Written by the team that fits carpets across Isleworth, Richmond, Twickenham, Chiswick, Kew and West London every week. Short answers, no sales pitch; ask us anything we have not covered.
Fitted carpet or a runner?
Fitted carpet covers the whole tread and riser, wall to wall. It is warmer, quieter and hides an ordinary staircase. A runner leaves painted or wooden margins either side and is held with rods or fitted tight with a bound edge. Runners show off a nice staircase and are easier to replace later; fitted carpet suits busy family stairs and anything that is not worth showing off. Both are fitted with gripper and underlay on every tread, and both can have a matching landing.
Which pile lasts on stairs?
Stairs take more wear per square metre than any room in the house, concentrated on the nosing of each tread. Choose a dense, low to medium pile: a wool or wool-mix twist, a loop pile or a tight herringbone. Avoid long shaggy or soft saxony piles on stairs; they flatten on the nosings within a year. If you want a soft bedroom carpet upstairs, use the same colour in a denser version on the stairs.
Winders, bullnoses and open strings
Winders are the triangular steps that turn a corner; each one is cut individually so the pile direction and pattern stay consistent. A bullnose is the rounded bottom step, which needs the carpet wrapped and tucked rather than cut square. Open-string stairs, where the treads are visible from the side, need the carpet wrapped and finished on both edges. Each adds time and is priced in the quote, not added on the day.
Underlay on stairs
Use a firm, dense underlay on stairs, not the soft thick one from the bedroom. A soft underlay lets the carpet move on the nosings, which is where it wears and where loose carpet becomes a trip hazard. Our underlay guide explains the grades.
Matching the landing
A landing is usually fitted in the same carpet as the stairs so the join at the top step disappears. With a runner, the landing can be fitted carpet with the runner continuing across it, or the runner can stop at the top with a bar. We plan the join before cutting so the seam sits where you will not see it.
Fitting day
A straight staircase with a landing is normally a day once the carpet is in. We uplift the old carpet, fit gripper and underlay to every tread and riser, cut and fit from the top down, then fit rods or nosings and vacuum. Keep the stairs clear and expect to use them carefully for the first hour while the last edges are tucked.
Want it done?
We supply and fit carpets across West London from our base in Isleworth: samples brought to your home, measured, quoted in writing and fitted by the same team. See the carpet fitting page, stair runners, or send photos by WhatsApp for a quick opinion.
From recent jobs
Questions
How long does a stair carpet last?
A dense wool or wool-mix twist on a good underlay typically lasts ten years or more on family stairs. Soft, long piles wear visibly within a couple of years.
Can you fit a runner on winding stairs?
Yes. Each winder is cut so the runner turns the corner with the pattern and border continuous.
Do stair rods hold the carpet?
On a modern fitting the carpet is held by gripper; rods are decorative, though they do stop a runner lifting at the back of the tread.