Stair Runner from a Carpet Roll

Broadloom is carpet sold off a wide roll, usually 4 m or 5 m (about 13 or 16 ft) wide. You can have a stair runner cut from it, with the long edges bound or whipped so they cannot fray. Done well, it gives you a far wider choice of colours and textures than ready-made runners, and lets the runner match a hallway or landing carpet exactly.

Ready-made runner vs runner cut from a roll

How many runners one cut gives you

The runner is cut along the length of the roll, so a single length of broadloom can be cut into several strips side by side. For example, a 4 m wide piece will give four strips about 27 in (69 cm) wide with a little left over for trimming. That makes broadloom good value when you need runners for two flights, or a runner plus matching landing carpet. Ask the supplier to plan the cut so the strips run the same way as the pile.

Working out the length to order

Measure your stairs as you would for any runner — tread, riser and nosing wrap per step, times the number of risers, plus landings and waste — using the calculator. Order that length off the roll. Because carpet is sold in the full roll width, the cost is the length times the roll width, even though you only use a strip.

Binding, whipping and taping edges

• Binding: a fabric tape (cotton, linen, leather-look or a contrasting colour) stitched along each edge. Gives a crisp, tailored border.
• Whipping (serging): yarn wrapped tightly over the cut edge. Discreet and closer to the look of a ready-made runner.
• Taped or sealed edges: the cheapest option and the least durable on stairs.

The binding colour has a big effect on the finished look. A matching binding disappears; a contrasting one frames the runner and can make the nosing line easier to see. See bordered stair runners for ideas.

Choosing a carpet that works as a runner

Not every room carpet suits stairs. Look for a dense, low pile and a carpet rated for heavy or stair use. Avoid deep plush or shaggy piles, which flatten on the nosings and can be slippery. Fold a sample over a table edge: if the backing shows through (called "grinning"), it will show on every nosing.

Pile direction and pattern

Every carpet has a pile direction. On stairs, the pile should run down the flight so it wears evenly and the colour looks the same from the bottom. If the broadloom is patterned, check the repeat and ask how the strips will be cut so the pattern sits centrally on the runner.

Using the offcuts

The leftover width is not waste. It can be bound into a doormat or hall rug, kept for future repairs, or used to carpet a landing. Keeping a strip from the same dye lot is the best insurance you can have against future damage.

Who does the binding

Many carpet shops cut and bind broadloom runners in-house or through a specialist binder. Ask for the price of the binding per metre or foot alongside the carpet price, and confirm the finished width after binding.