The Best Carpet for Stairs
Carpet flooring has evolved a great deal over time. Whether it is your home or office, carpeting can give it a unique and attractive look. You can install carpets on the floors in different areas of your home. Just like you install carpets in other areas, you can choose soft and comfortable carpets for your stairs as well. However, you may find it a little difficult to choose the best carpet for the stairs in your home because the number of options will simply overwhelm you.
The range of colors and styles for staircase carpets is huge. When choosing to install carpets on the staircases, there are multiple factors that you’ll need to take into account. It is not just an attractive look that you should opt for. Below, we’ll discuss all this a lot more about carpet for stairs.
Why Carpets for Stairs is a Good Idea
Many people prefer to install hardwood or laminate flooring for stairs. But that is not the only option you have. Depending on your individual tastes and preferences, you can go for carpeting. In fact, there are multiple benefits of having carpeted stairs. The comfort, softness, and warmth that you get with carpeting won’t be available with hard surfaces and flooring. If you are planning to give your staircases a unique and eye-catching look, carpeting is the way to go.
There are many other benefits of installing carpets on stairs. Did you know that carpets have sound absorption properties?
Hard surfaces reflect the sound back. Any sound just keeps bouncing around in a room or hall which has hardwood flooring. On the other hand, carpets fibres possess the property of absorbing sound. Wool carpets have a strong property of sound absorption. This is because every area of carpet contains millions of fibers, each of which has varying length and diameter. If you want to bring down the level of air-borne noise, you should definitely consider carpeting. For homeowners with pets, carpeting is a good idea for protection against stains. Most of all, you won’t have a hard time cleaning the carpeted floors. Carpets are easy to vacuum.
If you are looking for the best, the softest and the most comfortable carpet for stairs in Manchester, New Hampshire, you should head straight to Minuteman Floors. We specialize in carpet installations.
Key Considerations for Choosing the Best Carpet Material
What are the things that you should keep in mind when going shopping for carpets for staircases in your home or apartment? If you are new to the world of carpeting, you’ll find it hard to grasp the industry standards and lingo. Given below are some expert tips and advice to guide your selection.
Durability: Stairs are one area that receives a lot of foot traffic over the years. It is crucial that you look for carpeting which is highly durable. Carpets are made up of a range of materials. As a buyer, you should have at least some knowledge of the different types of materials that carpets are made of. You’ll come across carpets made of natural and synthetic fibers.
In terms of durability, you need to consider the construction of the carpets you want for the staircases in your home.
The construction of carpets can be categorized into:
- BCF Carpets
- Staple Carpets
BCF stands for bulked continuous filament. BCF carpets are designed with long pieces of fiber whereas staple carpets use short-length fiber. Most well-known manufacturers of synthetic carpets advocate BCF construction.
Carpet Grade: The carpet industry uses a grading system for assessing the overall quality of carpets. When looking for the best staircase carpeting, you should know what this carpet grade means.
For grading, carpet manufacturers consider these quality factors:
- Material
- Construction
- Density Rating
The carpet grade is numbered from 1 up to 12. To ensure you’re getting the best, highly durable carpets for your stairs, you should check the grade and know whether it is low-end or high-end. Also, remember to ask the manufacturer for tips and tricks, specific to staircase carpets.
Color: Carpet for stairs come in a wide range of colors. It is a good idea to choose the color of your carpets as per the current trend. However, you should never forget to go for those colors that offer a great camouflage for dirt and stains. If you pick light colors, your carpets will get a gloomy and drab look soon due to high foot traffic. Option for deeper neutrals is an excellent idea. There are many color options that you can choose to cover dirt and stains.
Neutral colors don’t have to be dull. Even if the color of your carpet is deeper neutral, attractive textures will make it stand out.
Thickness: Usually, people think that thick carpets are more durable whereas thin carpets are less durable. This is not fully true. Some carpets have enough thickness but they are not long-lasting. Reversely, there are many thin carpets that are highly durable. That is why you should be extremely careful when linking thickness with durability. Also, an excessively thick carpet can be a safety hazard, and it can lead to slips. Thick carpets are also difficult to install.
In regard to thickness of carpet for stairs, the best recommendation is to go for a pile height of ½ inch and a carpet padding of 7/16 inch. For more details on the right pile height, carpet padding and density rating, feel free to talk to one of the staircase carpet installation experts at Minuteman Floors.
