Updated November 2026 · Stairs Guide

Cost to Carpet Stairs in 2026: $230 to $610 for 14 Steps

Q: How much does it cost to carpet stairs?

A 14-step staircase costs $230 to $610 to carpet in nylon or triexta with 8 lb pad and labor, or $17–$44 per step (13 steps: $220 to $570). Budget polyester runs $9–$36 a step and wool on memory foam $23–$73. These are carpet, pad and labor on the stair area at the same per sq ft rates as a room, with prices checked 13 October 2026. Some installers also charge a per-step stair fee: National Floors Direct, which includes standard stairs free, says most installers charge $10 to $25 a step, which would add $140 to $350 on 14 steps. Home Depot and Lowe's publish no stair fee.

Q: How much does it cost to carpet stairs and a landing?

An L-shaped stair with 14 steps and one landing costs $270 to $690 waterfall in nylon or triexta. The landing alone is $30 to $80: the building code makes a landing at least as wide as the stair and at least 36 inches deep, so the smallest landing on a 36-inch stair is 9 sq ft, which we price at the room rate. A bigger landing costs proportionally more; measure it and use the room calculator.

Q: How much to carpet 12 stairs with a Hollywood (cap-and-band) wrap?

Twelve straight steps in cap-and-band cost $210 to $560 in nylon or triexta with pad and labor, or $18–$47 a step. Cap-and-band uses more carpet than waterfall because each piece also wraps under the nosing (5.06 sq ft a step against 4.75). It is also slower upholstery work, and no retailer or installer we checked publishes a separate price for that labor, so ask for it as its own line.

Q: What is waterfall vs cap-and-band carpet installation?

In a waterfall install, carpet runs from the tread over the nosing and straight down the riser, with tack strip on both the tread and the riser (CRI 105, section 15.2). In cap-and-band, also called Hollywood or upholstered, the carpet is wrapped tightly around and under each nosing and fastened, and no tack strip goes on the riser. Cap-and-band follows the shape of each step; waterfall uses less carpet and no upholstery under the nosing.

Q: What is the best carpet for stairs?

Home Depot recommends patterned carpet and loop (berber) carpet among its choices for stairs, and warns that pet claws can snag loop and berber. Check the warranty before you choose: Home Depot's carpet collections carry 5 to 25+ year stain and wear warranties, but its installation page notes that stairs are covered only on its LifeProof and LifeProof with PetProof Technology products. The Carpet and Rug Institute's installation standard says most manufacturers recommend the pile run down the stairs. Our earlier advice to avoid polyester entirely is withdrawn: we could not source it, and Home Depot's LifeProof line, which includes polyester carpet, is the line whose warranty covers stairs.

Q: Can I install stair carpet myself?

Yes, but it is the hardest part of a carpet job: every step is cut, fitted and stretched on its own, and a loosely stretched stair is a trip hazard. Doing it yourself saves the labor, about $3–$8 a step at our per sq ft labor range, plus any stair fee an installer would charge. Carpet and pad for 14 steps cost $190 to $500 in nylon or triexta. CRI 105 calls for tack strip on every tread, and the carpet is fitted onto it with a knee kicker and stair tool.

Q: Is a stair runner cheaper than full stair carpet?

Usually not. A runner covers less of each step, but it is bound on both edges and often held with rods: at Lowe's a single runner rod was $34.48 to $143.81 on 13 October 2026, so rods alone for 14 steps, one per step, come to $483 to $2,013. Full-width carpet for 14 steps is $230 to $610 in our model. The stair runner cost page prices runners, binding and rods.

Carpeting a 14-step staircase costs $230 to $610 in nylon or triexta with pad and labor, or $17 to $44 a step, at prices checked 13 October 2026; 13 steps cost $220 to $570. That covers carpet, pad and labor on the stair area. If your installer adds a per-step stair fee, it comes on top: National Floors Direct says most installers charge $10 to $25 a step, which is $140 to $350 more on 14 steps.

