Stair carpet advice please.

adandem

Hi, I am currently looking for a new stair carpet and my head is spinning with all the info around.:o

I like the textured berbers but have just started looking at the stain free carpets.
Oh and we don't have small children but do have a dog and a cat.

I know that the stain free carpets are easier to clean but do they resist marks from general wear (dirty feet etc) as spillages on the stairs isn't really a problem in our house? We will be using Tredaire Dreamwalk underlay.

Do they flatten more quickly than wool? As the carpet is in a high traffic area I don't want it to go flat too quickly. Maybe this will depend on brand/quality?

I have read that there are some man made bounce back carpets, has anyone heard of these, I think they may be nylon?

Hope someone can help.;)

cattie

Synthetic carpets do flatten far quicker than a high wool content carpet will unfortunately.

I don't know if it's my imagination or not, but it's often seemed to me that synthetic carpets attract stains more easily than those that are made predominantly of natural fibres. However, as many synthetic carpets are now sold as stain free, this no doubt helps them to look good for longer.

One of the most durable carpet types on the market is an 80/20 Wool Mix Twist. There are various weights available in this type of carpet & the lower weights are only really suitable for bedrooms.

For living rooms, halls & other high traffic areas you really need one of the higher weights, above 50 oz. This kind of carpet keeps it's good looks for years & years if looked after & isn't prone to flattening.

Personally I'm not a lover of textured carpets for practical reasons, I think that they can be quite difficult to clean, especially if something is spilled on them.

As you have animals, you will need to avoid carpets with a looped pile as the loops can be pulled fairly easily by sharp claws.

jellie

The worst carpet I've had on stairs was a synthetic twist, it went flat very quickly and never recovered. It looked awful for most of the time it was down. I've seen twist carpets in other people's homes that were ok though, so maybe it was just my choice.

I've had dogs with loop pile carpets and didn't have any problems with their claws pulling the loops.