# Removing Staples From Stair Carpet
Full carpets and carpet runners on stairs are often held in place with a combination of tackless adhesive strips under the carpet and staples or tacks on top. Sometimes nails are used in lieu of staples or tacks. While it can be a time consuming task, it is important to carefully remove all staples, tacks and nails before attempting to lift carpeting off of the stairs. Otherwise, you may damage the carpet or cause injury to yourself.
Things You'll Need
- Safety goggles
- Utility work gloves
- Small needle nose pliers
- Flathead screwdriver
Instructions
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1
Go to the top of the stairs and start with the top stair.
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2
Inspect each stair closely. You may need to use your bare fingers to carefully feel for the staples in the carpet. Some staples may be visible. Pay close attention to the sections in the corners of the stairs and just under the lip of the stair above.
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3
Put on utility gloves. Grasp each staple with a needle nose pliers, squeeze the handles closed and pull the staple straight out.
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4
Stick the tip of a flat-head screwdriver just under the center of stubborn staples that won't come loose. Lift upward on the screwdriver handle to pry the staple loose.
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5
Pull out the loosened staples with the needle nose pliers. Repeat these steps for each additional stair until all staples are removed.
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1
Previous:
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