Stair Carpet Cost, Quick Reference

Budget (polyester, waterfall)$9–$36/step

Standard (nylon or triexta, waterfall)$17–$44/step

Premium (wool, waterfall)$23–$73/step

14-step flight (standard)$230–$610

13-step flight (standard)$220–$570

Landing, 36 × 36 in. (standard)$30–$80

Stair fee, if charged (NFD's claim)+$10 to $25/step

Removal of old carpetquoted separately

Sources and method. International Code Council, 2021 IRC section R311.7 (stair width at least 36 in, riser at most 7 3/4 in, tread at least 10 in, nosing up to 1 1/4 in; landings at least as wide as the flight and 36 in deep on a straight run (R311.7.6); winder treads at least 10 in deep at the walkline and 6 in at any point (R311.7.5.2.1); checked 13 October 2026); The Carpet and Rug Institute, CRI 105 Standard for Installation of Residential Carpet (2019 PDF) (when moisture testing is required, site temperature and humidity, cushion thickness, tack strip size and fastening, substrate repair; section 11.4, use of a power stretcher is mandatory and a knee kicker is not for stretching (failure to power stretch may result in wrinkling and buckling); section 11.5, tufted carpet stretched at least 1 percent in length and width absent manufacturer instructions; section 15, carpet on stairs (waterfall and cap-and-band tack strip, about 1 1/2 in of turn-under shared between the two sides, pile direction); checked 13 October 2026); The Home Depot, Installed Carpet listings by fiber (per sq ft prices of polyester, nylon, triexta, wool, olefin and berber carpet; checked 13 October 2026); Lowe's, carpet listings (nylon and polyester) (per sq ft prices of nylon and polyester carpet; checked 13 October 2026); The Home Depot, Carpet Padding listings (per sq ft prices of 6 lb and 8 lb pad, memory foam and moisture-barrier pad; checked 13 October 2026); The Home Depot, Carpet Installation Cost Guide (average cost per sq ft: carpet $1 to $4, padding $1.01, installation $0.69 for basic install; furniture moving, removal and disposal priced separately; checked 13 October 2026); The Home Depot, How to Calculate Square Footage (order 5 to 10 percent more material for waste; checked 13 October 2026); U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025, Carpet Installers (47-2041) (national and state hourly wages, read through the BLS public data API; checked 13 October 2026); The Home Depot, Carpet Installation service page and FAQ (what the service includes (a purchase may also qualify for rip-up and haul-away and basic stairs), lifetime labor warranty including stairwork, stairs covered by product warranty only on LifeProof lines, price match, timing, no install of carpet bought elsewhere; checked 13 October 2026); Lowe's, Carpet Installation (no published per sq ft install price; quote follows a free in-home measure; checked 13 October 2026); National Floors Direct, Free Flooring Services (included pad specification, furniture moving, free standard stair labor on boxed stairs and its statement that most installers charge 10 to 25 dollars per step, free measuring and next-day estimates; checked 13 October 2026); Nebraska Furniture Mart, Flooring Services (take-up, removal, stairs, spindles and furniture moving may require extra labor service charges; no prices published; checked 13 October 2026); Lowe's, Stair Rods listings (price of each stair runner rod listed that day, with its brackets; checked 13 October 2026). Stair figures are our arithmetic on the cited inputs. One step is a 36 in. wide stair at the code limits (10 in. tread, 7 3/4 in. riser, 1 1/4 in. nosing): 4.75 sq ft of carpet for a waterfall step and 5.06 sq ft for cap-and-band, which also wraps under the nosing. Each square foot is priced like a room: carpet and pad at the retail prices shown, plus 10 percent for waste, plus labor from $0.69 (Home Depot's published basic rate) to $1.60 (our estimate: $0.69 scaled by the BLS 90th to 10th percentile installer wage ratio). A landing is 9 sq ft (36 x 36 in., the code minimum) at the same rate. Winders: we assume 3 per quarter turn, each at 1.5 times a straight step; this multiplier is our assumption, not a published rate. Open-sided: 0.75 in. of extra width per step for the one turned edge; this is our assumption, half of the 1 1/2 in. that CRI 105 allows for a turn under on both sides of a stair. Low ends are added together and high ends together; totals are rounded to the nearest $10. Not included: removal, furniture moving, spindle work and any per-step stair fee.

Stair Carpet Cost by Stair Type: 12, 13 and 14 Steps

Nylon or triexta with 8 lb pad and labor, national prices checked 13 October 2026. The step count is the number of carpeted treads; landings and the top floor are not steps. Per-step stair fees, removal and spindle work are extra (see the line items below).

