Staircase Carpets and Runners in Cambridge
Choosing a floor can be a challenge at the best of times, but have you realised that choosing a floor on the stairs brings a whole new set of things to think about?
Here we unpick some of these considerations around choosing the perfect staircase flooring and discuss all things carpets, including it is suitable, how it will look and how it will wear.
Have a look at our thoughts on carpets on stairs to help you make an informed choice.
3 reasons why you would put carpet on stairs
Noise – Stairways can be echoey – you may be particularly aware of this if you live in a terrace or a semi, as you hear the neighbours go up and down their stairs. Or maybe you have heavy-footed children who clomp up and down your own stairs.
Safety – Hard surface stairs like wooden stairs or other hard surfaces can have a higher slip and fall risk, making carpeted stairs a safer option. Being softer, carpets can also provide a softer landing should you fall.
Warmth – Carpets makes any room feel warmer and will do the same on the stairs. They offer a lovely soft, warm, homely feel underfoot.
Carpets combined with a decent underlay (more on that later) really help dampen the noise levels so will help reduce the sounds that you hear from the stairs as people walk up and down.
Hard surfaced stairs like wood, or laminate will naturally be noisier with foot traffic on them.
What is the best carpet material for my stairs?
So now you know why you want carpet let’s look at which carpet materials to choose. We would generally advise a wool or wool mix carpet for an area like stairs.
Carpets on stairs should be hardwearing, after all, they take a lot of foot traffic day in day out and can take a bit of a beating.
Wool is a sustainable and natural fibre which is highly durable, resilient and easy to clean and so will stay looking better for longer in high traffic areas.
Synthetic carpets look and feel soft, and have a beautiful sheen but they aren’t hardwearing like wool so won’t look good for so long on a staircase. The synthetic fibres will start to compress or flatten over time and not bounce back like wool, so are more suited to less busy areas like bedrooms.
Do you need Underlay?
ALWAYS! Choosing the right underlay for your new stair carpet will make it more durable and can also reduce impact sound.
What about carpet runners on stairs?
This is another great option. If you don’t want your staircase covered entirely in carpet a runner is a super option as it gives the noise reduction and the warm feel offered by a carpet but can also add a different feel or style to the home.
Stair Carpet Runners can be made from most carpets, often they will be cut to size and edged with either a binding tape or cotton whipping, alternatively Off the Loom flatweave carpet runners are 100% wool so are very hardwearing and they look wonderful too.
Final Thoughts on Stair Carpeting
Carpets on stairs reduce noise, are safer than wood and add warmth.
We advise wool or wool mix over a synthetic for the stairs due to durability and cleanability!
Think carefully about the pile – do you have pets and does the carpet pass the “grin test”?
Do you want a carpet or is a runner an option?
Always choose an underlay, for better sound reduction and durability.
Here's your invitation
We’d like to invite you to book an appointment at our Milton Road showroom so that we can get to know your requirements and discuss your project in more detail.
This will give you the opportunity to see the different options available to you, ask questions and find what would work best for your home.
We work on an appointment-only basis to offer you the best service we can, so please use the form below to get booked in!