Tearing Out Carpet On Stairs

Not perfect wood but okay to paint black.

Tearing out carpet on stairs.

Removing carpet isn t as simple as ripping it up and throwing it out. Use the vise grips to pull the carpet free from the riser. I grabbed my razor cutting tool and made the first cut across the carpet at the top of the staircase. Grip the carpet with both hands for easier removal and to maintain balance and safety.

Unlike other parts of the house stairs have not been claimed by human occupants. On your picture frames across the floor. If there is carpet on the floor above the top stair cut the carpet under the nose of the top stair using a utility knife. Removed stare tacks and staples using a crowbar hammer and flat head screwdriver pliers would work too.

To remove carpet from stairs start at the top. Pulled up carpet and padding using gloves i used a pair of gardening gloves cutting the carpet with a box cutter. If there s a metal nosing at the top of the stairs pry it up to remove it. Here is a quick rundown of what i did.

Cut the carpet with a utility knife under the nose of the landing. Start at the top of the stairs and remove the carpet with the vise grips and utility knife. All this is done inside your house so just imagine where all the dust is going to go. Heck you will be finding it everywhere for the weeks to come.

If not cut the carpet near the top of the top riser grab the cut end and pull the carpet off the stairs by hand. This involves providing alternative scratching surfaces such as cat trees and posts. Wear gloves to protect your hands from the staples that hold the carpet in place. I left a 2 3 inch overhang when i made that first cut because i really didn t have a plan at that moment.

Replacing stair treads starts with tearing out carpet then staples and then cutting the old bullnoses. Train your cat out of scratching the staircase carpet. Teach your cat that scratching is fine but only on appropriate surfaces.