Do stick-on carpeted stair treads work or are they a waste a money that will destroy your hardwood stairs? I tried Pure Era carpeted stair treads from Wayfair to find out!
I love the look of hardwood stairs, but my house bunny, James, was having a hard time getting up and down our basement stairs. That just won’t do! I looked into adding a runner, but that was way more involved (and destructive!) then I had thought, so I thought I would try these easy, fairly affordable adhesive stair treads that I found on Wayfair and pult them to the test.
Project cost, time, and skill overview
Table of Contents
- Materials list
- Step 1: Thoroughly clean your stairs
- Step 2: Measure your treads and make a simple template
- Step 3: Peel the plastic off of the adhesive backing
- Step 4: Lay the carpeted stairs treads down
- Reveal
- The pros and cons of Pure Era Non-Slip Bullnose carpeted stair treads
- Shop the look
Materials list
- Pure Era Bullnose Carpet Stair Treads – I actually bought these for $177 on Wayfair, but now I see they are $129 on Amazon (see link)
- Vacuum cleaner for stairs – I have the Dyson Animal, which is cordless and swivels on the stairs for thorough and easy cleaning
- Swiffer sweeper with wet cloths for wood
- Piece of stiff cardboard
- Scissors to cut cardboard
- Measuring tape
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Step 1: Thoroughly clean your stairs
You will need to clean your stairs thoroughly before applying the adhesive stair treads. If there is any dust or dirt on your stairs, the adhesive will stick to that instead of the wood. I vacuumed thoroughly with my Dyson Animal vacuum and then ran a Swiffer Sweeper over them with the wet cloths made just for wood. Then, I put a dry cloth on the swiffer to give each tread a final sweep right before I attached the stair treads.
Step 2: Measure your treads and make a simple template
Since the treads don’t run the full length of the stairs, they will be centered on each step. There are various ways you can do this. Here’s what I did: I laid the carpeted stair tread down on the stair and eyeballed the center. When it looked close to center, I measured the remaining wood on each side until the sides matched. So if you have 1.75″ inches on one side, you want 1.75″ on the other side.
Once you have it positioned how you’d like it, take a piece of cardboard and cut it so it fits perfectly on the left side of your stair treads. This will be your template. Now, instead of having to measure every stair, you just place the template on the left side and place the carpet right next to it, and you know it will be perfectly positioned each time.
Step 3: Peel the plastic off of the adhesive backing
Now, this was a little tricky. The plastic on the back of these treads does not come off cleanly. It’s not terrible, but it’s not ideal either. It takes a minute to carefully peel off the plastic, being sure that it’s compeletely off. You can hold it up to the light to make sure it’s all off.
Step 4: Lay the carpeted stairs treads down
Now, lay your template down on the stair and place the carpeted tread so it sits right against the template on the left, and placing the back of the tread firmly against the stair. If it’s straight, go ahead and press the carpet firmly down with your hands, and then step on it with your feet over the entire tread to make it adhere fully. If it’s not straight, don’t worry. Just lightly lift it off and try again. It will be fine.
Reveal
These turned around really great. For the ease of installation and the relatively low cost, I think they look attractive, feel great on my feet, and most importantly James Bunny loves them! He now bounds up and down the stairs at his whim.
The pros and cons of Pure Era Non-Slip Bullnose carpeted stair treads
Pros: My two major concern before I tried these were 1) Will they not adhere well and constantly coming loose, or conversely 2) Will they adhere so thoroughly that they will ruin my stairs.
Fortunately, neither of these concerns were warranted. I did a test with one step the night before the project and laid one tread. The next morning, I checked it out, and it was firmly adhered. Then, I very slowly peeled it off. It came off smoothly and left absolutely zero residue on the stair! I’ve now had these in for about 3 weeks and none of them have come up at all. I feel confident that if I ever want to remove these, they’ll come off easily with no damage to the stairs.
Con: I have only one con. The plastic on the back could be easier to pull off. It wasn’t a huge deal, honestly, but it added a tiny bit of frustration to the process.
One word of caution: I would advise against putting these on the top step as, even when it’s adhered correctly, it’s raised off the floor and could be a tripping hazard. Plus, it looks kind of weird. But you do you! Just be careful.
Shop the look
Wayfair has a ton of these carpeted stair treads available. I like the bullnose version because they lend a more finished touch, and I think it makes them easier for James Bunny to climb. However, they also have versions that just lay on top of the stairs. I’m now realizing that the ones I bought are on the more expensive end. While I can’t speak to the quality of any others, there are many on Amazon ranging anywhere from $29.99 to $100 +. Here are some cute ones I’ve seen:
- The exact ones I have on sale at Amazon for $129 – I used Ivory but they have a number of colors and patters available.
- Sofia Rugs Stair Treads
- Antep Rugs Non Slip Stair Treads
As an Amazon affiliate, I earn on qualifying purchases.
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