I was wondering about that! Do you think the runner absorbs as much noise as all of the carpet up and down the stairs? Our house is very open so once we remove what carpet we already have on the main level I worry about the noise (not to mention the stairs)

Hard surfaces (like hardwood, drywall, glass, etc) allow noise to bounce around = echo. That irritating 'hum' that is there all the time even though there is no one around. Carpets and soft coverings (wall tapestries, heavy drapes, large upholstered furniture, etc) absorb the 'bounce' and reduce the echo. I liken noise to a jar of marbles being released onto a tile floor. It bounces and bounces and clatters and makes a racket. It rattles down pipes (plumbing and heating) and gets into everything. Until it meets carpet. Then it sticks and never bounces back up.

You have a two story opening to a mezzanine area that opens into another area for bedrooms. There is nothing to stop the noise in the air (voices, TV, kitchen, footsteps, etc) from reaching the upper level - except the carpet. It is reducing your noise levels by 1/2. As soon as you add in hardwood (or anything that is solid) your home will get TWICE as noisy.

As a cork flooring expert, I would suggest cork as a noise reducer. It works very much like carpet. But buyer beware. Cork is a finicky product to live with. It fades, it dimples (dents that pop out after a year or so) it scratches.

All of this can be corrected (except the fading) with a little TLC. Cork is one of the few flooring choices on the market that do what carpet does = keep the noise levels down. Rubberized flooring (extremely expensive) is the other. Cork and rubber are the only products that mimic the noise reducing properties of carpet.

If you are unsure as to go for hardwood or recarpet, you do yourself a favour by removing the carpet RIGHT NOW. Live on the bare subfloor (yes slippers will be needed) for several weeks (6 weeks should be enough time to figure this out).

You will find that every flush of the toilette, every TV noise, every phone conversation will be clearly heard throughout the two levels. Compare that to what you have now. Only you can decide the level of noise that is livable. I'm someone with sensitive ears. I'll take a quiet floor covering (yes...even carpet) over the noise increase any day of the week.

How quiet do you find your home right now? Is it acceptable to you? Can you handle it if it DOUBLES in noise?

I am all for a runner.

I liked the runner also when my munchkin were young. A little softer when they deside not to pay attention and bounce down the steps. Kids must think there are cooties on railings that they don't want to use them.

Cork is not great with pets -- we loved it in our family room until all the scratches from cats racing away from their litter pan (why?! who knows) ruined it.

Excellent point! We are a pet friendly family and like someone else said, the kids are sensitive sleepers. You can already hear the tv upstairs.

Cork can be refreshed. It can have new polyurethane applied to the surface to keep it going another 10 years. The refresh happens every 7-10 years as necessary.

Carpet has to be super, super durable to do well on stairs. Like commercial grade. The very edge of the stair tread is exposed to extreme wear action. I would go with hardwood and a runner. Still the runner has to be very durable.

I agree the stair carpets gets really gross really fast so a good commercial grade with a pattern that does not show every bit of dirt and spills is the way to and IMO can be a nice statement in an entry.

I've had both carpet runner and hardwood. I have to say for safety, carpet with kids. My last house had a berber runner for 24 years and there was no wear or tear. 2 kids , 2 dogs and plenty of the kids friends using it and we are shoes on house. This house we have hardwood stairs. I slipped on the steps 2 1/2 weeks ago and went down the last 4 steps to my laundry room. My left butt is still bruised. My daughter was visiting on Sunday and slipped down the steps from my bedroom area. Thank goodness there is only 3 steps from the bedrooms. It taught me a lesson. No more wearing socks or smooth sole skippers on hardwood steps. I put on tennis shoes now and make sure I hold on to the railing. I don't need broken bones.

The layout of your stairs would really look wonderful with a runner. Also #1 reason for carpet/runner on steps is safety. Old, middle-aged, and young slip and fall down steps. 27 years ago H fell down the steps carrying our 4 month old baby girl. Luckily (?) the only one hurt was him. He literally tossed her backwards to avoid falling on her. Still a trip to the emergency room, x-ray, and MRI just to be safe and confirm.