Something without a nap that needs to be vacuumed to look good.

I've never had a runner, but I have had both carpeted and wood stairs. The carpet does take a beating where it's used repeatedly, though if short napped less so. When I've had the stairs you describe I've found that the white risers get marked up so have had them faced with the same wood as the treads.

We put in stair runners ~ 8 years ago and I love them. We have brass rods to give a finished look, also, a runner and rug for a hallway and foyer respectively.

You have to get high traffic, good-quality product. We have several more years before we'll need to replace it. Frankly, I'm ready for a change anyway.

What I feel is just as important as the look is the feeling of safety. When we moved in here, there were no railings or runners, and I didn't like that at all with carrying laundry and dogs up and down.

a big YAY to stair runners. i much prefer walking on carpeted steps- esp on the way down... i find wood steps without a runner to be very slippery when wearing just socks! having steps with a runner is much safer for dogs too- much less slippery!!

i like runners with a pattern- and darker colors!! we once had a house with a cream colored runner which looked terrible after a couple of years of kids and dogs running on it! a dense and short pile is best, imo

I second what busybee3 said. Once I saw the dog flying down the stairs, out of control, I had them carpeted with a runner. Low pile carpeting. I didn't do it but a dark color would certainly help in keeping it nice looking.

This is so embarrassing, but in our first house, we had stairs as soon as you entered the front door. The stairs and second floor had tan wall to wall carpet.

We put that sticky plastic roll on our stairs while we contemplate what we'd do with the stairs-whether to finish in hardwood or put runner over carpet.

It wound up staying there until we moved!

Yes, for safety sake...or put anti-skid stuff on the treads.

No dogs here, but I have been known to go up and down wearing just socks and it can be slippy. Don't even ask about the time I cleaned them with Pledge. Yikes. I think I will go for it. There is a very small hallway at the top of the stairs. I'm not sure if I will continue it or just stop at the top of the stairs. I don't want wall-to-wall, so I am not sure how that would work.

Yes, the white risers are looking pretty beat up although I went after the scrapes with a magic eraser and that helped.

Mimi, too funny about the plastic. I had something similar in a doorway to a carpeted room. I ended up with a clean spot in the middle, sort of reverse of what usually happens.

I'll look for a low pile and a product for high traffic. Thanks.

I asked this question a few year ago and the answer was a resounding NO! Most people complained about wear and cleaning issues. I still don't have one but I do like how they look. I would probably get one if I didn't have a million other things on my house to-do list.

omg, dedtired-- pledge on stairs!!?? too funny! :D

i prefer the hallway to be wood, but i usually have a runner or rug in the upstairs hallways... you can have a piece of what is used for the stairs made into a runner for the hallway if you want...

I have a wool runner with the brass rods. I vacuum it maybe once every three

or four weeks. It's about 12 years old, no wear, no dirt. Wool is amazing.

Yes, the Pledge was not a good idea. Thank goodness for banisters! Kellie, I like your patterned runner. That's kind of what I had in mind. Thanks for posting.

CandJ, my mother has wool rugs throughout her house and they are remarkable in how they have held up.

We put a runner on our stairs for safety like others have mentioned. We have 2 little kids and a dog, but it was actually my husband who fell before we installed it. They feel a lot safer now.

The carpet store recommended a low pile nylon or wool for durability. Ours is a light color but we don't wear shoes.

Also, vacuum, vacuum, vacuum to extend life.

Butternut, your staircase is a twin of mine (without the runner, of course). I love the look. No kids or dogs here, but I'd still probably go with something darker since I wear my shoes indoors.

Mimi, ugh, yes -- vacuum.

I vote yes. We had naked hardwood stairs in our last house, and wearing socks, I fell down them, carrying my 9 month old son. He was fine, I had a mild concussion. Ever since, I have always had a runner on my stairs!

Except...we had our basement stairs rebuilt a couple of years ago and yes, I have slid down them twice (am I a klutz!?) carrying laundry, but I keep procrastinating on getting them carpeted. Reminder to self: go to carpet store this weekend!

I remember slipping down my mom's basement steps. They were painted with high gloss, and ugh, her walls were stucco.

I had a scraped hand and a sore butt for weeks!

