When considering buying a stairs and landing carpet here are some of the variables to consider for making a good decision. Make sure it carries a very heavy wear or heavy domestic classification. Depending on whether you want a practical carpet or a visual look, or both.
Practical Carpet for Stairs and Landing
We recommend a short pile carpet with a really strong thick underlay, short pile carpets do not flatten easily.
Plain Carpet for Stairs
There are four categories in a plain carpet
- Velvet – this can look very opulent and classy but does take a little more care and maintenance.
- Twist Pile – not as sharp or velour looking as a velvet, looks a little more coarse, however it can be very easy to maintain. It can also be available with a blend of colour giving it a tweed look.
- Natural Fibres – this has a flatter finish, with a loop or often a ribbed look. These are available in wool or often in a sisal finish. Normally quite easy to keep and maintain.
- Bleach cleanable – (synthetic) wears best in a dark colour or a blend of a couple of colours.
Fibre Content for Apperance Retention on Stairs Carpet
We always recommend wool or a wool mix as best choice, nylon as second choice and bleach cleanable as last choice. So the fibre is what we believe is the most important variable in a carpet keeping its appearance
Stair Runners and Binding
Pretty much any carpet can be made into a stair runner, any width stairs and any shaped stairs.
The width can be to suit the clients taste and stair width.
We normally recommend 3-4 inch gap on each side, depending on how much of the stairs you want showing.
Patterns
Choices in patterns vary.
Traditional designs, these would be used in hotel lobbies but are as popular as they were 20 years ago and when used are extremely practical, what tends to sell are traditional designs with four or less colours which can look more subdued or subtle.
Bindings
There are basically three types of binding
- Whipping – usually made with wool yarn , this is how most samples are finished around the edges
- American Tape Binding – this is a very robust , neat binding
- Linen Binding – usually two inches wide on each side, this is a fabric
Binding is usually used in a contrasting colour – examples of this can be seen in our photo gallery.
Chevron or Herringbon
These are very popular for stairs and landings, they look rally good and are very easy to maintain.
Stripes
Not as popular as they were five years ago, now a more subtle pin stripe is more popular (two colour mix).
Abstracts for Heather Blend Carpets
Again a blend of no more then three colours, so quite subdued but practical.
For your stairs and landing carpets, we at GOC Carpets we work with all the major brand names. You can be guaranteed quality products, from classic pieces to current trends. Our patterned ranges are designed to enhance modern living and provide elegance and style to any living space.
