The Basement Stairs: Runner Installed

Remember back in September when I installed some shelves and made our basement stairs into a more useable storage space?  Well, it's useful for sure but it's never been aesthetically pleasing..... that and the fact that the stairs in our house seem to invite people to fall, slip and slide down them. It seemed time to do something about the slippery treads. Here is what the stair looked like after the storage install but before doing anything about the stairs:

I remembered Jenny's stair runner install from Little Green Notebook and a similar DIY on Young House Love.  I had been searching for runners but our stairs are narrow and a lot of them were 30-36" wide.  I needed a 24" wide runner in order to make this work. And I wanted to do it on the cheap.  I had been perusing Urban Outfitters and came across a bunch of runners on sale.  After thinking through my options I opted for this one which was darker in color and had a smaller pattern (given the size of the stair treads and the wear). I got myself two at $44 a pop - great deal! I also got myself two runner length carpet pads from Targetwhich I cut to fit each tread and also purchased the handy Stanley electric brad gun recommended by Young House Love (so much cheaper than the other more industrial strength staple guns out there - and no air compressor necessary).  I can't believe I survive so many upholstery projects without this staple gun. What was I thinking?  Anyways - now I know.  The project was really a breeze. I finished it in probably a hour total (with a break in the middle). I think the only issue is that the runners were a tad short so the bottom stair isn't totally covered but it actually doesn't look that odd.  Here we are mid install.

And the final product.

The pad is really key - it makes it so that the runner doesn't slip and it really makes the steps so much more cushy.  I think it dresses up the stair area nicely although I still sort of wish I could make the storage look a little more pleasing.

Stay tuned for more attic play room updates in the coming days!