Homeowners love to get imaginative about living rooms, bedrooms and kitchens, fantasising what flooring will go best with their furniture and which will aesthetically enhance their home the most; but everyone forgets about the stairs.

When in fact, the stairs are among the heaviest foot traffic areas in the house. With people using them nearly every day (if not every day), then you do need to consider which flooring it most suitable.

You may or may not have noticed, but often homes have snazzy new flooring in the main rooms, but the stairs haven’t been blessed with such a privilege, frequently sporting a rather out of date and weary looking carpet. This is for the simple reason people forget to update them, they are there for practicality rather than to impress. Nevertheless, you’d be surprised by how much livelier your home can look if you were to invest in fresh new floors for your stairs, here are some of the best options we’d recommend…

Carpet

The clear choice for stairs. It’s comforting underfoot and homely. Often stairs are leading up to the bedroom, which usually has carpet in it too, therefore it fits with the theme nicely. Falling down the stairs is certainly something you do not want to do, and carpet largely stops any slipping due to its grip, even if something is spilt. If you’ve got children running up and down the stairs, carpets would significantly reduce the risk of accidents. Again, children often play on them, sliding down and all sorts; a softer landing therefore being a safer option.

Nevertheless, like any flooring it comes with its negatives. Stairs lose their colour over time especially when they come into contact with sunlight, therefore if a window faces your stairs it is something to consider when buying new flooring. As mentioned previously, stairs experience a high amount of foot traffic. Over time, a carpet becomes worn and sometimes flat, taking away from its original visual appeal.

Another factor worth contemplating when choosing your flooring for stairs is maintenance and cleaning. As I am sure you already know, carpets need hoovering and more often if the floor is heavily used, consequently more upkeep required. Hoovering stairs is significantly more effort than hoovering a room, due to carrying the hoover up and down the steps. Someone who is elderly or disabled may find this a more difficult task, so if you fall into either of these categories it may be worth considering when picking.

Wood Flooring

There’s no doubt that your stairs would look glam, as nothing compares to the classy fine-looking look of wood flooring. Plus, it is a popular choice for hallways, which most of the time matches the stairs. Wood flooring is also exceedingly durable, ideal for high traffic areas, as well as adding value to your home when you come to sell.

Buyers usually want rooms such as hallways to have neutral flooring and walls, which is why wood flooring would be unbeatable. It never goes out of fashion, so you can rest assured you won’t feel like you’ll need to update in a few years due to a change in trends.

No doubt your wood staircase will impress anyone visiting your home, however they can be slippery, especially if liquid is spilt on them. Falling down the stairs can cause considerably more damage than slipping on a flat surface, so it is indeed something to bear in mind.

If you have pets which have paws that can scratch, wood flooring may not be the best option, especially if they are scrambling and playing up and down the stairs. Here at Luxury Flooring we offer wood flooring that have ridges to help disguise any scratches. So, if you’re prepared to accept the odd scratch here and there then there is no objection for it as an option. Of course, keeping your pet’s paws trimmed can help reduce the amount of damage your stairs takes.

So what is the answer? If you place a runner on your stairs you can still enjoy the crisp look of wood flooring without the slipping hazard and fear of scratches. Here at Luxury Flooring we would always say that wood flooring is the best for most rooms and stairs, due to their beautiful appearance and practicality.

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