How Much Does It Cost To Carpet Stairs?

Carpeting your stairs assures safety from slips and falls as much as it adds aesthetic appeal to your home. The carpet’s distinctive texture and patterns would add warmth and color to a plain staircase. But aside from that, a carpeted staircase would also prevent someone in your house from slipping and knocking his/her head hard against the steps.

If you feel like something is missing from your home design, or you’re just not comfortable with a bare staircase, then you could give stairs carpeting a shot.

Of course, installing a carpet for your staircase would require you to shop for materials and installers. So, the next question is, how much does it cost to carpet stairs?

Average Cost to Install Carpet on Stairs

Before going into the specifics, let’s take a look at the general carpeting costs. According to Home Advisor, the cost of carpeting by the square foot ranges from US$1 to US$11. However, the total cost entails more than just the price per square foot.

Because of that, homeowners included in the Home Advisor’s survey have spent as low as US$200 to as high as US$4,500 for carpeting. Most homeowners, though, reported spending US$743 to US$2,245, totaling to an average cost of US$1,579.

As for carpeting your stairs, in particular, the website How to Buy Carpet says that you could expect a minimum installation charge of US$75 to US$250 for a flight of stairs. That’s about US$2.50 to US$6.50 per square yard or 9 square feet. Note that the said prices are only the minimum for the installing itself, so expect that the cost will be higher if we factor in additional fees.

Additional Installation Costs

The cost to install carpet on stairs also entails additional fees for labor, padding, and labor add-ons. The average cost is as follows:

• Padding US$0.30 to US$0.60 per square foot
• Cost of labor US$0.50 to US$1 per square foot
• Labor add-ons US$0.50 to US$2 per square foot

Labor add-ons may consist of removing an old carpet from your stairs if you already have one and special cuts for a staircase that has a more elaborate design.

Costs of Carpets

Naturally, the cost of the material itself greatly affects the total stair carpet installing price. There is a vast range of carpet prices, from US$1 to US$2 per square foot for olefin and polyester to US$9 to US$11 per square foot for wool or Berber.

Among the various carpets available, a lot of homeowners would prefer a Berber carpet for its durability and resistance to stain. The wide array of colors and patterns available is also a factor why many opt for the said carpet.

The price of a Berber carpet varies depending on the material. Wool is the most expensive at US$10 per square foot. Although costly, wool fiber could last for decades with proper maintenance, thus prolonging the life of your stair carpet. However, the maintenance cost for a wool Berber would cost you some fee as the soft material requires professional cleaning.

A nylon Berber, on the other hand, costs about US$3 per square foot. Similar to wool, this carpet could stand the test of time if you maintain it properly. Also, a nylon Berber is durable, stain-resistant, and does not require professional cleaning.

The olefin Berber is the least expensive, costing only around US$1.50. However, it is not as durable and is prone to staining, unlike its wool and nylon counterparts.

The price of a carpet, aside from the material, also varies based on its style. Carpets have three basic styles namely the cut pile, loop pile, and cut and loop.

Carpet Prices by Shops

As for shops selling various brands of carpets, Lowe’s sells about more than 4,000 types within the US$1 to US$5 per square foot range. The brands included in the said price range are STAINMASTER, Shaw, Mohawk, Coronet, Dixie Group, and Lexmark. Their most expensive carpets, on the other hand, come from Carpet Art Deco, which cost US$74.50 per square foot.

Menard’s, on the other hand, sells Carpet Crafts, Citation, Designers Image, Looptex, Marquis, Milliken, Mohawk, and Shaw. Their pricing starts at under US$1 per square foot. Some brands, though, may not be available for online purchase like Carpet Crafts and Looptex.

Other stores, like Empire Today, do not put their carpet prices online. However, you can use their website to schedule a free in-home estimate. The company guarantees low pricing on orders and installation of Berber, frieze, plush, pattern, and indoor/outdoor carpets.

Many stores that sell carpets may offer what they call “free installation” when you purchase their products. However, factors that may add to the cost like the type of material, the design of your staircase, and old carpet removal may still keep the costs high.

To avoid overspending, request multiple estimates from different companies. Better yet, go for the ones that are near your area to avoid spending on transportation costs.

Also, to save more, you could opt to install runners for your staircase. Runners only cover a portion of the stairs, so you won’t need as many yards of carpet compared to what you will be needing for a full stair carpeting. However, carpet runners would only look pleasing if the stairs underneath it are of equal aesthetic quality.

Calculating Costs

So, how do we get the exact stair carpet installing price for your home?

First, you have to measure the width of your staircase, then multiply it by the number of stairs to get the total area that needs carpeting. Using the carpet calculator from Improve Net, the total carpeting area for a 2-feet wide staircase with 24 stairs is 96 square feet. Consequently, that area will require 11.0 square yards of carpet.

Let’s now calculate the cost of installation using the prices earlier mentioned:

• Carpet per square foot: US$2
• Installation per square foot: US$1
• Labor cost per square foot: US$0.50
• Padding per square foot: US$0.60

Multiply these by 96 (the total carpeting area) and you will get US$192 for the carpet, US$96 for the installation, US$48 for the labor, and US$57.6 for the padding, for a total cost of US$393.6.

Note that the total cost is based on the lowest rates and does not yet include additional costs such as carpet removal and special cuts. But if you’re planning on carpeting your stairs soon, this guide could give you a general idea of how much does it cost to carpet stairs. That knowledge will then help you estimate the budget you need for the project.

With that said, good luck on your stair carpeting project!