That installer who said not to use double-sided tape on stairs was dead wrong

Guy named Dave from a job in Phoenix told me double-sided tape was the only way to keep stair carpet from lifting, but after 3 months the tape dried out and the whole riser peeled off. Anyone else had a stair install fail because of bad advice from some random?

2 comments

2 Comments

stella_scott966h ago

So 3 months is actually pretty generous for double-sided tape on stairs in my experience. I swear there's this whole subculture of contractors who learned their trade from a guy who learned from a guy and nobody ever stops to ask if the method actually works long term. It's like that urban legend about putting a brick in your toilet tank to save water, someone somewhere insisted it was genius until everyone realized it just broke the flapper. Tape on stairs is basically the same deal, everyone wants a fast fix but stairs take a real beating from foot traffic and temperature changes.

mark_chen623h ago

See it a bit different honestly. Stairs see a ton of abuse but high quality double sided tape from a brand like 3M can hold up way longer than 3 months if you prep the surface right and don't cheap out on the tape. That brick in the toilet analogy is a stretch, tape failing usually comes down to bad installation or using the wrong type for the job.