Flooring in areas surrounding staircases should be practical and hardwearing, be able to shrug off dirt brought into the house, and be safe. But at the same time, flooring also offers a chance to make a statement about the whole house.
Entrance foyers can create a “wow” factor that immediately impresses those who walk through the front door. The combination of stairs, flooring, lighting and furniture create an impression that says lots about the person living beyond the entry.
A floor particularly in the stairwell positioned in a homes entrance area should be warm, welcoming and in keeping with the style and decoration of the surrounding rooms. Stairways can often have the best floors in the house. The trick is to appreciate them.
Carpeting your staircase and landings reduces the noise and controls the dust. If you have a narrow set of stairs, a carpet runner could be used as an alternative as it still reduces noise, but because it is narrower than the staircase, it helps increase the apparent width. A vertical strip down the carpet runner can also help.
The fact that staircases are a high traffic area means to choose a carpeted staircase requires consideration. The edge of a tread of a carpeted staircase needs to be round to prevent premature wearing of the carpet on the nosing line.
The finish on the stairs can reflect the floor in the foyer or can provide a contrast. A marble floor with carpet on the stair is popular and provides the transition between the ground and first floor. Conversely a timber stair with matching timber flooring blends to provide a uniform and more contemporary look.
Timber stairs look great but because traffic on stairs tends to be close to the centre, the finish on the timber can require frequent re-surfacing. Whilst this is not ideal there are hard finishes available that limit the frequency of re-surfacing. Get the best advice available on the most suitable product for your stair.
A floor covering that is a contrast to the staircase helps make to stair safe. Any contrast between the materials or in the case of timber, direction of the grain aids the eye in distinguishing between the steps of the staircase and the staircase entry and exit points.
Often it can be best to keep floor treatments as simple as possible particularly in smaller areas, if a floor gets over complicated, the space will be spoiled. Therefore, if you have natural, good looking floors, don’t bother to carpet them unless the noise is too much. If you must have carpet, go for a plain version in a strong wearing weave or in smaller houses a striped runner is good. If you leave the floors relatively plain, you can go crazy on the walls with colour and the stairwells lighting.
