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Original poster

Carpet in downstairs hallway?

18 replies

tocarpetornottocarpet · 14/03/2022 16:56

I need to replace the carpet on my stairs and landing, it is 10+ years old a horrible sand colour and would not have been my choice - exP bought it when we were separating.

I'm struggling to choose a carpet anyway - which is a whole other thread but in our hallway downstairs we currently have wood flooring. It's the type you can sand back but only once (iirc). It's been down about 15 years and has all manner of knocks and dents in it. I've tried sanding a small area under the stairs, that takes out small scratches quite effectively but not the bigger dents and knocks which will be very noticeable. The floor is also not a colour I would have chosen (see a theme emerging) it's a bit yellow pine when I would prefer a darker tone.

I did get someone round to quote for new wood flooring last year, but although he gave me a price for the flooring, he said he couldn't fit it as my current flooring goes under my skirting boards. So I'd have to have them all taken off and refitted (which he couldn't do and I certainly cant, so that would mean a joiner at extra cost) or I can have the trim which in his words 'looks shit'.

So thinking about this I pondered painting/ stenciling the floor (I suspect this will scuff up at some point and end up looking crappy) and then I thought maybe I should just carpet it to match the stairs and landing?

We do have a porch (which is awaiting a new floor too, I can't get that done until I have a new front door - honestly it's one thing after another!) so I'm thinking we could just leave muddy shoes there - which tbh is what happens mostly now. My children are older, no bikes or prams to be bringing in through the front door.

Would I be mad to do this? I'm thinking of a darkish carpet, not anything insane like cream or light beige. That said my hallway has no natural light and is always dark...walls and doors are white, I'm currently repainting the stair spindles/ handrails which will also be white.

OP posts:

AperolWhore · 14/03/2022 17:13

Could you trial a large runner rug in that colour to see how you get on? I have a huge one I bought from a garden centre and its brilliant. If you get on with the runner then go for the carpet ☺️

AperolWhore · 14/03/2022 17:14

Also, you can flooring fit up to the skirting board then have bedding fitted to hide the join.

Original poster

tocarpetornottocarpet · 14/03/2022 17:42

Yes it was the beading/ trim that the guy from the flooring shop said would 'look shit'. So a bit reluctant to get that based on his comments.

I do have a runner (bought to act as a big doormat by our french doors at the back of the house) so will give that a go.

OP posts:

candycane222 · 14/03/2022 18:00

If you sanded the floor and stained it maybe, you could stay with a runner - easier and cheaper to replace when it got grubby, than a fitted carpet? Or would that be too 1940s-looking 'classic' for you

Vapeyvapevape · 14/03/2022 18:03

I had my hallway tiled with smudgy coloured matt tiles - best thing I ever did.

Dilbertian · 14/03/2022 18:08

We originally had laminate with that beading, and yes, it did look shit. The laminate itself looked fine. We have since replaced it with a carpet in a rich, dark, heathered colour. We love it. No ifs, no buts, it's perfect. The hallway gets very little natural light, so the walls are painted very pale. The overall effect is cosy and welcoming, and the house is so much quieter, as noise no longer echoes up the stairs.

We chose a slightly heathered colour as it wouldn't show marks as much as a solid colour. We have a couple of washable doormats, one just inside the door and the other beside it for shoes. There's also a shoe cupboard, but it always overflows, hence the second doormat. If mud gets tracked in we leave it alone until it dries, then vacuum it up.

Original poster

tocarpetornottocarpet · 14/03/2022 18:20

I'd not thought about tiles, but am I going to have the same issues with the skirting though? And is it going to work out much more expensive? I'm also now worrying whether tiles would be the same level, or if that's going to cause more problems with thresholds etc.

I don't think staining the floor will disguise all the dents and knocks in the floor, they are quite deep so definitely won't sand out, and where the layer of varnish has come off the dents look kind of black if that makes sense? So quite noticeable.

that said I guess it's worth a try though as keeping the floor and staining it is by far the cheapest solution. I might get a small pot of a dark woodstain and try it on the area I've sanded, including some of the dents - if it looks terrible I'm just down a pot of woodstain so not the end of the world.

