HELP! Choosing carpet for stairs

Jan 18, 2013, 09:37 AM

ms800

I am replacing carpet on my stairs and after looking at a few places I am totally confused. Since stairs are high traffic what is a good brand and kind to get. I was thinking a nylon berber with a tight loop. What is good face weight and density? Need inspiration pics. Thanks

Jan 18, 2013, 10:15 AM

conrad

Nylon berber could be a great choice, but you might want to ask the pros.
Where have you been shopping? If only the box stores or a sub department in another store, go to a large carpet/flooring store (or two) for the best advice, best installation and more than likely...best price.

An Art gallery I know, put an industrial nap office carpet on the main stairs with a great pad under it. It still looks new with all the traffic many years later.

Jan 18, 2013, 10:21 AM

Sparky

We just replaced our carpet with hardwoods. Prior to that the carpet on the stairs was the same as the rest of the house. We had cut Berber. It held up well for 14 years but it was definitely the toughest looking carpet in the house. With stairs you have only one path up and down so no matter what it is going to be the carpet in the house with the most wear. http://alanjohn1.wordpress.com...hoose-berber-carpet/

We had our hardwoods refinished and expanded over Christmas. We had hardwoods in the kitchen, foyer and dining room and we expanded them into the living room, family room, up the stairs and the upstairs hallway. Now all the high traffic areas are oak.

One thing with the oak stairs though, the dog is definitely not impressed with our latest home improvement project. He refuses to go down the stairs after slipping a couple of times. Fortunately he weighs 20-25 lbs and is pretty easy to carry down the stairs.

General Disclaimer

Any advice given here is general in nature and is not necessarily valid for your given area. If in doubt check with your local codes enforcement department for what is required when doing electrical, plumbing or structural work on your house. Permits may or may not be required in your area and home owners may not be able to DIY some tasks. I have no way of knowing if you have the skills needed to complete the tasks you are asking about, when in doubt seek professional assistance.

My advice may be worth exactly what you pay me for it. :-) For the record I did not stay in a Holiday Inn Express last night.

Jan 18, 2013, 08:03 PM

Bob Fleming

We have carpet on the stairs going down and up in our place. The carpet going up is nothing special; just the same carpet as in a couple rooms; builder grade. The carpet going down is a tougher weave similar to a Berber. No unreasonable wear on either.

We had a bad experience with Berber carpet in my study in our last place. Low traffic room, but the Berber snagged and wore excessively. We finally replaced it with laminate.