Carpet Pile Direction On Stairs

Planning pile direction before we start to plan.

Carpet pile direction on stairs.

The best carpet for stairs has a low pile inch or less to be both more stable underfoot and resilient to traffic. The pile height measurement is not usually shown on the carpet sample however all you need is a tape measure. Due to the nature of the carpet this is the direction it should be installed whether on the floor or stairs. The carpet layer has finished and at first glance it looks great.

The only exception here would be where pattern match requirements must be considered in order to be consistent with on the floor and landing. A synthetic plush style in twisted or cut pile is always a safe option. Generally seams should run in the same direction as most foot traffic. Carpet direction on stair installations should be positioned so that the pile nap direction runs up the stairs.

This is based in light reflection of the fiber when pile direction is changed. On stairs i recommend a carpet pile height of 1 2 or less and a carpet padding thickness of 7 16 or less and a pile density rating of at least 8 pounds. This is similar to the way your hair has a direction. A low pile carpet is recommended due to how the carpet is laid on a dimensional surface.

Low pile a low pile carpet refers to the height of carpet fibers. Carpet has a specific direction to the pile and the direction must run from the top of the stairs to the bottom not sideways. Carpet fibers can be twisted together to create a cut pile or woven in a loop pattern. Don t include the carpet backing just the soft fibers from the backing up.

Carpet does have a direction usually indicated on the carpet backing. Not only does this enhance the performance of the carpet and ensure proper wear but it also prevents you from seeing between the rows of fiber when you bend the carpet. On stairways the pile should sweep down. The direction of the pile is most noticeable in medium length saxony styles and is less noticeable in longer piles such as friezes when the pile is reversed in a cut pile carpet such as a saxony the light is reflected off the fibers in a different manner making the color of the carpet appear different either lighter or darker than the original color.

Extra hidden carpet should be folded back at the top and bottom of stairs so that as the edges of the tread are worn the carpet can be moved to hide the wear. Saxony a saxony is a cut pile carpet in which two or more plies of yarn have been twisted and heat set so that the tip of each carpet tuft is distinguishable on the pile surface. The first thing to remember is the arrows you drew on your plan to determine which way is down the stairs. How pile reversal looks.

Ideally you would install carpet on stairs as if the roll were rolling down the stairs. The reason for this is due to the construction of carpets every carpet has a pile direction.