I get it 100%. The binder is wrong. He or She should balance it and give you the width you want. 24 inches is very narrow,

Mine is bound. No regrets, and no catches, and it's been over 10 years. I'd be more concerned with wear from having the carpet tucked under. I just went and looked, and the pile is thick enough that it stands higher, well up compared to the bound edge. I can't see how anything could catch on it. I do use the big vacuum with beater bar on it, too.

If the person at HD got the length right and it is a continuous piece, they need to hire out to carpet companies. I have never seen or heard of someone being able to do that. Runners are generally secured(stapled) to the top riser and covered with a piece of nosing that covers the raw edge. Then stapled to the bottom of that riser after tucking it into the angle with a stair tool. Then the pad on the tread and wrap the material over the edge of the tread and use the stair tool to tuck into the bottom of the next riser. When you get to the floor, generally the runner is folded under to make an even end, which is stapled to the bottom of the bottom riser.

After a flood from a 2nd floor broken pipe, the sisal on my stairs was destroyed. Stairs were refinished and looked so nice I didn't put anything on them. It's a VERY narrow staircase, and it's the first thing one sees when one opens the front door. Now, over 18 years later, my 12 yr old Cavalier, was having trouble with those uncarpeted stairs. She would lose her grip with her hind legs and come down way too fast, ending up in a heap at the bottom. Clearly, not an option. I tried holding her collar and going down one step at a time - it worked but not really a great solution as I need to be careful myself! So, I ordered seagrass carpet treads, bound in a very dark black/brown twill tape. They have a rubber backing and are to be taped down with carpet tape. I haven't taped them yet as I need to have the painted risers re-painted (cleaning women with vacuum damage). But just the rubber backing is holding them in place in the meantime and they look quite nice. My precious Shimmer, can now once again go down the stairs unaided - helps her going up at night as well. Can't remember where I ordered them - can't find charge on my AmEx bill. They came as a set of 13 and cost about $150 for the entire set. It's a great, inexpensive solution that is easy for dogs!