Hi I have been struggling for weeks with this decision .will somebody put me out of my misery

[motherofluvlies]

We are replacing stairs and landing carpet in an old house with a LOT of traffic.8 kiddies when all are here including lots of boys.I don't want a house where I have to ask my parents to take off their shoes to go upstairs and we have red tiled floors in the downstairs hall.The dilemma is...do we spend £1250 on lovely striped crucial trading carpet which will allegedly last at least 15-20 years and hide all the dirt and easy to keep clean....or...buy cheap as chips plain straw coloured carpet for under £500 which will look filthy after 3/4 years( less in our house) and have money left over to replace the open fire with a wood burner?2 of ours are also at uni with a third soon to start and little ones too.

Fellationelson how does your stair carpet fare?

[notMarlene]

Neither.

Paint (or strip) the stairs and add a runner or stair mats. Lino or laminate on the landing.

[motherofluvlies]

We haven't had carpet for weeks.I cannot stand the noise.it echoes around the hall and I am not going to spend my time trying to keep stairs clean.our house is on a main road and we have open fires,but I had considered it until we lifted the carpet.

[motherofluvlies]

P.s. how do you end the laminate at the top of the stairs?

[AgentProvocateur]

Go dear. The cheap stuff will start to look tatty before 3-4 years. See if you can get a discount on the crucial trading one.

[notMarlene]

Ah, right. That's understandable!

My vote goes to The Good Carpet then (if there's no mid-price option). You'd be cursing the pale one within the week I fear.

[DancingInTheMoonlight]

How about cheaper darker/ patterned carpet?

[wendybird77]

I'd do cheap stripey stair runner and good underlay (I got some for last house on ebay). I had them edge some runner to fit the landings as rugs. Then get the woodburner too! It will last you longer than light carpet and hide the dirt just as well, but cost a fraction of expensive stuff and you won't have a heart attack every time someone carries a drink up the stairs.

[motherofluvlies]

The modern colour ways all seem to have black in them and I didn't want black
Or they are too light

[motherofluvlies]

wendybird what did you put uder the stair runner on the landing?laminate,floorboards?

[ChippingInAWinterWonderland]

I'd do what Wendy said.

I'd carpet the landing with something not toooo expensive. Most of the dirt will have come off on the stairs so it shouldn't be too bad upstairs.

Even if you don't tell your parents to take their shoes off - you can still tell the kids to!

[motherofluvlies]

Any recommendations for striped from ebay,wendybird?