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That one stair runner job in the old house on Elm Street

Had a job last week on Elm Street, a 1920s house with these crazy curved stairs. The homeowner wanted a runner, but the winders were so tight my standard method just wouldn't work. Spent almost 4 hours just on the first three steps, trying to get the carpet to lay flat without puckering. Anyone else run into a staircase that just fought you the whole way?
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3 Comments
nancy_smith
Yeah, those old winders can be brutal. Had to hand-tack the corners on a similar job to get it to behave.
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andrew_rodriguez
Tight winders are the worst. Had a similar one last month, a 1905 colonial. The trick was to cut the backing on the bias for the turn, not just stretch it. Made all the difference. Still took forever, but it laid flat.
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derekjenkins
My grandpa's 1920s bungalow had stairs like that. It's funny how the old ways, like cutting on the bias, are still the right fix for old problems. Some solutions just stick around.
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