Brand Name: Plenty of modern brands have come up in the carpeting industry over the last couple of years. Going with a brand is a good idea because it translates to getting great customer service. But you should also remain conscious of hype versus what is really good. Even when it comes to buying carpets for your stairs, you should not forget that ‘you get what you pay for.’ It is important to understand that there should never be a compromise on quality to save a few bucks.
Warranty: When getting carpets for stairs, warranty is a key consideration. Different types and styles of carpets come with different lengths of warranties. In the market out there, you’ll come across from a warranty of 10-20 years or more. But it is not the years that matter. What really matters is what the warranty for a certain type of stair carpeting actually covers. Will the manufacturer replace only the defects? Or does the warranty cover normal wear and tear as well?
Know the terms of the carpet warranty in detail so that there are no future discrepancies and you get great value for money.
Different Carpet Styles for Stairs
Are you worried thinking how the carpet on stairs will look around the edge and the railing posts? You don’t have to worry about that even a little. Carpet installations have reached a point where professionals use techniques to give staircase carpeting a great finish. If you choose high-grade carpet and get installation done in a proper manner, you’ll see remarkable results. When it comes to carpet styles, you have a lot more varieties than you can imagine. Each carpet style has an eye-catching appearance of its own. Whether you are searching for waterproof carpeting, open stair carpets, or highly durable carpeting, you’ll find it all.
Here is a quick look at some of the best carpet styles for stairs that you can get installed in your home for a unique look.
Berber: Previously, this style of carpet meant flecked carpet. Today, Berber refers to a style that features thick loops. These thick loops can range from small and tight to large and bulky. This style of carpet is a preferred choice for both residential as well as commercial spaces. Solid-color Berber styles are a perfect choice if you are looking for carpets to cover staircases.
Frieze: The key feature of this carpet is long fibers, which are highly twisted. Tight twisting of fibers lend this carpet style high durability. Also referred to as California shags, this carpet style is a good match if you are looking for a relaxed and cozy look and feel. Since this style comes with a laid-back feel, it is not recommended for use in formal settings. Frieze carpet styles are often used to cover basement floors and staircases in residential spaces.
Cut and Loop: This carpet style is also known as pattern carpeting. The key feature of this carpet is that it comes with both cut and looped fibers. Both the fibers together create an attractive pattern, hence the name. In this category, you’ll come across an array of designs and textures. As per the decor of your home, you can pick a look which is a best match. Linear cut and loop pattern has gained a lot of popularity with people due to its eye-catching striated look.
Plush: This carpet style is for those homeowners who are looking for a smoother and more level carpeting than other styles. Due to its traditional look, Plush carpet has also become a preferred choice of many people. Usually, the color of this carpet is subtle with highlights throughout.
Carpet Selection: Difference between Staining and Soiling
Stairs is where you get the most foot traffic. When looking for the best carpet for stairs, you need to consider its resistance to staining and soiling. At the same time, you need to understand that staining and soiling are not the same things, although both result in discoloration of the carpet.
A stain happens when some liquid is spilled onto the carpet and the fibers absorb the liquid. Coffee stains on the carpet are quite common. There are some specific types of fibers which get stains quite easily while there are others which are stain-resistant. For example, nylon fiber is more prone to staining whereas polyester fiber is less absorbent and it gives you time for cleanup. Soiling, on the other hand, is not staining. It does not occur due to spills. Instead, soiling happens when oily substance comes in contact with the carpet and it attracts dirt.
If you have pets in the house, you should go for soil-resistant carpet for stairs. This means oily substance won’t stick to the carpet and dirt particles will not accumulate in those sections of the carpet as a result.
What is the Best Flooring for Pets to Prevent Damage and Scratches?
Need Stylish and Durable Carpeting for Stairs?
If you plan to achieve a unique, beautifully finished carpeting look for your stairs, you need to aim for two things – proper selection and proper installation. At Minuteman Floors, we offer a wide variety of styles, from long fiber and short fiber to modern design and textures. Our carpeting experts will do the job exactly as you want, as per your individual tastes and preferences.
Call Minuteman Floors at 603-782-1942 to learn more or to schedule an installation of your favorite floor in Manchester, New Hampshire.