Unpopular opinion: most folks stretch carpet way too tight around stair nosings and it bites them later

Thea Gibson · 2026-10-17T20:15:04.351993+00:00

I keep seeing guys really crank the stretcher on stair work, and in my experience that's backwards from what you want. About 6 months ago I did a full flight in an old house here in Columbus and pulled it tight like always, and by winter the nosing edges were pulling back and showing a gap. The carpet needs a little give at the bend so it wraps the nose instead of fighting it, otherwise it just creeps up over a few seasons. Your mileage may vary by backing and tack strip type, but I'd rather leave a touch of slack there than redo a whole flight. Any of you run into this on stair jobs or am I the only one who learned it the hard way?

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Unpopular opinion: most folks stretch carpet way too tight around stair nosings and it bites them later | Carpet Installers - Babble Community