Stair Runner Buying Guide

When it comes to decorating your stairs, you’re faced with a decision: do you fully carpet your stairs or leave them bare, in natural or painted wood? Here at Tapi, we love solving your design dilemmas, so what if we told you there was another option – choosing a stair runner instead.

Combining the comfort and practicality of a stair carpet with the modern look of a wooden staircase, a stair runner offers the best of both worlds. And, with so many different options for edging and accessories, you can design a stair runner that is totally bespoke to you! In this guide, we’ll help you decide which carpet is best for a stair runner, as well as tell you how to measure for stair runners and how much to budget for your stairs carpet transformation.

There are four steps to buying your stair runner:

• Step 1: Choose your carpet. You’ll want something hard-wearing that hides dirt and is easy to clean for your stairs.
• Step 2: Decide on the design on the edges of your stair runner. Tapi stores use local suppliers so every store will have something different and unique to them. Choose from stripes, tapes, or even whipping where we bind the edges of the carpet in a bright or different colour. The choices are endless!
• Step 3: Select your accessories. You could go for stair clips, stair rods or even a clean finish – it’s all down to what look you want to create.
• Step 4: Get the perfect fit. We can arrange fitting (and removal of your old stairs carpet too if needed) with one of our trusted fitting partners.

Your stairs are one of the busiest areas in your home. A hard-wearing, heavy use carpet is ideal for the stairs as it’s made from resilient materials designed to withstand daily wear and tear while keeping it looking as good as new. All Tapi carpets are put through their paces and spun 12,000 times in a specialist machine to mimic three years' worth of footsteps (based on a family of four), then we give each of our carpets a score, so you can be sure that when you choose a heavy use carpet, it’s pretty damn tough. We have so many different types of carpet to choose from at Tapi, each giving a completely different look and feel to your space, but which one is the best carpet for a stair runner?

• Loop or Berber

  Because of their low, dense looped pile that doesn’t flatten easily, loop pile or Berber carpets are a really popular choice for stair runners. The loop pile design also creates texture and colour variation meaning dirt doesn’t show up as easily. There are so many designs to choose from, including herringbone, pebble and stripes.

• Twist

  Want a super soft carpet that is very durable and easy to clean? It’s got to be a twist pile carpet then! Made from lots of short, twisted fibres with tufted ends, a twist carpet looks and feels soft yet firm but it’s also strong and resilient, making it a really practical choice for a stair runner in a busy family home.

• Woven

  This style of carpet is still considered the gold-star quality for carpets, made using traditional weaving methods to create that dense feel underfoot resulting in a very hard-wearing carpet. In fact, hotels often use woven carpets for their flooring – and if a carpet can stand up to footfall from hundreds of visitors, then it can cope with your kids running up and down the stairs! Many woven designs are patterned, which is ideal for stair runners where you want to draw attention or create a contrast (and disguise dirt).

• Saxony

  Are you a shoes-off kinda household? A super soft Saxony carpet could be just what you’re looking for! To create their fluffy, cloud-like feel, the loops that make up the pile are cut, leaving the strands to stand straight upwards, creating that luxurious tonal shift when the fibres are brushed in different directions. Just be aware that Saxony carpets are more prone to flattening on a stair carpet because of their longer pile, so it’s completely down to what you look you like best.

Choosing the right carpet fibre type for your stair carpet is just as important as the design. The materials that your carpet is made from play a huge part in how the carpet feels under your feet and each one provides different features or benefits.

• Polyester

Polyester carpets are easy to clean and maintain and can also stand up to all the busy feet that move through your home. Some are made from recycled polyester so they’re good for the planet, too.

• Mixed fibres

Mixed fibre carpets, like a wool and polyester blend, combine both natural and man-made materials for the best of both worlds!

• Natural fibres

Natural fibre carpets are the traditional pick for your home, bringing all the warmth and softness you’d expect from organic materials.

• Wool

Wool is one of the most resilient carpet materials you can get, with a natural springiness and it’s great at insulating your home too.

• Polypropylene

Super soft AND very hardwearing? We’re sold! Polypropylene is a man-made fibre carpet designed to be stain resistant while also delivering ultimate comfort and functionality.

Picking the colour of your stair runner carpet is just as important as the carpet type and style. But remember, with a stair runner you also need to think about what colour your stairs will be too – are they going to be left in a natural wood finish or are you planning on staining them for a dark wood effect? Will you paint the woodwork black or charcoal grey for a dramatic contrast, or will you go for white painted stairs to make your hallway feel lighter and brighter?

• Neutral colours

Hallways and staircases often have limited lighting, so it’s best to choose a neutral or light coloured carpet for your stair runner. Grey, beige and cream tones are timeless colours perfect for creating a calming and relaxing atmosphere; they’re always on trend and go with all interior styles.

