The wrinkles on the stairs problem

Having carpets at home can make a massive difference to the whole vibe of the room. It can bring the look of the entire room together, or it could just stand out obnoxiously. To help the carpet to blend in with everything else in the place, people often go for a mellow colour. One drawback of going for standard colours for the carpet is that the smallest speck of dust or spot shows very clearly. Another quite obvious thing is the wrinkles that form on the carpet.

Carpet wrinkle on stairs

The most common and usually, the only cause of carpet wrinkles is that they were not appropriately stretched while being installed. Every carpet that is installed over padding has to be adequately pulled from one wall to the other so no wrinkles can form.

It is often done with the help of the mechanical tool called Power Stretcher. It uses two metal poles that are quite long. The wrinkles are more likely to form on carpets that are laid out on the staircase because it has to adapt to the changes in shape.

Reasons for wrinkles to happen on stairs

One of the reasons that wrinkles form so quickly on the carpet on the staircase is because the workers make the common mistake of stretching the carpet only horizontally. It is essential to stretch the carpet from all sides as it is normal for them to contract and expand.

Once the carpet is laid on the staircase after being stretched only horizontally, it loses its settings over time and thus, the wrinkles form.

In some cases, the problem is not with the way it was laid down, but it has to do with the way the carpet is. Although this is not a common occurrence, it happens because the latex in the carpet is quite weak and cannot handle the stretch.

Some other general causes of wrinkling can be something as simple as wear and tear. If there is much footfall on the carpet or if it has been there for a long time, then most probably the carpet would develop some wrinkles. If the dimensions that the carpet was initially cut out for have changed over time, then it is another reason for wrinkles to start showing.

How to fix the wrinkles on stairs

There are some steps that you could take to try and remove the wrinkles. This would help to give the carpet a whole new feel and a look. Just follow the steps below.

Proper tools: To properly undertake this task, you will need the proper tools. You could easily rent the equipment, like power stretcher and a knee kicker. Also, get yourself a carpet knife.

Loosen the carpet: You will want to loosen the carpet starting from the corners of the room. Remove any furniture from the area that might be a hindrance. Now, at an angle, set up the power stretcher

Stretch: Once the teeth have been set correctly, you have to push slowly and navigate using the handle. This would enable you to see the excess of carpet pile up towards the wall.

Cut: All that you have to do after this process is to cut the excess of the carpet so it can fit nicely into the room.

These steps could be applied to take care of the stairway wrinkles problem.

One thing that people do not pay enough attention to is that the condition that the carpet was under before it was laid out on the floor plays a significant role in deciding whether it would stretch adequately or not.

For example, if the carpet were in cold conditions for a long time before it was laid out, then it would be very elastic. So, when you spread it out on the staircase, you would see the wrinkles form over time as they stretch and lose their settings.

We repair carpets professionally, see our carpet repair page for more information.