Old timer told me to stop using tack strip for carpet stairs, said glue down was the way to go

I thought the guy was crazy at first. Been installing for about 8 years and always used tack strip on stairs like everyone else. He was a retired installer from a shop in Cleveland, probably 60 years in the trade. Told me tack strip causes the carpet to pull loose on the nose of the step over time, especially on busy stairs. I took his advice on my last job, a three story townhouse with 22 stairs. Used a high quality carpet adhesive and stapled the risers. That was 6 months ago and I went back to check last week. Not a single wrinkle or loose edge. The homeowner said they've had kids running up and down every day. I'm starting to think all those years of tack strip on stairs were just extra work. Has anyone else tried glue down on stairs instead of the strip?

2 comments

2 Comments

tessa_clark7418d agoTop Commenter

You said "tack strip causes the carpet to pull loose on the nose of the step over time" and I gotta say that's actually backwards from my experience. Tack strip grips the BACK of the tread, not the nose. The problem is usually the nose itself. When you staple the nose down into the groove, that's what holds the leading edge. Tack strip alone on the back part doesn't do squat for the nose. Glue down makes sense for the nose because it bonds the whole surface, not just one edge. But I still use tack strip on the back of the tread and just glue the nose. That way I get both. Works perfect every time.

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kelly_nelson9518d ago

Gotta admit, I've never been able to get both tack strip AND glue to work without making a total mess of myself. Probably says more about my skills than the method though.