• Bold colours

Don’t just leave colour for the walls! A bold coloured carpet will bring some personality to your room – pick from blues, yellows, greens and even pinks and purples!

• Dark colours

Black and dark grey are ideal for creating a moody atmosphere in your space, especially when paired with contrasting monochrome colours like white walls.

Patterned carpet is a popular option for stair runners, as it adds a bit of interest to the room. That said, a plain neutral carpet with black edging on white painted stairs is pretty eye-catching. There are lots of carpet patterns to choose from, each giving the space a completely different look and feel. For a more subtle pattern, go for a loop pile carpet in herringbone, a timelessly elegant design that works with modern or traditional interiors. Feeling a little braver? A striped stair runner is bang on trend right now; choose a black and cream stripe pattern for something really striking or take it one step further by having bright yellow or neon pink edging. For the wow-factor, how about an animal print or tartan stair runner? Not only will stronger patterns camouflage the dirt, they’ll also bring colour and fun to a neutral space.

• Herringbone

The zigzag effect of a herringbone carpet helps draw the eye upwards - so great for stairs!

• Striped

A striped carpet stair runner is brilliant for adding height to your stairs.

• Tartan

A top choice for hotel staircases, a classic tartan carpet adds depth and character.

• Patterned

From leopard print to vintage floral designs to funky geometric styles, patterned carpets are fantastic for making a statement in a neutral space.

Something else to think about when planning your stair runner are the accessories. We offer stair rods (which go along the full width of the carpet) and stair clips (which go in the corners of each step) in a range of metals, colours, and finishes to match the rest of your décor.

Measuring for a stair runner is easier than you think! Simply measure the depth of each tread (the flat part) and the height of the riser, then multiply by the number of stairs to work out your total runner length. So, if you have a straight staircase with 12 steps, each measuring 50cm, your stair runner length would be 6 metres. It’s important to only measure the actual measurements, Tapi will add on the allowances for you! We have a handy step by step guide on how to measure your stairs which also covers how to measure stair winders as well.

How wide should a stair runner be?

The width of your stair runner depends on how wide your stairs are and how much of the original stair you want to leave either side. The average width of a stair runner is 69cm wide based on the average 85cm stair. For maximum contrast between the wood and the carpet, you’ll want to have a minimum of 5-10cm either side. If your stairs are 80cm wide (like in Victorian homes) then your stair runner would need to be 60cm or smaller. If your home is more modern, it’s likely your stairs will be around 90cm so your runner can be wider. Again, it’s all personal preference.

How much carpet do I need to buy for a stair runner?

Now this is where the design of your stair carpet affects how much carpet you need to buy, as it’s different for plain and patterned, and there are even different rules depending on the pattern style! The reason for this is that most carpets come in 4 metre widths so for plain carpets, you can cut the runner from the carpet width which reduces the length you need to order. For example, if you have a 69cm wide runner, you would be able to create 5 runs across the carpet width. If you divide the total length (6m) by the amount of runs (5), you can calculate the length (1.2). But as each stair needs 50cm of carpet length, you would need to round up to the nearest half-metre.

Total amount of carpet: 4m x 1.5m = 6m2

There are a few different factors to consider when calculating the cost of a stair runner:

• The price of the carpet
• The width of the stair runner
• Whether you have a plain or patterned carpet
• The number of stairs
• The shape of your stairs (straight or curved)
• Accessories

As a rough guide, for a straight staircase of 12 steps, you can expect to pay approximately £100 for a good value carpet stair runner (£16.99 m2, medium use on stairs) and £210 for a top of the range carpet stair runner (£34.99m2, heavy use on stairs).

It’s important to note that is only the cost for the carpet itself as you’ll need to add accessories and edging to finish it off, so the total stair runner cost will be higher. We explore all these extras plus fitting costs in our stair runner cost guide.

Additional stair runner costs to consider

Now you’ve chosen your stairs carpet, picked the accessories you like and measured up to find how much carpet you need, there are some other things you might want to include in your budget:

• Underlay – a heavy use underlay is best for reducing sound in stairs and hallway
• Uplift and removal of your old stair carpet
• Preparation of stairs – sanding and painting
• Fitting and installation

For an additional fee, Tapi’s uplift and removal service can come ahead of time to remove the old carpet grippers, underlay and carpet, leaving the stairs clear for you (or a professional decorator) to sand down and paint your stairs ready for your new stair runner to be fitted. Learn how to install a stair runner yourself with our handy guide, or let us arrange fitting with one of our trusted fitting partners from your area.

To start designing your stair runner, take a look at our collection of stair carpets online. Why not order some samples of the ones you like then book an in-store appointment today to speak to one of our floorologists, or book a free home visit and let us come to you.