Free design tool
Custom stair runner designer
Happy with your design? Get it priced.
Send your spec to vetted stair runner suppliers and fitters and compare real quotes. Free, no account.
What does the custom stair runner designer do?
The custom stair runner designer lets you build a runner spec in the browser: set your stair shape, step count, tread and riser, choose the fibre, construction, width, edge binding and pad, then draw the stripe or motif in any of 68 catalogue colours and 26 stripe or motif patterns. It previews the runner up the flight, in section, flat as a cut sheet and projected into a photo of your own staircase, and returns the finished length, order length with waste, per-step cut list, seam plan and an itemised estimate you can download as a PDF quote. It is free and needs no account.
How to design a custom stair runner
- Measure one step: tread depth, riser height and the clear stair width between strings.
- Add each flight with its step count, and the depth of any half or quarter landing between them.
- Choose the fibre and construction — wool, sisal, flatweave or hand loomed — and the runner width, leaving an even reveal of bare tread each side.
- Pick the install method: waterfall, cap and band, or Hollywood. It changes both the look and the length.
- Draw the pattern: solid, inset border, awning, ticking, or a woven motif, then check the contrast readout so the stripe still reads from the bottom of the flight.
- Upload a photo of your stairs, set the four corners, and judge the colour and scale in your own light before you order.
What the designer gives you
- Finished length, order length with waste, area and tread reveal.
- A per-step cut list showing where each stripe lands on the nosing.
- A seam plan and how many runner widths fit across the roll.
- Validation warnings — runner wider than the stair, reveal too tight, no pad.
- A branded PDF quote, a printable spec sheet and a shareable design link.
Start with the numbers: our stair runner calculator also works as a stair runner length calculator, adding nosing wrap, landings, winders, pattern repeat and waste so you order the right length first time.
Frequently asked questions
Is the stair runner designer free?
Yes. Designing, previewing on your own staircase photo, downloading the PDF quote, exporting a PNG and sharing a design link are all free with no account and no payment. You only give an email if you choose to send the finished design for a quote.
Can I see the runner on my own stairs?
Yes. Upload a photo of your staircase, click the four corners of where the runner should sit and the design is projected into your photograph, including stripes, motifs, binding and the lighting wash. Drag any corner to fine-tune the fit.
How does it work out the runner length?
Each step costs tread depth plus riser height plus a nosing allowance that depends on the install method — waterfall adds no wrap, Hollywood about 1in and cap-and-band about 2in — plus the nosing profile extra. A bottom-step allowance and any run-on at the top are added too and listed in the cut list. Winders bill at 1.35 of a straight step, landings are added at their measured depth, and the order length adds waste of 8% plus extras for pattern matching, motifs, hand-loomed cloth and multiple flights.
Can I design a runner for a staircase with landings or winders?
Yes. You can add unlimited flights, each with its own label, step count, tread, riser, width, winder count and nosing profile, with landing depths between them. Curved and spiral flights are flagged as needing a site template, and any length or price shown for them is only a rough guide.
Are the prices accurate?
The prices are indicative catalogue placeholders used to size a budget, not a supplier quote. Use them to compare fibres, widths and install methods, then confirm the final figure with your retailer or fitter.
Do I need to sign up to save or share a design?
No. The share link encodes the whole design in the URL, so you can bookmark it or send it to a fitter without an account. You can also download the full specification as JSON or a printable spec sheet.