3boys3,

Properly installled carpeting won't show staple puckers.

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Those are waterfall style in the picture. No staples are needed when doing a waterfall style staircase.

When staples are visible, I call it a drive-by-shooting!!!!

No care was taken to try and hide the staples, by separating the face yarn, and only stapling the backing.

I am in the middle of a carpeting nightmare, I just had carpet installed and to say the least they did shoddy, cheap work, a few miss-cuts here and there, and worst of all the stairs! The padding was cut ½" short of the bullnose.

I just had the supervisor from Carpet Pros and a representative from the Home Depot here to try and resolve my many issues. The supervisor told me the job I got was industry standard.

After I sited CRI 105 sec 11.2 which clearly the supervisor knew nothing about beforehand, they agreed to fix the job. I said I wanted the job redone and when I asked about wrapping (California) the bullnose (not waterfall) which is what they gave us. I was warned about puckering.

Is there some way I can find a qualified professional in Spokane, WA. that can do the job right?