How Long Does Carpet Fitting Take? Room, Stairs & Whole House
Realistic timings for a single room, a full house and a staircase with a runner and rods.
The short answer
- A single room: around two hours, including lifting the old floorcovering and fitting new grippers and underlay.
- A straight staircase: often half a day. Stairs with winders, or a runner and rods, can take most of a day.
- Stairs and landing together: usually a full day.
- A whole house of three or four rooms plus hall, stairs and landing: one to two days.
Most people are surprised by how quickly a fitting job is done, and equally surprised by how long stairs take. Here is a realistic picture.
A single room is usually a couple of hours. That covers lifting the old floorcovering, checking and preparing the subfloor, fixing new gripper rods, laying the underlay and fitting and trimming the carpet.
A whole house is normally a day or two. Three or four rooms plus a hall, stairs and landing is comfortably a two day job for most homes, and we would rather take the extra time than rush the joins.
Stairs take longer than they look, particularly with winders or a runner and rods. Every tread and riser is cut and fixed individually, and a runner with rods has to be centred and set out so the margins are even the whole way up. A straight flight is often half a day; a staircase with winders and a landing can take most of one.
A few things change the timings. Furniture is the main one — our fitters will move normal furniture, but wardrobes and drawers need emptying beforehand. Lifting and taking away old flooring adds time, as does a subfloor that needs levelling or re-nailing once the old carpet comes up. Parking and access matter more than you would think when rolls have to be carried in and cut outside.
You can help by clearing small items and breakables, unplugging and moving electronics, and keeping pets in another room while doors are open.
When we measure we will tell you honestly how long your job will take and book a day that works around you.
How long does it take to carpet stairs?
Stairs are the part people underestimate most. Unlike a flat room, there is no single piece of carpet — every tread and riser is measured, cut and fixed on its own, and the gripper has to be set in the angle of each step so the carpet stays tight where it takes the most wear.
A straight flight of thirteen or fourteen steps is usually about half a day. Add winders — the wedge-shaped steps that turn a corner — and each one has to be cut and shaped individually, which can push the same staircase towards a full day.
A runner with rods takes longer again, because the runner has to be centred and set out so the margins down each side are even the whole way up, and the rods are fitted afterwards. If you are doing the landing at the same time, allow a full day in total.
If the old stair carpet is being lifted, add time for pulling out the old grippers and hundreds of staples and checking the treads underneath before anything new goes down.
Common questions
- How long does it take to fit a carpet in one room?
- Around two hours for a typical bedroom or living room. That includes lifting the old floorcovering, checking the subfloor, fixing new gripper rods, laying the underlay and fitting and trimming the carpet.
- How long does it take to carpet stairs?
- A straight flight is usually about half a day. A staircase with winders, or a runner and rods, can take most of a day because every tread and riser is cut and fixed individually.
- How long does it take to carpet a whole house?
- Three or four rooms plus a hall, stairs and landing is normally a one to two day job. We would rather take the extra time than rush the joins.
- Do I need to move my furniture before the fitters arrive?
- Our fitters will move normal furniture on the day. Wardrobes and chests of drawers need emptying beforehand, and it helps to clear small items and breakables and unplug electronics.
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