Rant: Why do people keep stretching carpet the wrong way on stairs?

Noticed three jobs this month where the installer ran the stretch parallel to the tread instead of perpendicular, so the carpet started wrinkling after two weeks, has anyone else seen this mess?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_sam1mo ago

Man I swear I read somewhere that the issue is how the backing fibers line up with the stair flex, like if you stretch it parallel they just buckle under the pressure of footsteps because there's no give. Makes total sense why it'd wrinkle so fast on the tread nose.

the_olivia1mo ago

Ran across that exact issue last month on a split-level. Told the homeowner straight up the carpet was gonna buckle in the middle of the tread within weeks because the fibers can't flex lengthwise. Parallel run looks smooth for about ten minutes, then you get that sag right where people step. Had to tear out a whole hallway set once because they stretched it along the nose instead of over it. Keep the stretch perpendicular to the tread and tack it tight at the riser, that's the only way it stays flat.

umar491mo ago

Ugh, been there! @the_olivia nailed it though, especially with that split-level issue. My cousin tried the same thing on his stairs and ended up with a wrinkle right where the dog's paws hit every day.