Spent a whole day on a staircase that should have taken two hours

Had a job last week in a 1920s house with this winding staircase. The carpet was a patterned wool and the client wanted the pattern to line up perfectly on each step. I figured it would be tricky but doable. Ended up taking me from 8 AM until almost 6 PM just to get those 14 steps done right, because every cut had to be exact and the old wood underneath was super uneven. My back was killing me by the end. Anyone have a good trick for keeping a complex pattern straight on a curved stair?

3 comments

3 Comments

robinson.hannah11d ago

Honestly, is it that big of a deal? It's a staircase. Most people are just walking up and down it, they aren't getting down on their hands and knees to check if every flower in the carpet lines up. I get wanting it to look nice, but a whole day for 14 steps? At some point you have to call it good enough and move on. The client might not have even noticed if one step was a quarter inch off.

victorhill11d agoTop Commenter

So what's your line of work where "good enough" is the standard?

oscar74311d ago

That quarter inch off on one step is exactly what people trip over. Seen it happen with a bad tile job at a friend's place, guy spilled coffee all down his shirt. If you're getting paid to install carpet, the pattern should line up. It's not about getting on your knees, it's about doing the job right the first time so it doesn't cause problems later.