Carpet or Timber staircase

royalblue · Apr 05, 2008 7:10 pm

pasey25

concerned mostly about having to compromise on the other carpets to get something really heavy duty for the staircase. Plus the fact that this piece of carpet will be isolated so much from the rest of the carpet that it might look out of place.

Ash, generally what makes the difference in heavy duty and extra heavy duty?

Does extra heavy duty mean they can't be as nice in terms of look and texture as carpets not rated as highly?

i.e. comparing commercial carpets with residential makes me think that the hardiest carpets look/feel poorer than the more delicate ones.

I find that a comment a little odd! :th:

Why is there a compromise?.... you are considering timber which will be invariably more expensive than the finest carpets, so there's no reason to have to compromise on carpets! If the carpet on the stairs is bordered by timber, there's no reason to feel its out of place, especially if isolated from other carpets. So, there's no problem here at all! :roll:

Among the best carpets will be wool or 80/20 wool mix carpets, a minimum of 40oz, either woven construction or fusion-bonded. There are some magnificent axminster carpets that are made specifically for stairs. They are usually made in 92cm width (or sometimes 200cm) so there's virtually no wastage.

Does heavy duty mean tough and uncomfortable?... in a word, NO!

Ash.

pasey25 · Apr 05, 2008 7:32 pm

royalblue

pasey25

concerned mostly about having to compromise on the other carpets to get something really heavy duty for the staircase. Plus the fact that this piece of carpet will be isolated so much from the rest of the carpet that it might look out of place.

I find that a comment a little odd! :th:

I think thts because you didn't really understand what I was getting that.

I was asking/saying that if I have to get extra heavy duty carpets for the stairs and then get matching carpet for the bedrooms that this may not feel as nice as heavy duty (or anything less 'commercial'). So I was talking about a compromise on asthetic (visual & tactile) rather than cost.

d@n · Apr 05, 2008 7:44 pm

royalblue

d@n

Which would you prefer to slip and fall onto?.... a carpeted staircase or timber?

I'd like to avoid the slip all together. Atleast with timber you can tack on those rubber edges.

royalblue · Apr 05, 2008 8:09 pm

Oh OK!

So your concern is the harmony and flow of various floors? And you prefer to have matching carpets in your home? But you want the carpets to feel nice?

Heavy duty carpets are typically constructed by methods that go the distance, and tufts are densely packed together, providing a surface that is resilient and resists crushing and wear. There are still many varieties of texture, colour & shade (probably far more than you could dream of)! The feel of these carpets will be firm but very comfortable. The 'commercial' carpets that you have experienced that feel hard and course are not indicative of the quality carpets that I'm recommending.

Carpets that are very 'soft' and spongy under foot are generally a poor choice.

Ash.

royalblue · Apr 05, 2008 8:27 pm

d@n

royalblue

d@n

Which would you prefer to slip and fall onto?.... a carpeted staircase or timber?

I'd like to avoid the slip all together. Atleast with timber you can tack on those rubber edges.

D@n, yes of course! Don't we all want to avoid such accidents?!

Lets look at the reality though....

To maintain both:

A timber staircase will be dusted every couple of days, and probably wet mopped every couple of weeks. A hazard exists each time its mopped. A rubber trim helps a bit, but not much, and can present a tripping hazard in itself.

A carpet will need a vacuum say every week, and steam cleaning about annually. When cleaned, a slipping hazard exists during the drying period for a few hours or so, (when one walks from damp carpet onto a hard floor).

Peoples preferences may favour one or the other....fine! But when we consider staircases, they present a bit of a hazard at the best of times. A carpet will always be a safer choice of covering though!

Ash.

brittany · Apr 05, 2008 8:47 pm

We decided on carpet for our stairs to soften the noise. However our rental has carpet and it is the only area in the house that looks dirty all the time. Maybe I've made the wrong decision.

royalblue · Apr 05, 2008 8:50 pm

brittany

We decided on carpet for our stairs to soften the noise. However our rental has carpet and it is the only area in the house that looks dirty all the time. Maybe I've made the wrong decision.

Brittany, it's probably a cheaper synthetic carpet, that shows the soiling. Get a qualified carpet cleaning technician in to clean it.

Ash.

Paula · Apr 06, 2008 9:11 am

Quote:

A timber staircase will be dusted every couple of days, and probably wet mopped every couple of weeks. A hazard exists each time its mopped. A rubber trim helps a bit, but not much, and can present a tripping hazard in itself.

I wish, I have timber stairs and to keep them clean and free of dust they need sweeping everyday, :evil:

and mopping every week :evil:

(mind you if I'm having no visitors I try to stretch it out :wink:

)

pasey25 · Apr 06, 2008 9:44 am

royalblue

Oh OK!

So your concern is the harmony and flow of various floors? And you prefer to have matching carpets in your home? But you want the carpets to feel nice?

Heavy duty carpets are typically constructed by methods that go the distance, and tufts are densely packed together, providing a surface that is resilient and resists crushing and wear. There are still many varieties of texture, colour & shade (probably far more than you could dream of)! The feel of these carpets will be firm but very comfortable. The 'commercial' carpets that you have experienced that feel hard and course are not indicative of the quality carpets that I'm recommending.

Carpets that are very 'soft' and spongy under foot are generally a poor choice.

Ash.

Thanks Ash, we're on the same page now. Honestly I'm nervous about carpet shopping, I don't like shopping for something when I don't know as much or more than the salesman.

I see you talk about axminsters a lot. I always thought that these are patterned carpets? Is this correct? In our house we're looking for earth tones, mid taupe up to darker brown/grey tones. Are these top quality carpets availablle in these tones?

royalblue · Apr 06, 2008 1:02 pm

Axminsters have potential to be made in many colours and patterns, but they aren't necessarily so. Some have very subtle designs. There are Wiltons too that have a number of plain designs.

My personal taste, but I prefer some pattern in a carpet. It has many practical benefits and is beautiful too. But if you're set on one carpet throughout with no pattern at all, there are still plenty og fine quality tufted carpets that fit the bill.

Ash.

PS knowing more than the salesman doesn't take much at all! :wink:

pasey25 · Apr 06, 2008 5:49 pm

royalblue

PS knowing more than the salesman doesn't take much at all! :wink:

thats the problem. I have to know enough to know when they don't know anything! If I can't tell that they're clueless then I'm in trouble.

textured carpets will suit our house, but patterns really won't.

I've just gotten back from a new display by my builder where they've used different carpets in different zones, so I'm feeling a bit better about it now.