Stair type	Method	12 steps	13 steps	14 steps
Straight, closed both sides boxed stair, walls both sides	Waterfall	$200–$520	$220–$570	$230–$610
same stair	Cap-and-band (Hollywood)	$210–$560	$230–$600	$250–$650
L-shaped with a landing steps plus one 36 x 36 in landing	Waterfall	$230–$610	$250–$650	$270–$690
same stair	Cap-and-band (Hollywood)	$250–$640	$260–$690	$280–$730
L-shaped with winders 3 pie-shaped winders replace the landing	Waterfall	$230–$590	$240–$630	$260–$680
same stair	Cap-and-band (Hollywood)	$240–$630	$260–$670	$280–$720
Open on one side, with spindles exposed side turned under; spindle labor extra	Waterfall	$210–$530	$220–$580	$240–$620
same stair	Cap-and-band (Hollywood)	$220–$570	$240–$620	$260–$660

Straight, closed both sides

boxed stair, walls both sides

12 steps13 steps14 steps

Waterfall$200
to $520$220
to $570$230
to $610

Cap-and-band$210
to $560$230
to $600$250
to $650

L-shaped with a landing

steps plus one 36 x 36 in landing

12 steps13 steps14 steps

Waterfall$230
to $610$250
to $650$270
to $690

Cap-and-band$250
to $640$260
to $690$280
to $730

L-shaped with winders

3 pie-shaped winders replace the landing

12 steps13 steps14 steps

Waterfall$230
to $590$240
to $630$260
to $680

Cap-and-band$240
to $630$260
to $670$280
to $720

Open on one side, with spindles

exposed side turned under; spindle labor extra

12 steps13 steps14 steps

Waterfall$210
to $530$220
to $580$240
to $620

Cap-and-band$220
to $570$240
to $620$260
to $660

How each row is built: straight is steps × the per-step price. Landing adds one 9 sq ft landing, the smallest the code allows on a 36-inch stair (IRC R311.7.6). Winders: a winder tread must be at least 10 in. deep on the walkline and 6 in. at its narrow end (IRC R311.7.5.2.1), so it is a wedge wider than a normal tread at the outside; we assume 3 winders per quarter turn, each at 1.5 times a straight step. That multiplier is our assumption, because no price list we found publishes one. Open-sided adds 0.75 in. of carpet per step so the one exposed edge can be turned under. That is our assumption: the Carpet and Rug Institute’s installation standard (CRI 105, 15.2) sets tack strip and cushion about 1.5 in. narrower than the carpet to allow a turn under on each side of the stairs, so we take half of that for one side. The labor of fitting around spindles is not included.

Landing, Removal, Stair Fees and Rods: Priced Separately

Landingper landing

$30–$80

The smallest landing the code allows on a 36-inch stair (36 × 36 in., 9 sq ft), at the room rate in nylon or triexta. Budget $20–$70; wool $40–$140. Larger landings scale with their area.

Per-step stair feeper step

$10 to $25 (claimed)

Not in our totals. National Floors Direct says “most installers charge between $10–$25 per step” and includes standard boxed stairs free (its free services page). That is its statement about other installers; Home Depot and Lowe’s publish no stair fee. On 14 steps it would add $140–$350.

Removing old stair carpetper step

Not published

No retailer or installer we checked publishes a per-step removal price. Home Depot’s cost guide says removal and disposal are priced separately, while its installation page (read 5 November 2026) lists “Removal and haul-away of your existing carpet” as part of the service and says custom or spiral stairs need additional labor. Nebraska Furniture Mart says take-up and removal may require extra labor charges. Get it as its own line on the quote.

Spindles (open-sided stairs)per step

Not published

Nebraska Furniture Mart lists “stair labor, spindles” among extra labor charges, with no price. National Floors Direct’s free stair labor covers boxed stairs only. Our open-sided row adds the carpet for the turned edge, not this labor.

Stair rods (runners only)per rod

$34.48–$143.81

Rods hold a runner, not wall-to-wall carpet. Lowe’s cheapest listing was a Franklin Brass rod for runners up to 30 in. wide; its dearest an Aoibox 32 in. rod with finials. One per step: $483–$2,013 for 14 steps.

Waterfall vs Cap-and-Band: Which Method and Why

Waterfall

Carpet runs from the tread over the nosing and straight down the riser. Tack strip goes on the tread and on the riser.

