Stair Runner with a Landing Turn

A landing turn is where a staircase changes direction on a flat landing, usually by 90° (a quarter landing) or 180° (a half landing). It is the most visible part of a runner installation and the one most often done badly. The decisions are simple to describe — carry the runner across the landing or stop it, and how to turn the corner — but each has consequences for material, cost and how the stairs look.

Quarter-landing vs half-landing

Option 1: carry the runner across the landing

Continuing the runner across the landing gives the strongest, most continuous look. The runner comes up the first flight, crosses the landing, turns and continues up the next flight at the same width and margin. It needs careful planning so the corner falls in the right place and the margins line up with both flights.

Option 2: stop at the landing

The runner can finish at the top riser of the first flight and start again at the bottom riser of the next, leaving the landing bare or covered with a rug or separate carpet. It uses less material and avoids a corner join, and it suits landings that are large or used as a space in their own right.

The art of the mitred corner

To turn a runner through 90° without folding it, the fitter cuts both pieces at 45° and joins them so the edges meet in a diagonal seam. The pile on the second piece now runs in a new direction, so the two halves can look slightly different in some lights; a good fitter plans the cut to keep that change as discreet as possible. A mitre is the cleanest result for bordered or striped runners, because the border carries round the corner unbroken.

Managing pattern flow through the bend

Patterns and stripes need the most planning. Stripes running along the runner turn neatly at a mitre; stripes running across the runner will change direction, which can look abrupt. Patterned runners need the motif centred on both flights, which sometimes means extra material at the corner. Ask the fitter to show you on paper where the pattern will fall before cutting.

Fitting a runner on winder steps

Some staircases turn on wedge-shaped winder steps instead of a flat landing. Winders need each step fitted individually, folding or cutting the runner at the narrow end so it stays centred. The winder stair runner guide covers that in detail.

Securing the inner corner

The inner corner of the turn takes the most traffic because people cut the corner. Make sure the runner is fixed firmly around the turn and at the nosing of the first step of the new flight, and that the seam (if there is one) is sealed and fixed down along its length.

Border continuity on turns

A bound or bordered runner shows mistakes at a corner more than anything else. The border should meet exactly in the mitre. If the runner is bought ready-made with a woven border, check with the supplier that a mitre is possible, as some borders are only woven on the long edges.

Underlay challenges for landing turns

On the landing, the runner usually sits on a continuous underlay rather than separate tread pads. Make sure its thickness matches the pads on the stairs, so the runner does not step up or down at the top riser, and keep it narrower than the runner so it never shows.

Common mistakes in corner fitting

• Folding the runner at the corner instead of cutting it, leaving a bulky lump.
• Margins that line up on one flight but not the other.
• Not allowing enough length for the landing, so the order falls short.
• Pattern or stripes that jump at the corner.
• A seam placed where it is walked on constantly and not fixed down.