One of the house projects I’ve had on my to do list for several years was to install a stair runner on the main staircase from our foyer up to our bedrooms on the second floor. This stairwell is one of the most high-traffic areas in our home and I felt like a stair runner would provide a little grip underfoot as our young children run up and down the stairs multiple times a day. It sounds silly but I put off this project for way too long because I felt overwhelmed by where to start, couldn’t find any clear information about associated costs, and felt like our stairs needed some repair work before it was worth investing in a custom stair runner. Now that everything is finished, it’s made our home quieter and safer so I wanted to share the process and costs for anyone’s who’s contemplating a similar project!
Once I was finally ready to take on this project, my first step was to book a consultation with Quality Stairs to see if there were any repairs we could make to the stair riser or tread as the original stairs were so creaky. Our stairs have always felt a little steep and narrow and it turns out the stair tread is about 0.5″ less deep than would be built today, but there would be no way to adjust the depth without building an entirely new staircase from scratch which would also require bumping out the front door of our house which was definitely not happening!
We ultimately spent $3,936 to replace all the stair treads and add blocking for reinforcement underneath (since the stairs to our basement are directly underneath, they could be easily accessed). This cost also included replacing all the spindles, but we kept the beautiful banister and newel post that are original to the house and one of the first things I fell in love with in this home. The stair guys were pulling handmade triangular nails out of the stairs that felt like historic artifacts!
The new treads made an immediate difference in how creaky the stairs were and we instantly agreed it was money well spent. The new treads then had to be stained ($800) and the new spindles painted ($600) and then it was time to shop for a stair carpet runner. Obviously these costs are specific to our older house and many people could go straight to picking out a custom stair runner but wanted to share for any of you living in old homes and wondering if it’s possible to make old stairs less creaky. 🙂
Once the stair repair work was complete, my mom and I went to Redi-Cut in Westport to see our options for the perfect stair runner. The saleswoman recommended an indoor/outdoor runner as an ideal option with young children and we landed on the Stanton Nevis Balsa carpet (which she said they had also installed in the beautiful Serena & Lily store in Westport!). We added a navy tape trim — I would have loved to go wider/bolder with the trim but we didn’t have a ton of runner width to play with so the more narrow trim ensured the best fit with ample room on each side of the runner.
Once you pick out a carpet, they send someone out to your house the following week to take exact measurements to ensure the right runner width and how much of a reveal you see at the edges of the stairs (I was very glad I didn’t have to figure this part out on my own!). Like any home project I was focused both on maximizing aesthetic appeal while optimizing for function and safety with young children and I feel like we wound up with perfect stair runner for our home.
The custom stair runner cost from Redi-Cut totaled $1,972 including materials and labor. I know some people take this on as a (very impressive!) DIY project but given the age of our home, endless options for custom sizes and measurements, and this being one of the most high-traffic areas in our home, it was a good idea to outsource to a team of professionals for a perfect fit and I’m so happy with the end result!
I also added a ceiling fixture in our foyer around the same time to finish off the space. Our home had very little overhead lighting (zero in the bedrooms on the second floor!) when we moved in six years ago, so that’s something we’ve added in bits and pieces over time as we’ve tackled each space. I decided on this Visual Comfort Talia flush mount in the white plaster finish and I love how it looks! (You can see lots more of my favorite Visual Comfort fixtures in this post.) It’s such a nice focal point as you enter our home or head from the kitchen and dining room to the second floor.
P.S. It’s fun to look back on photos of this stairwell when we moved in and when we added the wall trim. Lots of small, gradual changes that ultimately make a big difference!
P.P.S. Our chippendale baby gates here and the silhouette prints at the top of the stairs here!
P.P.P.S. Time to cross #61 and #63 off my 101 in 1001 list!
Shop the post
