Overheard a guy at the supply shop say he never uses tack strip on stairs anymore

I was picking up some glue yesterday at the local Floor King in Columbus, and this older installer was telling the counter guy he's stopped putting tack strip on steps completely. Said he just glues everything down with a heavy duty adhesive and says it's way quieter and holds better over time. I've always done the standard tack strip and pad method. Has anyone else switched to no tack strip on stairs? Does it really hold up with heavy foot traffic?

3 comments

3 Comments

val_ramirez17d ago

Wait, he said NO tack strip at all? I had a buddy who tried that and his whole runner shifted after like six months. I cant imagine that holding up on the nose of the step with people stomping up and down every day.

taylor95717d ago

Oh man, that totally stinks for your buddy! I feel for him cause I made a similar mistake on my own stairs a few years back and it drove me crazy. You put all that work in and then six months later you're tripping over the edge of the runner every morning. It's brutal. That nose of the step is like the worst spot for this stuff too, with everyone's shoes grinding into it and the weight landing right there. I tried the double-sided carpet tape on the nose once and it was a joke after a few weeks with my dog tearing up and down. Honestly I think you just gotta bite the bullet and use the track strips even if they're a pain to install.

fionam1117d ago

Hang on @val_ramirez, was your buddy using a specific type of runner or just a regular rug pad? I keep seeing those carpet tile squares that are supposed to grip without tack strips, but I'm super skeptical about them holding up on stairs. That nose-of-the-step spot is the worst, you know, with kids and dogs sliding around. Did your buddy try adding extra adhesive or carpet tape along the edges?

-1