PROS

+ Less carpet per step

+ No upholstery under the nosing

+ The simpler method to DIY

CONS

− Does not follow the shape of the nosing

− Tack strip needed on every riser too

$17–$44/step · 4.75 sq ft

Cap-and-Band

Also called Hollywood or upholstered. Carpet is wrapped tightly around and under each nosing; no tack strip on the riser.

PROS

+ Follows the shape of each step

+ No tack strip on the risers

CONS

− More carpet per step

− Upholstery work under every nosing

− Harder to DIY

$18–$47/step · 5.06 sq ft

Method descriptions follow CRI 105, section 15.2. Per-step prices are standard grade (nylon or triexta) and cover the extra carpet cap-and-band uses; any extra an installer charges for the upholstery labor is not published and not included.

Straight Stairs by Carpet Grade

Scenario (waterfall)	Per step	12 steps	13 steps	14 steps
DIY: carpet and pad only (nylon or triexta)	$13–$36	$160–$430	$180–$470	$190–$500
Budget: polyester, 6 lb pad	$9–$36	$110–$430	$120–$460	$130–$500
Standard: nylon or triexta, 8 lb pad	$17–$44	$200–$520	$220–$570	$230–$610
Premium: wool, memory foam pad	$23–$73	$270–$870	$290–$950	$320–$1,020

Choosing Carpet for Stairs

Three things to check, all from the retailer’s or the industry’s own documents. First, the warranty: Home Depot’s carpet warranties run 5 to 25+ years for stains and wear, but its installation page notes: “Stairs only covered by warranty in LifeProof and LifeProof with PetProof Technology products.” Second, the style: Home Depot lists patterned and loop (berber) carpet among its picks for stairs, and warns that pet claws can snag loop and berber. Third, the install: CRI 105 calls for the nosing to be rounded so it does not cut the carpet, the cushion to extend over the nose, and (for most manufacturers) the pile to run down the stairs.

Carpet fiber	Retail carpet, per sq ft	Installed, per step	14 steps
Polyester (PET)	$0.88–$4.34	$9–$36	$130–$500
Nylon	$2.24–$5.74	$17–$43	$240–$600
Triexta (PTT)	$2.99–$5.89	$21–$44	$290–$620
Berber (loop, any fiber)	$1.89–$7.49	$15–$52	$210–$730
Wool	$3.24–$11.44	$23–$73	$320–$1,020

Waterfall, 4.75 sq ft a step, each fiber on the pad of its grade, lowest and highest listings at Home Depot and Lowe’s on 13 October 2026. Fourteen-step totals here are per-step figures × 14, rounded to $10, so they can differ by a few dollars from the grade table.

Hallway Carpet Cost

Hallways are carpeted at room rates (per sq ft), not per step. They take the same traffic as the stairs, so most people carpet both in the same product.

Hallway size	Sq ft	Budget	Standard
3×10 (small)	30	$60–$220	$110–$280
3×15 (typical)	45	$90–$340	$160–$410
4×20 (long)	80	$160–$600	$280–$740

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does it cost to carpet stairs?

A 14-step staircase costs $230 to $610 to carpet in nylon or triexta with 8 lb pad and labor, or $17–$44 per step (13 steps: $220 to $570). Budget polyester runs $9–$36 a step and wool on memory foam $23–$73. These are carpet, pad and labor on the stair area at the same per sq ft rates as a room, with prices checked 13 October 2026. Some installers also charge a per-step stair fee: National Floors Direct, which includes standard stairs free, says most installers charge $10 to $25 a step, which would add $140 to $350 on 14 steps. Home Depot and Lowe's publish no stair fee.

How much does it cost to carpet stairs and a landing?

How much to carpet 12 stairs with a Hollywood (cap-and-band) wrap?

What is waterfall vs cap-and-band carpet installation?

What is the best carpet for stairs?

Can I install stair carpet myself?

Is a stair runner cheaper than full stair carpet?

Cost to Carpet Stairs in 2026: $230 to $610 for 14 Steps

Stair Carpet Cost by Stair Type: 12, 13 and 14 Steps

Landing, Removal, Stair Fees and Rods: Priced Separately

Waterfall vs Cap-and-Band: Which Method and Why

Straight Stairs by Carpet Grade

Choosing Carpet for Stairs

Hallway Carpet Cost

Frequently Asked Questions

A figure here that does not match your quote?