How long would you expect a stair carpet to last?

[RaspberryCoulis]

We replaced a carpet on our stairs about 7 years ago after having some other work done in the house.

There are 5 of us living here, lots of traffic up and down the stairs. I did try to implement a "no shoes upstairs" rule but that wasn't always adhered to.

The carpet is starting to look very worn and almost threadbare, especially on the bottom and top stairs. It wasn't a cheapy cheapy carpet, but neither was it the most expensive one. Mid-range. Fitted professionally with underlay and everything

Is it unrealistic to expect a stair carpet to last more than 7 years?

This is the velvet we have as I described. It’s indestructible!

In the 'old days' they used to add an extra 'step' of carpet which was folded back underneath. This allowed the stair carpet to be lifted and relaid shifting what were the treads to the riser and the riser, unworn bit, became a tread. It doubled the life of a stair carpet.

I don't know if I explained that very well although I completely understand what I mean

Mine starting to look crap in places if I look closely- it’s been 7yrs too!

Yes. You shifted the carpet up so the riser became the tread! You had a longer carpet at the bottom quite often. Double on the first riser!