Let’s take a look at the important components of making a carpet great for stairs.
Durability
Stairs are the highest-traffic area of any home. Therefore, it is crucial that the carpet covering them be durable enough to stand up to the heavy traffic and still look good. This means that if you are carpeting your bedrooms, hall, and stairs, the carpet that is suitable for your bedrooms may not be appropriate for your stairs. When choosing carpet for stairs, you typically want to go with the highest durability that you can afford, in the style that you prefer (unless the highest grade is too thick for stairs—more about that in a minute). Often, spending a bit more money for a higher grade of carpet is the best choice for durability. The durability of a carpet depends on several important factors.
Thickness
Many people think that a thicker carpet is more durable. This is not always the case; in fact, some of the most durable carpets have the thinnest profiles, and some of the thickest carpets are full of air. Thickness is an important factor in the suitability of the carpet for the stairs. A carpet that is too thick can be a safety hazard, because as it wraps around the nosing (front edge) of the stair, it acts as a ramp for your foot, with nothing substantial to support your foot underneath. A very thick carpet can lead to slips and falls, something that no one wants to happen on stairs. Also, carpet installers don’t like working with thick carpets on the stairs. As you can imagine, it is more difficult to wrap a thick carpet around the nosing and through the railing pickets.
Berber
Many people think that looped carpet, such as Berber, is not an option for stairs. They worry that as the carpet bends over the nosing, the backing of the carpet will show between the rows of loops. The truth is that Berber can be used on stairs and can look quite beautiful, provided that it is of proper quality. When people pick up a Berber carpet sample and bend it backward, they are sometimes able to see the backing between the rows. This is referred to in the industry as “smiling.” However, typically when a person is doing this, they are bending the carpet the wrong way. The rows of loops in a carpet are stitched lengthwise on the roll. When the carpet is seen to be smiling, it is because it has been bent sideways, so that the rows are going from side to side on the sample. If the carpet is turned around so that the rows are going from top to bottom on the carpet sample, the smiling effect no longer occurs because the loops fold over the bend in unison. When the carpet is installed on stairs, it is installed lengthwise, so the rows of loops run from the top of the stairs to the bottom. This prevents the smiling effect on the front nosing of the stair.
Open Stairs
If the stairs are open on the side, then the carpet must be bent in two ways: lengthwise over the front of the stair, and widthwise over the side. In these cases, there is the possibility of smiling to occur on the side of the stair. To avoid side smiling, look for a high-quality Berber with larger loops, which can help to cover the space between the rows when bent sideways. Higher qualities of Berbers will have less space between the rows.
Soil Resistant
If you are choosing a carpet that will only cover your stairs (and not other areas such as the family room), stain resistance is not a top priority because the carpet is not likely to be subjected to many spills. However, you should still look for a carpet that has good soil resistance. The oils on the bottoms of your feet can leave a residue on the carpet as you walk up and down the stairs. You can avoid this by wearing socks or slippers in the home. However, if you have pets, or prefer to go barefoot, then make sure you get a carpet that is soil resistant so that the residue doesn’t stick to the fibers and attract dirt particles.
Warranty Coverage
One thing that is important to note is that a lot of carpets don’t provide warranty coverage for stairs. Although it seems strange (after all, most houses and even some condos/apartments have stairs!), historically manufacturers excluded all stairs from the carpet’s warranty. In recent years, however, more carpets are being offered with a warranty on stairs. If you are concerned about having the protection a warranty can offer, then make sure that the carpet you choose for your stairs does in fact cover stairs in the warranty.
All Things Considered
The best carpet for stairs is one that meets all of the factors outlined above: durability, the appropriate thickness, soil resistance, and warranty coverage. So, what is this carpet? While there is not an exact carpet that is unequivocally the greatest carpet for stairs, you might want to check out one of the Mohawk SmartStrand collection. The carpets in this collection all feature excellent soil resistance and warranty coverage on stairs, and a large number of the many styles available are suitable regarding thickness and durability.
