Pile direction on stairs

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Like High said, kicking ifin you dont have to is a waste of energy. A big mallet and a stair tool has always worked great for me. In fact that method got me hired on in SF cuz thats the way the boss did it. When he came in and saw me tooling those waterfal steps he said I was his stair man. That was good and bad.
All it takes is a slip and your knap is jacked with a crummy kicker. Although I do bump the sides tight. When I measure a stair case I cut it slightly less than net.

That's why you carry a disposable razor in the tool box. You can shave of the fuzzies.

Daris
 
As a general rule, running the nap backwards is a really bad idea. In a piece that really lays down, you're creating a problem. It's supposed to run down the stairs. It has more to do with the angle of the nap. If there isn't a hard angle in one direction, it really doesn't matter. But if it's some 25 ounce, shiny piece that has a pronounced direction even after you stand it up, it's going to do a cornrow sort of thing over time.
 
That's confirmation bias, though. My dad taught me the same thing and I never really questioned it. It seemed obvious. I figured we all agreed until I actually heard people who claimed to give a darn about their "craftsmanship" make argument in favor of running it backwards because of how much easier it was for the guy putting it in. That seems a lame rationale to me.
 
BTW: The dumbest argument in favor of running it backwards has to be the "safety" canard. Really? The old lady's hip woulda been broken if not for the courageous decision to run the nap backwards?

There is an awful lot of jacking off in this industry at every level.
 
This what the new CRI 105 says on the subject.

15.4 Carpet Direction
It is recommended that machine direction of the carpet be installed in the length direction of the stairs.
NOTE: Most manufacturers recommend carpet pile direction run down the stairs.

When I was installing I tried to run the nap direction across the stairs, sort of a compromise to the up down thing, and less slippery. But than carpet was a whole different animule.

Running up the stairs caused "grinning" while down the stairs made it slick.

Mike
 
I have always made sure the nap brushes up, going up the stairs. It's the way I was taught. I assume it had something to do with dinosaur traffic.
 
I always have the pile picking up going towards the crotch, Less chance of the kicker slipping across the face .
 
As the old say goes: Down the stairs and out the door.
But all in all it don't really make a difference. The only time I'd put them on sideways is if it is a patterned carpet and it is running sideways to the stair to keep pattern in tune with the floor.
Another time of going sideways is if I was short of carpet and that was the only pieces left that fit.

Daris
 
As the old say goes: Down the stairs and out the door.
But all in all it don't really make a difference. The only time I'd put them on sideways is if it is a patterned carpet and it is running sideways to the stair to keep pattern in tune with the floor.
Another time of going sideways is if I was short of carpet and that was the only pieces left that fit.

Daris
Only logical way is down down down....... Any other method defies logic. You don't pet a porcupine backwards you don't spit into the wind. ...you don't start installing 3 tab roofing from the bottom up
............never mind that last one. :eek:
 
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Seriously, it was because before vacuums they used a broom. If the nap was going up the stairs it would just throw the dirt back to the crotch.
See how smart I am.

Daris

I forgot that you'd mentioned that before... how'd you remember that?
What if you wanted to sweep it up to the top where the garbage can is located? :D
 

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