The good thing about carpeting stairs is that it's not much material, so you can get a high quality carpet without spending much more money than you would have on a cheap one. Installation was expensive, though!

We thought the price for doing our stairs and getting remnants bound wasn't too bad. I'm not dreading replacing it when the time comes.

I'm contemplating the same thing as my 1939 stairwell is only 36" wide and doesn't have a handrail (a building code violation by today's standards).

BTW -- those white stair risers that are getting scuff marks:

Try a white Staedtler Mars Plastic Eraser. I have them for drafting/drawing, but they work wonders on white cabinets and white risers! You can usually find them at office supply stores.

My new white vanity in my master bath had some scuffs from being man-handled by the crew. My contractor asked about touch-up paint, but when I brought out my white erasers and removed all of the marks, he was astounded!

When we purchased our home we had all the floors refinished and I thought I'd leave the stairs bare. That lasted a few months when I began to notice tiny little scratches on the oak.

In 32 years we've only had 2 runners on the staircase. We replaced the first when we redecorated. It was about 20 years old and there was very little sign of wear or dirt. It was a good carpet - an Axminster wool with a small pattern. I don't like our current runner nearly as well since it's solid.

As for Pledge on the stairs .....one year after returning from a long road trip DH thought he'd surprise me by having my Suburban detailed. It did look great but they applied Armour All to the running boards which not only made them shiny but slippery too. I didn't realize it until I stepped up and then promptly slid off.

Glad you had the bannisters to grab - I banged my shin on the edge of the running board and had a nasty looking bruise for a week or two. I think you'll like having the carpeted stairs.

I have some kind of leather treatment -- Meguiars --- for the leather seats in my car. Whenever I use it, I slide forward when I step on the brakes! I haven't had any falls on the stairs but I am sure to wear my Merrell clogs when going down in the morning. I am more stiff and wobbly first thing in the morning.Sorry for your bruises, Maire!

I'll keep that eraser in mind. I probably would have the risers painted before installing a runner.

My basement stairs have rubber treads that work well.

This is my sons stairs. He moved into his new house this August and

his first project was to remove the wall to wall carpet on the stairs.

He then installed new oak steps and painted the risers white.

Then he installed the runner. It happens to be the same runner that he

installed in his old house. He loved it so much that he bought the same one

again. It's not really hard to do, and didn't take him long. It really can be a DIY

project.

oops, forgot the photo.

I had a runner on my stairs in San Francisco many years ago. We were on a third floor flat, and so there were a lot of stairs, and they were very noisy without the carpet. I used Art Deco carpet that had been removed from a theater in Oakland and got it from a friend who was an antique dealer. It was very pretty, but it did need regular vacuuming, and my roommate expected me to keep it clean, but since I did not see dirt as clearly as he did, he ended up vacuuming. I told him I would clean it when I could see that it was dirty, but he never waited that long. Once inside the flat, you could barely see the carpet, unless you leaned over the banister. I always seemed to have roommates who saw dirt before I did.

I am dirt-blind, too, Lars.

CandJ I can see why your son loved that runner. It's beautiful. I already have an oriental rug in the adjacent living room so another oriental may not work, but I love the look. My DIY days are behind me!

We had a wool oriental look runner in a pattern including terra cotta and deep blues on our main staircase. After 15 years with lots of family traffic and pets it still looked brand new - wears like iron! While I loved the look of the uncovered wood, safety drove the decision to carpet it, and a runner still allows the wood to be appreciated. We also had a Turkish carpet in the living room in a complimentary colour, open to the staircase, and it was a pleasing look.

Yes to the runner! Though the bare hardwoods are beautiful, they are too noisy with shoes, and too slippery without!

I don't understand the slippery claims. We removed the runner from our stairs a few years ago and now have painted risers and wood treads. We have kids and a dog. They have easily adapted. None of us has ever slipped on the wood treads.

I never liked the runner because it was difficult to vacuum. I also found the runner more slippery as it was worn--my kids used to slide down the runner and it wore in the middle and had no "grip."

Yes to a runner -- it's just quieter and more comfortable. Dirt is not our problem, wear is. Get a good quality wool or low pile nylon --- do not make a mistake like we did and get something else by accident. It just will crush and not wear a well. This last time we had a patterned broadloom cut down and edged. It was just installed last summer.