How to Measure Your Stairs for a Runner

Getting this right is the difference between a runner that fits and an expensive offcut. It takes about ten minutes and a tape measure. If you would rather we checked your numbers, send them to us or call 01935 412860 — we do it every day and we do not charge for it.

What you need

A tape measure, a pen, and someone to hold the other end if your stairs are steep.

Step one: measure one step

Every step has two surfaces:

• The tread — the flat part you stand on.
• The riser — the vertical part between one tread and the next.

Measure both, front to back and top to bottom, and add them together. A typical UK step comes to somewhere around 45cm, but measure yours rather than trusting that — older houses vary a lot.

Step two: multiply by your number of steps

Count the steps, not the treads you can see from the bottom. If your staircase has 13 steps and each one measures 45cm, that is 13 × 0.45 = 5.85 metres.

Step three: add for the extras

Now add:

• Landings. Measure any flat landing the runner crosses and add it in full.
• Winders (the wedge-shaped turning steps). These eat more carpet than a straight step because the runner has to be cut and turned. Add roughly an extra half step for each winder.
• A safety margin. Add 20–30cm overall. Carpet cannot be made longer after it is cut, and the offcut costs far less than a remake.

So our 13-step staircase with a small landing and two winders might come to about 7 metres — which is why 7m is where our lengths start.

Step four: check the width

Our runners are 60cm wide as standard. On most UK staircases that leaves a pleasing margin of bare wood either side. Measure the width of your treads: if they are under about 75cm, 60cm may look tight, and it is worth a phone call before ordering.

Choosing your length on the site

Lengths run from 7 metres to 20 metres in one-metre steps, and the price updates as you choose. Round up, never down. A runner that is 30cm too long can be trimmed at the bottom step. One that is 30cm too short cannot be rescued.

A note on pattern

If you are choosing a herringbone or a strong stripe, the pattern runs along the length of the runner. On a staircase with winders, the turn will interrupt it — that is normal and unavoidable, but worth picturing before you order.

Not confident?

Order three samples for £5.99 first. They arrive edged, so you can see the whole combination, and it buys you time to measure twice.