New Carpet Runners on Our Split Staircase
You know those home projects that you’ve been wanting to do forever? Like the ones the former owner of your house left behind? And you couldn’t wait to get them completed so the place could finally feel like your own?
Every time you move into a new house, there’s always memories of the previous owner. Their paint color choices. Their botched-up DIY or their carpet that they installed on the stairs that is no where near your taste, as in the case in my house.
Our project was the removal and replacement of the old, dirty, dusty, dated stair runners that we lived with for almost five years. Blah. They were put in by the former owner of our house and I couldn’t wait to get rid of them. So much so that I ripped one out one afternoon while Dan was at work 🙂
See what happens when you leave me alone with nothing to do? And that was several years ago. I was curious to see what the wood stairs looked like under that ugly carpet. To see how it would be without carpet on the stairs for a while. To see the rolled up runner in the garbage mostly.
We have a beautiful split staircase in our 115 year old house. There are two flights up to a landing where there is a stained glass window, and then a flight up to the second floor, so basically three sets of stairs. The two going up from the main floor of the house were very helpful on moving day and I love having such a unique feature in our home. We use both often.
In most rooms I have area rugs, but I think having runners on the stairs is not only necessary for safety, it warms up an often-neglected pathway of the house.
The Makeover Plan
My plan was to replace them about 4 years ago but it never happened. Since the stairs are so old and essentially not replaceable, we didn’t want to take on installing carpet ourselves for a few reasons.
- We didn’t have the tools
- We don’t have the time
- We didn’t have the expertise
- We wanted carpet installed correctly to last
Although there are tons of projects and renovations we do ourselves, this was not one that we wanted to take on.
So what happens when you don’t want to do it yourself? You hire Carpet One! I got to work with them to replace the stair runners and am thrilled at how things turned out.
Selecting Carpet
Dan and I got to tour the local Carpet One store, which by the way sells a lot more than just carpet. They have tile and all kinds of options for flooring, it’s fun to look at all the types and colors.
Joe Jr. was my go-to guy. He informed us about how carpet is make, how durable it is and how best to clean it. There’s actually a lot to know that is helpful for keeping your floors in good shape.
We got to take home samples and see what they looked like at home. The experts at the store encourage you to do that. Just like you’d try a paint sample out on the wall, you need to see what flooring will look like in your space too.
We ended up picking a textured carpet by Lee’s that has a subtle weave to it, although it’s one color. Here are two large pieces in the upstairs hallway. I like that we got to see it with the light in our house, since it looked different in the store. Seeing this helped us decide on the best color.
Here is the info on the carpet we selected in case you like it too.
Preparing the Staircase
After we picked it out, Dan came home and ripped up the old carpet so fast I barely go to take pictures! Then he went on a cleaning rampage, so I didn’t stop him 🙂
Then we were left with bare wood stairs until the new ones came for installation. In case you are curious, as we were, the top flight was pretty beat up. Much of the wood was faded and whatever was on them to seal them had worn off. I say whatever since I don’t 100% know if these old stairs are sealed with shellac or something else.
And they were very dusty. Our floors are dust magnets and since they are dark, you can see every piece that falls on them. See my tips on how I clean wood floors here.
The Installation
We scheduled the installation and soon they were here to put in our new runners. It was so nice, now that I’m home with Cora, not to have to worry about things like this. The installation took less than an hour and she slept through the whole thing. I have to say, once in a while, it’s great to let professionals come into your home and take care of things. I know a lot of us are DIYers, but sometimes you just don’t want to do it yourself.
Here is another reason why we let the pros do this job. We don’t have any carpet installation tools. Dan joked that in the time it took for all three runner to be installed professionally, he would have just put on his knee pads, made a cup of coffee, checked Facebook on his cell, you know.. gotten not much done if he had tried to figure out how to put in carpet the right way.
Now you probably want to see the after! I’ll stop the blabbing, here are our new Carpet One stair runners.
I love how straight they are and they are super soft. This color is called Elephant and is a light gray. They are a really simple, traditional look to go with out traditional home and the texture came out just like I was picturing.
Finally! New stair runners after a 4 1/2 year wait. See, sometimes it is better not to do it yourself!
About Carpet One
Don’t let the name fool you, Carpet One stores offer more than just rugs and carpet. If you’d like to find out more about the flooring options offered at Carpet One stores, find them online here, on Facebook, on Twitter, on Pinterest and on YouTube.
Good news for you, there is a #DDIY (Don’t Do It Yourself) sale going on at Carpet One stores now, if you are in the market for an update at your home. It runs through April 19th and you can find more information about the sale here. Lee’s Carpets (the kind we got) is up to 50% select carpets and there is up to $500 of an instant rebate you can get of select hardwood, tile, laminate, LVT flooring and more.
Do you have any forever-long projects at your house? Think you’d prefer to hire an expert and not do it yourself? Trust me, it’s worth it.
Many thanks for Carpet One for a great home renovation experience. #CollectiveBias #InspiredHome
Please let me know if you have any questions on this project! See you later this week.
Disclosure: This is a sponsored post on behalf of Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone.
