Measuring for a Hollywood installation

Hollywood — sometimes called cap and band or upholstered style — contours the runner tightly around every nosing and into every corner. It is the more tailored, more expensive-looking finish.

It also needs more material: budget an extra 1 to 2 inches per step over a waterfall fit.

Your staircase

Optional starting measurements

Example measurements only, not building-code advice. Replace them with measurements from your own stairs.

Check a few steps before using one set of measurements for the whole flight.

Number of stairs

Count the tread-and-riser pairs the runner will cover. Exclude landings.

Tread depth (in)

Measure the runner path across the flat tread. Fractions like 10 1/2 work.

Riser height (in)

The vertical face between two treads.

Waste allowance

Custom%

10% is the starting allowance here, not a guarantee. Ask your fitter about patterns and turns.

Add a nosing / overhang allowance per step

Enter the extra runner path around the edge, including any underside wrap. Do not add it twice if it is already included in your measurements.

Your runner estimate

20 ft 3.1 in

Total runner required for 13 steps, including a 10% waste allowance.

Total runner length in each unit
Inches	243.1 in
Feet	20.26 ft
Feet & inches	20 ft 3.1 in
Yards	6.75 yd
Meters	6.17 m
Centimeters	617.47 cm

Length to order

21 ft

7 yd · 6.4 m · 252 in

This calculator provides an estimate based on the measurements and installation assumptions you enter. Complex, curved or winder staircases may require professional measurement.

One step, shown in profile

Side elevation of a staircase. The runner travels across each tread and down each riser, so every step consumes tread depth plus riser height of material.

Length for Hollywood style

Steps × (tread + riser + nosing wrap). With a 1.5 in wrap on a 15 step flight that is 22.5 in more than the bare figure — the calculator's nosing allowance field is exactly this number.

Fitting requirements

Hollywood needs a runner that will bend cleanly, a good underlay and a stair tool. It takes longer to fit, so labour rates are usually higher per step.

Best with patterned runners

Because the runner hugs the profile, patterns read continuously up the flight rather than breaking at each nosing. Add 15% waste if the pattern must line up on every tread.

Questions people ask

How much more runner does Hollywood style need?: Roughly 1 to 2 inches per step, which is 15 to 30 inches on a typical flight.
What is cap and band?: Another name for Hollywood installation — the runner is wrapped tightly over the tread nosing and into the riser corner for a tailored, upholstered look.

Related guides

See all stair runner calculator guides