OP posts:

Original poster

tocarpetornottocarpet · 14/03/2022 18:23

Ah it's nice to hear someone has gone for carpet!

I do agree there is something cosy about a carpeted hall. My DPs parents have their hallway carpeted (slightly different as they have a bungalow) but I always think how nice and warm it feels walking inside - although this could also be because they usually have the heating up to the mid 20s :)

OP posts:

fizzyfood · 14/03/2022 18:29

You can have a mat area fitted in front of the door , a carpet fitter would do it when fitting your carpet, it's permanent so doesn't move around. It's hard to describe what I mean, I'm a cleaner and have seen it at a customer's house, it looks neat.

ukborn · 14/03/2022 20:47

No I wouldn't never have carpet in the hall. I'd get it redone in a good quality laminate or engineered wood but you are right, beading is a cheat and looks it. But removing skirting and refitting isn't that much of a job, a handyman could do it. It would get more complicated if it is not easy to remove snd needs replacing with different cuts, but my general builder guy did this and I didn't need a joiner who would have been more expensive. Could you sand back what you have and stained it darker and accept those knocks and rings as part of it character?

BananaPie · 14/03/2022 20:47

The trick with the beading is to paint it to match the skirting board rather than the floor. That way it looks less like the floor is going up at the sides and more like the skirting board has an extra bit of detail at the bottom. Not amazing but definitely less shit.

I’m not sure about carpet in the hallway. I think I wouldn’t have it if I had a choice.

tattychicken · 14/03/2022 20:50

When we had wooden floor fitted our fitter did all the skirting board work himself eg removing and replacing afterwards including some adjustments. Can you find a different fitter who could do the whole job?

DespairingHomeowner · 14/03/2022 21:14

Don’t do the bearing, it does look …. cobbled together

If you take of the skirting you MIGHT damage plaster, might not. Are there any radiators in the hall (just the pipes are another thing to work around).

I think in your situation I would in order if preference:

get a really big rug that tones in with stairs for the hall
possibly get a rug made of the stair carpet (carpet shops can do this, it’s about £80 on top of the carpet)
carpet the hall
replace the wood (just seems like hassle for not much benefit)

thefatpotato · 14/03/2022 21:25

@tocarpetornottocarpet

Yes it was the beading/ trim that the guy from the flooring shop said would 'look shit'. So a bit reluctant to get that based on his comments.

I do have a runner (bought to act as a big doormat by our french doors at the back of the house) so will give that a go.

He's right. We have the beading (was here when we bought) and I hate it. It's shit. Definitely don't get that!

I personally hate carpets in the hallway. What about a nice runner type rug though?

Kitkat151 · 14/03/2022 21:36

Noooo don’t have carpet in a hallway....you will regret it....save up for what you actually want.....just wait a bit longer

Original poster

tocarpetornottocarpet · 14/03/2022 22:55

I've tried the runner now (used the one I already had), but my hallway is fairly wide by the entrance but then really narrow, there's like a bottleneck by the stairs as that's where the radiator/ radiator cover is, and it just looks wrong having a runner there as its touching the skirting/ radiator cover.

So I definitely don't think I could leave the floor as is and have a runner. Am going to get some stain this week and see how that looks.

OP posts:

Vapeyvapevape · 14/03/2022 23:00

I had the tiles butting up to the skirting board , no problem with the threshold into the carpeted lounge either.

NeedAHoliday2021 · 15/03/2022 12:46

My parents had dark green in their old house and it always looked good despite my dad constantly bringing mud in from the garden. I like hard flooring but only due to personal taste. I did like how nice it was to walk on their carpets bare foot! They’re renovating their new house so currently have no carpets and rough floor boards but I’m expecting them to carpet their hall.

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