Guide · For the trade
Stair runner with landing: the four layouts and how to order each
A stair runner with landing is specified one of four ways: the runner continues straight across the landing, the runner turns the corner with a mitered seam, the landing is carpeted edge to edge as a field with the runners entering and leaving it, or the landing is made as a bound mat in the runner's material with a border. The landing's size, the pattern and the budget decide which, and the choice changes the yardage by as much as a full runner width per turn.
This guide is for the designer or the junior drawing a stair with a landing and writing the order: the landing types, the four layouts, the yardage, what the order must say, and the questions clients ask. Fastening, pad and the waterfall-versus-Hollywood decision are in the stair runner installation guide, and the patterns themselves in the patterned stair runner guide.
The landing types you are drawing
A straight-run landing is a rest platform in a single flight, usually 36 to 48 inches deep and the width of the stair. A quarter-turn landing, the L, turns the stair 90 degrees on a square platform, typically 36 to 42 inches a side. A half-turn landing, the U or switchback, turns it 180 degrees on a platform twice the stair width, 72 to 84 inches wide by 36 to 42 deep. Winders replace the landing with pie-shaped treads and are handled tread by tread. Measure the platform in both directions and photograph the newel and balusters, because the reveal is set from them.
Layout one: the runner continues across
On a straight-run landing, the runner crosses the platform at its stair width and carries on up, with the same 3 to 5 inch reveal on each side. On a quarter-turn where the client wants a runner throughout, the runner comes to the inside corner and a second length starts at 90 degrees, butted and seamed. The butt joint shows on anything but a solid or a fine texture, which is why the mitered turn exists.
Layout two: the mitered turn
A stair runner with landing turn in a stripe, a border or a plaid is mitered: the two lengths meet on a 45 degree seam at the inside corner, so the stripe changes direction cleanly and the border runs continuously around the outside. The miter is cut and seamed by the finisher on a bound runner or on site on a woven one, and it costs one full runner width per turn, plus a pattern repeat for the match. On a half-turn landing there are two miters and a straight piece between them. Specify the miter in the order and say which edge is the outside of the turn; it is the most visible seam in the house.
Layout three: the landing as a field
On a landing larger than about 42 inches a side, or wherever the pattern is a large repeat, a trellis, a floral or an animal print, the landing is carpeted edge to edge in the runner's material and the runners enter and leave it. The field is stretched wall to wall on the platform over the same dense pad, and the shorter flight's runner meets it at a seam under the first nosing. This is what designers mean by "carpet landings", it hides the turn, and it takes the platform's area in broadloom, usually 1 to 2 square yards, cut from the same roll.
Layout four: the bound landing mat
Where the runner is a bound broadloom with a fabric or leather border, the landing can be made as a bound mat in the same material with the same border, sized to the platform minus the reveal, and the runners meet it at their ends. It is the custom stair runner with landing answer: the border runs around the mat, the runners' borders meet it, and the stair reads as one tailored piece. The mat is made by our finisher with the runners, in 3 to 5 weeks; the rug borders guide has the border widths.
What each layout does to the yardage and the lead time
| Layout | Best for | Extra goods per landing | Who makes the turn |
|---|---|---|---|
| Runner continues | Straight-run landing; solids on a quarter-turn | Landing depth plus one repeat | Installer, butted seam |
| Mitered turn | Stripes, borders, plaids | One runner width plus one repeat per turn | Finisher (bound) or installer (woven) |
| Field landing | Large landings, large repeats, prints | Platform area, 1 to 2 sq yd | Installer, wall to wall |
| Bound landing mat | Bordered runners | Platform area plus border | Finisher, with the runners |
The repeat is the number that surprises people: a runner in a 36 inch repeat needs a full repeat added at every seam, and a half-turn stair with two miters can add 2 yards. The pattern repeat guide has the arithmetic and the carpet yardage guide the stair formula.
Which way the pattern runs on the landing
The pattern follows the direction of travel on the longer flight; a stripe never runs across a landing. Any mismatch is placed at the bottom of the upper flight, where the eye is on the step, and on a field landing the motif is centered on the platform. Tell the installer where the match is made; left to the crew, it is made where the cut is easiest.
What the order must say
- Stair count above and below each landing, tread and riser dimensions, and the landing's two dimensions.
- Landing type and the layout chosen from the four above.
- Runner width and reveal, and whether the reveal continues on the landing.
- Pattern direction and where the match falls.
- Border, binding and whether the landing mat is bound to match.
- Pad: 1/4 to 3/8 inch dense felt or rubber under runner and landing alike.
With that, our team confirms the yardage, has the finisher cut the miters or the mat, and briefs the installer in the client's city.
Questions designers ask
How is a stair runner with a landing ordered?
As one order with the layout named: the runner length for each flight, the landing treatment, the pattern direction, the border and the pad. Send the plan and photos of the turn, and we confirm the yardage before the goods are cut.
Should a runner be mitered or seamed at a landing turn?
Mitered for a stripe, a border or any pattern with a direction. Butt-seamed only on a solid or a fine texture where the seam disappears. For a large repeat, neither: carpet the landing as a field and let the runners meet it.
Should the landing be carpeted wall to wall or left as a runner?
Under about 42 inches a side, keep the runner and its reveal across the landing so the stair reads as one line. Above that, carpet it as a field; a wide landing with a narrow runner across it looks like a path through a room.
How much extra does a landing add to a stair runner?
On a straight landing, the landing's depth plus one repeat. On a mitered turn, a runner width plus a repeat per turn. On a field or bound landing, the platform's area. For a typical half-turn stair that is 2 to 3 extra linear yards, the cost of three or four steps.
Can a stair runner with a landing be done in sisal?
Yes, with the bound-mat layout, because sisal cannot be seamed invisibly. A bordered sisal landing mat with bordered runners is a classic answer; the sisal stair runner guide has the limits.
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