Choosing the best material for your stair runner is particularly important as staircases are the most punished flooring in your house. This stands to reason as wear is concentrated in small areas and foot action is more aggressive on stairs.Here is run down of the pros and cons of the various materials choices.
- Polypropylene Stair Carpet
Contains Voc’s which can be hazardous to health and particularly exacerbate Asthma or breathing conditions. Eczema and skin conditions can be irritated by Voc’s and they are potentially carcinogenic. Very quick to flatten causing a tired worn effect. It is Oleophilic which means it attracts oils. Once the carpet is bound to these oils they are hard to remove. Traffic lanes are caused. Worn areas look faded. The plus point of Polypropylene is it looks nice when you first install it and it is cheap.
- Polyamide Stair Carpet
Contains chemicals and petrochemicals which are damaging to the home air quality. Also contain Voc’s which can trigger asthma and breathing conditions, Eczema and skin conditions are also sometimes caused by Vocs. This material is also Oleophilic so again attracts oils which cause damage. Advantages are that Polyamide is colour fast and cheap.
- Wool Stair Carpet Runner
Wool is easy to contact die so it is particularly vulnerable to orange juice, and animal Urine. Bleaches will dissolve wool. Wool is opaque making it good at hiding soiling. Wool recovers or bounces back well.
- Sisal Stair Runner
Sisal is a natural material containing no vocs or chemicals. Good sisal will also have latex chemical free backing. Your family and the environment are safe. Great for asthmatics. Sisal is usually ribbed and if ribs are across it is very non slip Sisal is extremely hardwearing and naturally resists viruses and bacteria, Sisal looks stylish and unique. The disadvantage of sisal is it is marginally more pricey than the alternatives.