Top 10 Tools Needed to Install a Stair Runner Properly

This is the workhorse of the job and your bread and butter. I personally like the Roberts gun for DIYers — it's a great entry-level tool that gets professional results without the massive price tag of industrial pneumatic guns. The Duo-Fast costs me about $300, while the Roberts is around $155, half the price, and in my opinion it works pretty damn good. Home Depot uses these Roberts guns for rentals at some of their rental centers. We run 9/16" staples with this.

The Roberts knee kicker is an industry standard. There are others, but most of us pros use a Roberts; they're the most popular and easy to grab from flooring supply shops and Amazon. Some big-box stores like Home Depot and Lowe's rent them for do-it-yourselfers. Just because it's called a "knee kicker" doesn't mean you have to beat your knees up — in my tutorials you'll see I mostly use the pad to apply pressure so the runner goes in tight and stays there.

I love my Roberts stair tool — I hammer the crap out of that thing. Use it with a hammer to crease the carpet into the crotch of the stair before you staple; that's what gives you those crisp, sharp angles that make the runner look like a pro installed it. I use one every day for tucking carpet under baseboards too. I could not do my job without one, and I promise you will never destroy it in your lifetime.

Any standard hammer will work fine — you probably have one lying around the house. We use it in partnership with the stair tool to set the crease and to flatten any staples that didn't go all the way in. I use a DeWalt hammer and I love it.

You will need staples and that's a fact, Jack! Don't use the wrong size — 9/16" staples give the perfect depth to hold through the runner and into the wood without pulling through the backing.

What can I say? Of course you'll need a tape measure. If you watch my videos, it's in my hand 90% of the time. I check my spacing on every single stair — if it's 4.5 inches on the left, it better be 4.5 inches on the right. That's what keeps the runner dead straight all the way up. Not all tape measures are created equal; here's one of my faves.

The Roberts carpet knife is also known as the Bloody Mary, LOL. It's a double-sided knife — sharp on the top and the bottom — so I can use both sides and change blades less often. It's the only knife I use personally, but I do not recommend it for newbies, hence the name. If you're just starting out, a standard heavy-duty utility knife works fine; just keep the blades fresh.

Beginner-friendly knife: check it here.

Roberts carpet shears are amazing — I love the big grippers and how sharp they are. I use them to cut the riser carpet down to the exact size for a perfect fit, and they're better than a knife for course-correcting your top riser cut: mark your line with a pencil and cut. Any sharp shears will work, but I'm loyal to a company when their tools are great.

In the carpet business we use a hammer stapler to staple down the underlayment — you just bang the staples in to hold the pad before the runner goes over it. Pro tip: if you're only doing one runner, you can use your Roberts electric gun instead, or even tuck tape, to save money and avoid extra holes in the wood.

Hammer stapler staples: check them here.

Most people don't think of this. When you cut your top riser, the open ends of the binding can fray over time — a little dab of hot glue on the corners keeps everything locked down. It's also great for holding the top riser in place if you don't want to put staples in your wood.