Fully Fitted
Carpet on every tread and riser, wall to wall, tucked into the crease and stretched over each nosing, running straight onto the landing without a break. It is the warmest, quietest and safest option, it hides an uneven or ugly flight, and it is the right choice for most family houses.
Choose a dense twist or a loop pile made for stairs, in a colour that forgives the traffic, over a firm stair grade underlay. A long soft pile flattens on the nosings within a year.
A Runner
A strip of carpet up the centre of the flight, leaving the timber showing either side. Fixed with rods at the back of each tread, or with discreet fixings under each nosing if you prefer the cleaner line. Stripes are popular because they draw the eye up the stairs; a plain wool runner suits a period hall.
A runner suits painted, stripped or waxed stairs, halls with a wood or herringbone floor at the bottom, and anyone who wants the staircase to stay part of the room rather than disappear under carpet. It is also easier to lift and replace years on.
Wear, Noise and Safety
Fully fitted carpet is quieter, because there is no bare timber to echo, and it is warmer for the same reason. Both are safe when fitted properly: a runner must be fixed at every step so it cannot move, and a fitted carpet must be stretched tight over every nosing so there is nothing to catch a foot. Loose stair carpet of either kind is the one thing we will not leave behind.
What Your Staircase Says
Painted or stripped treads in good condition point to a runner. Treads that are patched, uneven or stained point to fully fitted. Winders suit both, but a runner round a turning flight is more visible work and needs a fitter who has done plenty of them. A staircase with a door at the top, or a landing that wraps around, usually reads best fully fitted so the carpet flows through.
Which Costs More
It depends on the flight. A runner uses less carpet but needs more time and the rods; a fully fitted stair uses more carpet and, on a straight flight, is quicker to fit. On a turning flight the two come out close. We quote both if you are undecided, and the measure is free.
How to Choose
Look at the hall floor. Look at the treads. Think about noise, and about who uses the stairs and how. Then come and see the stripes and the plain wools in the shop at Hampden Park, or use the switch on our stairs page to compare two of our own staircases side by side.
Questions
Both are safe when fitted properly. A runner must be fixed at every step and a fitted carpet stretched tight over every nosing. We do not leave a loose stair carpet of either kind.
Rods are mostly decorative on a modern runner; the fixing is under each nosing. Rods still look right on a period staircase and we supply and fit them.
Yes, with each winder cut and folded so the stripe or the pile stays true. It is skilled work and we do it regularly.
Yes, and most people do. The carpet runs through from the hall up the stairs and across the landing with the seams planned where they are least seen.
Wide enough to leave a balanced margin of timber either side. We measure the flight and suggest a width that suits the treads and the hall.
