My stairs had sadly become a giant cat scratcher, and they were in desperate need of a makeover. In this post, I share how I used the Ikea SÖLLINGE rugs to make a DIY stair runner for less than €85.
A few years back, I painted my wooden stairs, and the paint had held up well. However, the carpet runner I bought didn’t last. I got a wool carpet runner made to fit my stairs, but after a few years of cat scratching, it had become fluffy and grubby.
I didn’t want to spend a fortune on a new stair runner, so I decided to DIY one.
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Why use Ikea rugs for a stair runner?
As I live in a bungalow, my stairs are narrower than regular size stairs. I originally wanted to use the HELLESTED runner, but this measured 80cm in width, which was the width of my step.
I settled on the SÖLLINGE rugs as these measured 65cm wide. The SÖLLINGE rugs are flat woven and durable, hopefully making it harder for my cat to pick.
My main reason for using the Ikea rugs for a runner was the price. I was able to recarpet my stairs for €85! A few years ago, I spent a few hundred on the wool carpet. So, I saved some pennies on this project.
I did look online on Wayfair and Etsy for runners, as two of m favourite YouTuber’s did DIY stair runners using fancier carpet. Both Alexandra Gater and The Sorry Girls have DIY stair runner videos where I got my inspiration.
How I refreshed my stairs
I began by pulling up the old carpet, and this is much easier than you think. Using a crowbar, I tugged any hard staples and then lifted the old carpet up.
I kept the underlay and carpet grippers, and I reused them as these were still in good condition.
Using some degreaser, I cleaned the painted wood. I primed and painted my stairs to refresh them, and I painted them in Colourtrend “Arctic Blonde”.
Attaching the Ikea rugs to make the stair runner
For my stairs, I used 5 SÖLLINGE rugs. I started at the bottom, using a staple gun to attach the rugs to the wooden stairs.
You can rent a carpet staple gun or use a staple gun that can shoot carpet staples.
I stapled underneath the step and tried to hide the staples as best I could.
The hardest part was doing the curved corner at the top, but I used my old carpet as a template for cutting the pieces for the curved step.
I wanted to get a nice smooth finish, so I made sure to pull the rugs tight so they wouldn’t bunch or be wrinkly.
Overall, this project took me the weekend, and the longest part was waiting for the paint to dry.
I do think I will add some stair rods, and I found some on Amazon that is in my budget. Click here to see.
Leaving my landing bare
I have a small landing area at the top of my stairs that leads into my master bedroom. I finished the stair runner on the top step and left the landing with the exposed painted wood.
I popped down a small rug I got from Wayfair and styled it with a basket and mirror. My landing area has no window and lacks natural light, so I used the large mirror to give the illusion of more space.
Has the cat tried to pluck them yet?
Yes! The first thing Blondie did was have a scratch on them. As the rugs are more durable than the wool, they are harder to ruin. If they become worn from Blondie, I can replace any worn areas with one of the €17 SÖLLINGE rugs.
Click here to watch the full-length YouTube video on how I styled my stair runner.
I hope that you enjoyed this post and found it helpful. As a bonus, I have a video of the finished product – click here to watch! Do you need to refresh your stairs? Let me know in the comments below. Thanks for reading, chat soon, Catherine.
