Choosing the best carpet for stairs seems like it would be an easy process. Just pick the color and style you like and have it installed, right?

There’s actually a lot more to carpet selection than that. Although color and style matter, high traffic areas like stairways require extra consideration. Follow our outline for points to consider when shopping for stair carpeting, and you’ll be well-prepared to make the best choice for your home.

Budget

As with any type of flooring, the first step is determining how much you’re able to spend. Fortunately, it’s possible to find affordable carpet options without having to sacrifice quality. Because stair carpet gets a lot of wear and tear, you should aim for the highest quality carpet and padding you can afford.

Measure your staircase then look online to get an idea of how much certain carpets cost per square foot, including installation. Next, visit a home improvement center or carpet store so you can see and touch the different carpet styles before making a final budget decision.

Color and Style

Carpeting comes in a huge variety of colors, patterns, and textures. Some are suitable for stair covering while others aren’t ideal. For example, wool carpet feels great underfoot and it has natural stain-and-soil repelling properties, but it’s expensive and not as durable as synthetic materials.

Darker-colored carpet, striped carpet, and carpet with other patterns are some of the best carpets for stairs. Prints are great for helping camouflage food and pet stains. The Lifeproof Perfectly Posh Artillery Pattern Gray Carpet has an elegant swirling medallion print that will instantly upgrade curved stairs or any style of wood stairs.

Even if you prefer a solid color, choose a multi-colored carpet to better hide pet hair and other debris between carpet cleaning sessions. A solid light-colored carpet is probably the worst option for stairs that receive a lot of traffic as it can begin to look dingy fairly quickly.