hall carpet dilemma!

[daisy1999]

I live in a modern house with a very small hall (if you can even call it that). The front door opens up onto the hall (approx 1.5m square), then straight up the stairs. I am getting a medium dark beige carpet up the stairs and was planning on getting the hall laid with a dark ribbed carpet (sort of like a doormat but fitted). I have seen it done elsewhere. When I went to the carpet shop today the man looked at me like I'd lost it. Am I mad, should I just get the same carpet in the hall as well and then wash it every month??
Help.

[incy]

Perhaps put a rug down just inside the door if you want the more impractical colour. Personally I have a wooden floor hall with carpet up the stairs so I don't think it is odd.

[noddyholder]

I would either tile it to tone in or we have a small hall before the main hall iykwim and we have fitted coir which most carpet fitters supply

[JackieNo]

We have no hall to speak of (sounds very much like yours), and have wall-to-wall 'fitted' doormat (but the traditional spiky sort) over all of it. It is perfectly possible .

[daisy1999]

thank you for not making me feel like a freak
incy we were thinking of wood as the other option.
noddy I am a little wary of tiles (which I would love) in case the childrn slipped down the stairs (need a soft landing )
jackie does your hall lead straight up your stairs?

[scatterbrain]

We did the same in our last house - and funnily enough the man looked at me like I was a mad woman when I ordered it too !!!

Have to say though - not sure I'd do it again - our cat weed on it twice in the first week and was sick on it several times over a few years - it ended up quite stained and I often thought that I would have been better off with a cheap rug that I could have replaced every so often !

[JackieNo]

Yes - DH can quite easily step straight in through the door and onto the bottom step without stepping on the hall floor at all. Takes me 2 steps..

[buktus]

we have got the first bit of the hall in the traditional sort of coir mat but we are replacing all of it with tiles, as its only 4 years old but its filthy and we cant have wood as the dog will scratch it, i would agree with having something you can change every now and again

[Kittypickle]

I have carpet down in the hall that is going the very second we decide that we are staying in this house and not moving. I hate carpet in the hall, it's completely impractical and a complete PITA. I've got wood in the kitchen and it is so much easier.

[daisy1999]

hmmm definately food for thought, I will consider carefully over a bottle of red tonight

[daisy1999]

those who have wood - is it laminate or actual wood?

[Avalon]

In my last house (small hall) I had a washable floor fitted - looked like tiles but wasn't and then fitted carpet for the stairs etc.
It worked very well - it was light and brightened up the hall considerably.

Now I have a wooden floor in the hall, with a doormat and carpet up the stairs.

It makes sense in our house to have something in the hall you can easily clean!

[chipo]

I have laminate in my hall then carpet up the stairs. I have put one of those washable door mats on the floor infront of the door. Those mats are great as you can bung them in the washing machine. Think you can get them from jml (woolworths) and b&q

[incy]

Have had both laminate (in the past) and wood (now) in the hall. Both very pracical and washable. Can't say I notice a huge difference (apart from cost).

[USAUKMum]

We have a wood floor in our hall, but when it was fitted the very nice man said that he could inset a door mat into the wood. Which he did, and works well - it has can be taken up and replaced if needed and doesn't slide all around as the children charge through the door. Would recommend it.

[Bozza]

We have laminate floor (but large hall) and carpeted stairs. Do not have a doormat but have an open porch and mat outside.