Carpentry and Woodworking - Install Stair Skirt with existing carpet?

Hi, our house has new carpet, however the stairs don't have a stair skirt and I'd like to finish the look by installing one. Is it possible to install a stair skirt without ripping out the carpet? Or any suggestions on creating a faux stair skirt?

Thanks,

Welcome to the forums! If you are talking of installing a skirt on stair treads and risers that have carpet attached, no, I wouldn't try it. It would have been a snap to remove the existing treads and risers prior to installing the carpet and putting in a skirt, trimming the treads and risers and reinstalling them, but It's a little late for that.

I tend to agree. Unless you are a really good DIY, you have picked one of the most difficult trim items I can think of, especially with the stairs already in place. Hard for a pro, not recommended for a casual DIY.

Here's what you do. Tack your skirt board to the wall so it rests on the nosing of the top step and the nosing of the bottom step. Now picture that this board needs to come straight down vertically to cover the sheetrock and meet the steps. Lets say it needs to come down 8" for example. Now take your tape and measure up vertically from the front and back of each tread and make a mark at 8". Draw a line between these two marks and this will be your cut for the treads. Do the same on the top floor as well as the bottom floor. For your riser cuts, transfer a vertical line on your skirt that will line up with your riser, which may be on an angle. Always keep in mind that this board will be coming straight down 8" so the riser cut may not be plumb, it just needs to match what you have. You will get a much better job if you take the carpet out but this will work. You can do it.

Good luck!

Yes, fairly easy. Measure the over-all run as CVG said. Lay a 3' 1x4 on the nosings, anywhere, against the sidewall. Measure at right angles to the board for the depth of the skirt board to use. 2-3" above the nosing is good. Buy a 1x4 as long as the skirt will be, lay it on the nosings where the skirt will go. If it is taller than the skirt's width, rip it down. The apex of the riser/tread to the top meat over the nosings. It wants to sit on the nosings no higher than the skirt will install.
Measure your risers and treads, cut cardboard rectangles to match. Tape the cardboard pieces to the 1x?. - one on each tread. Remove the 1x? with cardboard patterns attached, set it on the skirt board, flush the tops, trace, cut, enjoy.
Be safe, G

Good ideas for a square set of stairs. No accounting was taken for bull noses, nor the carpet itself. Easy, not.

If the steps are bullnosed, transfer the profile of the riser and bullnose to the skirt above. Cut everything slightly smaller than the carpet as it lays there so you can push it slightly into the carpet when done to cover any gaps. Not exactly easy but an alternative to tearing the carpet out.

First thing I would do is make a template out of cardboard. Once you get it cut out to your likeing, transfer the pattern to your board.


If you overcut, whack it off and tape on a new piece of cardboard. IF you screw up that piece, pull it off and tape on a new one. Repeat as necessary until you get the fit you want. CArdboard is much cheaper than wood, and a lot easier to work with.