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August 17, 2007
Carpet on staircase - Yes or yuck???
We are considering getting runners for the stairs btw top 2 flrs & from the garden flr to Parlor. The advantage is we don't have to rebuild our staircase putting in new treads given the old ones are worn and won't look good just varnished. I imagine that it will also be good to dampen sound and help grip for kiddies running up & down. My wife is concerned that the carpets will be dust collectors & hard to clean. There is also the aesthetic question for a house that is a mix of carol gardens Italianate and plain modern with otherwise new wood floors.
Any thoughts would be much appreciated.
Comments
Any suggestions on stores with good carpet selections for brownstones stairs. What is the correct size for stairs? How much stair should show in relation to carpet.
Posted by: adamkidron at August 17, 2007 6:37 PM
I think it can look very nice if you select the right type for your home. Not in love with whats pictured but hard to say without seeing it in context.
As for non slip, I think carpets can sometimes be more slippery than hardwood so if thats a concern, Id just paint them.
Posted by: Mrs. Limestone at August 17, 2007 6:53 PM
OP: i don't like carpet in this picture that much either. Not really sure what works. Have a vague idea that a mid-dark tone color would be ok, in some sturdy short wool. Not sure about a border or minimal pattern. Definitely don't want a shiny perfect, symmetric 'persian' runner.
FYI We have gone to great lengths to use natural materials in our house. We are concerned about air quality.
Re painting, our assumption is that over time it would get chipped & dirty. Is this true? If not, what paint is good?
Posted by: going4broke at August 17, 2007 7:14 PM
We have carpet on the stairs with a matching runner in the hallway and small 4x6 matching carpet in the foyer... they have a tendency to get dusty and full of cat hair but regular vacuuming does the trick....i think it can look very nice as long at the carpet "matches" the house - in regards to slippery stairs i have personally seen my next door neighbors kids fall down the stairs three times when wearing socks and running down bear wood so i would have to say in that regard the carpet is definately safer
Posted by: guest at August 17, 2007 9:08 PM
I kind of like the iron bars, and a runner can look nice, but probably not the two-color example pictured.
Posted by: BrooklynCouch at August 17, 2007 9:13 PM
I have a nice industrial carpet, low maintenance in a warm color. You are focused on aesthetics, but noise is a concern too. I had no carpets for a while, whioh looked nice too, but the noise from the tenants as they thundered up and down the stairs was amazing. I live in the garden floor/parlor floor duplex. The difference with carpeting is night and day and it looks pretty too.
Posted by: donatella at August 18, 2007 12:41 AM
I hate *this* carpet, but I think you need to have something or you're going to round a corner in your socks and slip down the steps and crack your frickin spine. Poly'd wood stairs just plain ain't safe, for the old folks or the tots.
Posted by: Rehab at August 18, 2007 12:47 AM
We used individual treads like the link below and it looks great. Although our place is a bit more modern inside. Some of their patterns are a bit much, but they have solid colors as well.
http://www.lizaphillipsdesign.com/index.html
Posted by: guest at August 18, 2007 8:26 AM
ABC Carpet has some William Morris carpets that we are thinking of putting on our stairs, we are thinking of carpeting the whole stairs, not just a runner like in the pic. I think the William Morris patterns work really nicely with brownstones with lots of original details. We haven’t actually put the carpet in yet; we have heard from our contractor that you should finish any work you are intending to do (we are planning to redo our second floor bathroom) before adding the carpet as the workmen going up and down the stairs will ruin the new carpet. Once you decide what you are doing and have it installed, please post the pics, would love to see. Good luck!
Posted by: guest at August 18, 2007 11:37 AM
I definitely understand why some people go "yuck" over carpet on stairs, but after I slipped and fell 3 times on our wood stairs in the first few months here (I'm well coordinated, I swear I am!) and even my cat kept slipping and falling, we installed carpet. We chose the kind that goes from edge-to-edge because we also wanted to reduce noise. We love the carpet. It absolutely works in all respects I mentioned. Safety and noise reduction both. We had the matching hallway runner made too, like the other poster.
It's a pain to vacuum but it can be done in 15 minutes. No biggie. Lastly, get your carpet at Better Carpet Warehouse on Atlantic. Best prices all around, and they have lots of huge 100% wool remnants priced very well you can cover your stairs with. Get the edges edged in tape that's sewn on, if you want the runner down the center look, with bars. Carpet doesn't have be made and marketed as a runner. Any carpet works. I also make area rugs that way. Buy a wool remnant and have them cut it to size and finish the edges.
Posted by: traditionalmod at August 18, 2007 1:01 PM
Yeah, patterns are a good idea, 11:37. We chose a darker solid color and it's showing lint too much. To do it again I'd choose a dot or a harlequin pattern. Some English companies make amazing striped stair runners, in fantastic vibrant colors.
Posted by: traditionalmod at August 18, 2007 1:03 PM
I carpeted the center hall staircase in my home from the double parlor up to the third floor because the lower stairs, which are pine and not original to the house looked odd with all of the other wood detail and the upper staircases being all oak. In addition to the mismatched stairs some of the stairs were painted. The carpet that I chose is a berber pile and the earth tone colors compliment the decor. The carpet unified the space and also prevented my kids and pets from slipping on the stairs. I covered the entire stair and tread instead of using a runner. I just sweep or vacuum from top to bottom at least once a week to keep it clean. We don't wear shoes in our home and I have shoe/boot covers for any workers who may have to come upstairs but it would be best as previous poster stated, to wait until you complete your work upstairs before installation.
Posted by: B Square at August 18, 2007 1:17 PM
I put carpeting on my center hall staircase because the original lower staircase was replaced with ugly pine and the upper staircase is still the original oak. In
addition, some of the treads had been painted. I covered both the stair and tread from edge to edge with a berber pile which is easy to sweep or vacuum. It has multiple earthtone colors which compliment the oak details throughout the house. I would as a previous poster suggested, have it installed after major renovations on the upper floors. We don't wear shoes in our home and when workers need to access the upper floors I ask that they cover their boots/shoes with blue disposable covers that I purchased from janitorial supply store.
Posted by: B Square at August 18, 2007 3:28 PM
I generally hate carpet but LOVE our stairs, which are carpeted, though nothing else in the house is.
Here is a photo:
https://www.homeexchange.com/extraimages/536636009:71785.jpg
The previous owners put in the carpet; I don't know what kind it is, but got made of sort of multitextured material that is very good at concealing dirt and stains. I'm sure it wasn't very expensive (because nothing those guys did was).
Posted by: guest at August 19, 2007 12:09 AM
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