Advice on Stair Runner

[MothMurder]

Hi, I would be very grateful on what to do with our stairs/boards. I have attached a picture of what it looks like at the moment.

I want to strip back the hallway boards from the present dark stain to the original pine and finish with a matt seal. I would like to put a runner on the stairs. What would look best for the exposed wood on the stairs?
A) same pine finish as hall way
B) white paint
C) something else?

The guy who has given us the quote says that it would take a lot of work to strip the stairs and I am wondering if is worth it and if the same shade of pine would look good or a bit odd.

Opinions would be appreciated! TYI

[AnnieMaul]

We loved the look of runners after lusting after all the perfect staircases on pinterest and wanted to do something similar to you. We used lockdown as an opportunity to crack on with it.

Honestly? Genuinely wasn't worth the effort and I wish we'd just carpeted them-which we're now going to do anyway!

It was SO much work getting them to an OK enough condition to stain or paint. We were working with a staircase that was only a couple of years old and with only one prior lick of paint too, so less work than what you'd be facing I'm guessing?

First we tried staining them and it just didn't work with our flooring (LVT wood ). It looked too "rustic". If we'd had original floorboards it would have matched nicely but the burning/sanding took it's toll on the stairs and the staining highlighted every imperfection.

So then we painted them, still didn't look good. Now we're carpeting them fully.

I think i'd only have a runner now with a brand new staircase as no matter what we did it looked like a DIY bodge job....which may say more about our skills than anything

[MothMurder]

Thanks AnnieMaul - that is very useful!

Our house is Victorian and the stairs are NOT in good condition. I took the disgusting carpet up just before lockdown and realised that the top step was close to being quite dangerous. We need to get a builder in to sort it,out. Our DIY skills are - shall we say - limited, so we'll also be getting someone in to do,the stripping and sealing.

I'm not sure what to do really because I want stripped floors on the hall upstairs as well. Would it look weird to just have full carpet on the stairs?

[Kopsy]

DH tried to strip our stairs so that we could have wooden stairs with a runner. He didn't keep that up for long! It was a nightmare getting the paint off and took forever, didn't even look good at the end.

We decided to paint the wood white instead and then do the runner carpet, which I love they are a bit of a dust trap on the wooden parts thought, they need wiped a lot.

[MothMurder]

Thanks Kopsy - I think I'm leaning towards this. White paint if a professional does it should be ok, surely?

I'm just slightly worried that the white stairs will look out of place against the wood floor upstairs and downstairs. I think I might be over thinking things!

[MothMurder]

And the next question is what type of runner to go for.... I like the look of sisal but want something a bit more hard wearing that can be steam cleaned. 🤔

[TattiePants]

@MothMurder I have oak floor in the hall, white painted stairs and a wool runner and it works well. I have a cat so sisal etc was never an option (worried they'd think it was a scratch post!) but I just found a wool carpet I liked and had it fitted as a runner. I'm sure I posted a picture of it earlier this year.....off to see if I can find it.

[TattiePants]

Found them

[WillowB]

We painted ours & had a grey carpet fitted. We chose a fairly expensive one with a high wool content as they are supposed to be quite hard wearing. The carpet shop whipped the edges so it doesn't fray etc. It's been down about 3yrs & still looks good. The white stairs are a pain though as they show up all the dirt!

[MothMurder]

TattiePants and WillowB - your runners against the white paint look lovely - the contrast is really crisp. I think I am sold - I will probably spend my life wiping the white paint down, though...!

[slewts]

We spent around three weeks sanding, filling and painting our stairs. They are Edwardian so definitely not perfect but now they are done we are really pleased. We still may carpet them with a runner once we have finished some more renovations. However, I have to sweep them twice a day due to the amount of dust that shows up non stop!

[MerryDeath]

once DH has finished doing my bidding i'll let you know if it's worth it

[MothMurder]

Slewts - the white looks lovely against your floor!

I think I will go for white stairs with a runner. I'm so looking forward to getting rid of the dark varnish in the hallway - it's really bugging me now.

[MothMurder]

I'm also experiencing house envy right now - all these lovely spacious hallways...

[Bluesheep8]

Willowb apologies for going off topic but is that f and b elephants breath on the labelling below your dado rail?

[Bluesheep8]

Oh and just to add, we've got the stairs painted white with a runner. I love the look but they are a lot of work to attempt to keep clean! DP hates them and wishes to this day that he'd won the great "runner or carpet" debate

[Bluesheep8]

panelling not labelling!

[Casino218]

I'm currently doing our stairs. I am painting all the stairs and wood panelling off- black ( Farrow and Ball) then fitting a stair runner. I wouldn't be bothered trying to strip paint as it will never look right.

[onlinelinda]

I had a runner in my last house, and the sides were painted white. They needed constant vacuuming, and relatively frequent re-painting. Dust really shower up, even when the carpet looked clean.

[onlinelinda]

A runner can also make steep stairs look narrower and steeper.

[MothMurder]

Thanks everyone - lots to consider.

What are people's opinion on full carpet but just on the stairs? I wanted floorboards on the hall upstairs as well , but I'm worried it will look strange if we only have carpet on the stairs.

I have a really strong and dislike of carpets in general - they can look great in other houses, but my family can't seem to stop treading mud/spilling tea/toothpaste etc. When my son comes back from football he treads damp muddy footprints everywhere and DH is just as bad. I have nagged about this to no avail.

[MothMurder]

@casino218 - what are the rest of your floors like? My sister has glossy black floorboards and white walls everywhere in her house and it looks great.

[Casino218]

I suggested that to hubby but it was one step too far for him. It will be engineered wood flooring when we get to that. Shame.

[MothMurder]

Casino218 - engineered hardwood flooring also sounds very nice indeed!

I still can't make my mind up. Am now googling carpets that look like sisal but wear/clean better ...

[WillowB]

@bluesheep8
Yes it is elephants breath! Good spot

[Bluesheep8]

willowb aha! Thought it was, looks fab
I obviously spend far too much time studying f and b paint colours!