How to Install a Low-Cost Stair Runner

Jaime used painter's tape to make sure the runner would be centered on the stairs.

She cut padding—a thin sheet of felt usually sold as underlayment for laminate flooring—into rectangles slightly narrower than the width of the runner.

She adhered the padding to the treads with blue double-sided carpet tape, pulling the felt over the nose of each step. Then she added more carpet tape for the runner.

Starting from the top, Jaime affixed the runner, securing it with staples in the corners of each tread and along the top and bottom edges. She used a painter's 5-in-1 tool to smooth the runner over the steps' risers and finished it off with square upholstery tacks.