Guide · For the trade
Custom runner rugs: the three ways to get the exact width and length
Custom runner rugs are made three ways: cut from broadloom and bound to any width up to the roll and any length to 100 feet or more, in 3 to 5 weeks; woven to width on a mill's runner program, usually 26 to 36 inches wide, cut to length and finished, in 6 to 12 weeks; or hand-made to a drawing in 18 to 20 weeks after a strike-off. For a custom length runner down a 24-foot hall, the broadloom route is the answer nine times in ten; the other two are for a woven border, a pattern that has to turn a corner, or a design that is not in any line.
This guide is for the designer or the junior who has a hall, a gallery, a kitchen or a stair the standard 2x8 and 2.5x10 runners do not fit. It covers the three routes and when each applies, the arithmetic of cutting runners from a roll, length limits, corners and L-shapes, borders, the pad, the lead time and what we need to quote. The width and length rules for placing a runner in a hall are in the hall runners guide; standard sizes are in the runner sizes guide. This page is about getting one made.
Three routes to a custom size runner rug
| Route | Width | Length | Edge | Lead time | Use it when |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cut and bound from broadloom | Any, to the roll width (12 ft, 13 ft 2 in or 15 ft) | Any, along the roll; 100 ft and more | Binding, serging, or a fabric or leather border | 3 to 5 weeks | The hall is long or an odd width, the stair and hall should match, or the runner is sisal, wool loop or a flatweave |
| Mill runner program | Fixed widths, most often 26, 27, 31, 32 or 36 in | Cut to length from a continuous roll, usually to 50 ft | Woven selvage or a woven border; ends finished | 6 to 12 weeks | The client wants a woven-in border or a Persian or Oushak pattern with its own edge, and the width works |
| Full custom, hand-made | Any | Any, in sections for very long runs | Woven in, any design | Strike-off 4 to 6 weeks, production 18 to 20 weeks | A pattern that must turn a corner, a logo, a hand-knotted hall in a signature house |
Custom length runners: why length is never the problem
A runner cut from broadloom runs along the roll, so its length is limited only by the roll, 100 to 150 feet for most styles: a 20, 30 or 40 foot hallway runner is one piece with no seam. The mill runner programs are also continuous rolls cut to length. The only custom length runner made in sections is a hand-knotted piece over about 30 feet, woven in two and joined on site, with the sections drawn so the pattern meets.
Cutting runners from a roll: the arithmetic
A 12-foot roll is 144 inches wide, so across it the finisher gets five runners at 27 inches, four at 32 or four at 36; a 15-foot roll yields six, five or five. A single runner uses one width of the roll at the runner's length, and the rest of that width is paid for whether or not it is used, so cut the hall and the stair, or two halls, from the same width and the per-foot cost drops. Patterned broadloom must be cut with the pattern centered, and a 36-inch repeat will not center in a 32-inch runner, so ask us to check the repeat before promising a width. The carpet yardage guide has the room arithmetic.
Custom hallway runners that turn a corner
An L-shaped hall can take two runners meeting at the corner with a 4 to 6 inch gap, the usual answer, or one L-shaped runner mitered at 45 degrees, seamed on the back and bound or bordered around the whole outline, which is a bound-broadloom job. A solid or a small texture miters invisibly; a stripe miters into a chevron, which can be the point; a large pattern does not miter. Send the plan with both leg lengths and the width. Custom shapes beyond the L are in the custom shape rugs guide.
Borders, binding and serging on a custom runner
Binding, a 1 1/4 inch tape showing about 3/8 inch on the face, is the standard runner finish. Serging, yarn wrapped over the edge, is the finish for wool cut pile. A leather or fabric border, 2 to 3 inches wide on a runner, makes a sisal or a plain wool loop read as a decorated piece and ties the hall to the stair; narrower disappears, wider eats the field. Our binding and serging guide has the full comparison and the rug borders guide the widths and materials.
Custom runner rugs for stairs, kitchens and bedsides
Stair: cut the stair and hall runners from the same roll in the same width, and tell us the step count, tread and riser depths and whether the install is waterfall or Hollywood; figure about 20 inches per step plus landings. Kitchen: a polypropylene or solution-dyed nylon flatweave, bound, sized to leave 6 inches of floor at the toe kick; the kitchen runner guide has the length rule. Bedside: a pair of 30-inch by 8-foot runners cut from the bedroom's broadloom and serged. Logo runners for a lobby are hand-tufted work on the full custom timeline; see the logo rugs guide.
What we need to quote a custom runner
- Finished width and length, or the hall dimensions and we apply the 4 to 6 inch rule each side and 12 to 18 inches at each end.
- The broadloom style and color, or the look if you have not chosen; samples ship from the mill within 24 hours to trade accounts.
- Edge finish: binding, serging, or border with its material and width.
- Any corner, stair or landing, with a plan or a sketch.
- Ship-to address and the install date; we measure and install anywhere in the United States.
With that, a bound-broadloom quote comes back in a day or two, and the finished runner ships in 3 to 5 weeks from approval.
Questions designers ask
Can a runner be made in any length?
From broadloom, yes, up to the roll length, which is 100 feet or more for most styles, in one piece. Mill runner programs cut to length from continuous rolls, typically to 50 feet. Only hand-made runners over about 30 feet are made in sections.
Can a custom runner be made in any width?
From broadloom, any width, though 27, 32 and 36 inches are the sizes the pad and the stair hardware are made for. Mill programs are fixed at the widths they weave, most often 26 to 36 inches. Patterned broadloom is limited by where the repeat can be centered.
How long do custom runner rugs take?
Cut and bound, 3 to 5 weeks from approved sample. Woven to width on a mill program, 6 to 12 weeks. Hand-made, 4 to 6 weeks to a strike-off and 18 to 20 weeks after approval.
Can you make the hall runner and the stair runner match?
Yes, and it is the usual request: both are cut from the same roll in the same width and bound or bordered the same way. Order them together so they come from one dye lot.
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