What is the best carpet for stairs?

A heavier twist pile. It resists flattening on the front edge of each tread, hides footprints and copes with the concentrated wear stairs get. Avoid loop pile and very soft deep piles on stairs.

What carpet is best for bedrooms?

A softer saxony or soft-touch pile, because comfort matters more than toughness in a room that is mostly walked on barefoot. You can drop the weight slightly compared with a hallway carpet and put the saving into better underlay.

Is wool carpet worth the extra money?

In a lounge or a bedroom, often yes — an 80/20 wool blend looks better for longer and springs back from furniture marks. In a family hallway or a rental, a good synthetic twist is usually the better buy because it cleans more easily.

How much does carpet cost supplied and fitted?

Around £15–£35 per square metre supplied and fitted, including underlay, grippers, door bars and removal of your old floor. Stairs, landings and small hallways are priced per job rather than per square metre.

What underlay thickness should I choose?

A 10–11 mm PU underlay suits most homes. Thicker is not always better — on stairs an over-thick underlay can feel spongy, so we fit a firmer grade there.

Can you fit carpet I have bought myself?

Yes. We supply and fit at trade prices, or we can fit carpet and underlay you have already bought elsewhere.

How to choose the right carpet for each room

Choosing carpet is mostly about matching the pile and the weight to how hard the room gets used. Here is the same advice we give customers in Northampton when we are stood in their hallway with a sample book.

Match the pile to the room

A twist pile is the safe choice for stairs, hallways and landings. The yarn is tightly twisted so footprints and vacuum marks do not show and the pile does not flatten in the middle of the stairs where everyone walks.

For bedrooms you can go softer. A saxony or a soft-touch pile feels lovely underfoot in a room that only gets walked on barefoot. Loop pile looks smart in a study or a snug, but avoid it if you have cats — claws pull the loops.

Stairs, landings and hallways: twist pile, heavier weight
Bedrooms: saxony or soft pile, comfort over toughness
Lounges: twist or a heavy soft pile depending on traffic
Homes with dogs or cats: twist pile, never loop

Wool, wool-blend or synthetic

An 80/20 wool blend feels and looks the best and recovers well from furniture dents, so it suits lounges and bedrooms. It costs more and it is less forgiving of heavy spills.

Modern polypropylene and polyamide carpets are hard-wearing, bleach-cleanable and much better than their reputation. For a family hallway, a rental, or a house with young children, a good synthetic twist is usually the sensible money.

Do not skimp on underlay

Underlay is what makes a mid-range carpet feel expensive. A 10–11 mm PU underlay adds comfort, warmth and sound insulation, and it takes the wear so the carpet lasts longer.

Spending a little more on underlay and a little less on carpet almost always feels better underfoot than the other way round. If you want the detail, read our underlay guide.

What it costs

Carpet supplied and fitted is typically £15–£35 per square metre including underlay, grippers, door bars, lifting the old floor and taking it away.

Stairs, landings and small hallways are quoted as a fixed package rather than by the square metre, because every tread, riser and door frame is cut individually and a narrow hall can take most of a day.

How to judge quality in the shop

Bend a sample back on itself. If you can easily see the backing through the fibres, the pile is thin and it will flatten in a busy room. Check the weight or the wear rating on the back of the sample and ask what it is rated for — light domestic is not good enough for stairs.

Take samples home and look at them in daylight and at night. Carpet colour shifts a lot under a warm bulb, and greys in particular can look completely different in your own hallway.

Practical things people forget

Think about where seams will land — we plan them to fall out of the main sightline. Think about doorways where two floors meet, and whether a door will need easing once a thicker carpet and underlay go down. And if you have already bought carpet elsewhere, we are happy to fit only.

Quick answers

What is the best carpet for stairs?: A heavier twist pile. It resists flattening on the front edge of each tread, hides footprints and copes with the concentrated wear stairs get. Avoid loop pile and very soft deep piles on stairs.
What carpet is best for bedrooms?: A softer saxony or soft-touch pile, because comfort matters more than toughness in a room that is mostly walked on barefoot. You can drop the weight slightly compared with a hallway carpet and put the saving into better underlay.
Is wool carpet worth the extra money?: In a lounge or a bedroom, often yes — an 80/20 wool blend looks better for longer and springs back from furniture marks. In a family hallway or a rental, a good synthetic twist is usually the better buy because it cleans more easily.
How much does carpet cost supplied and fitted?: Around £15–£35 per square metre supplied and fitted, including underlay, grippers, door bars and removal of your old floor. Stairs, landings and small hallways are priced per job rather than per square metre.
What underlay thickness should I choose?: A 10–11 mm PU underlay suits most homes. Thicker is not always better — on stairs an over-thick underlay can feel spongy, so we fit a firmer grade there.
Can you fit carpet I have bought myself?: Yes. We supply and fit at trade prices, or we can fit carpet and underlay you have already bought elsewhere.

Want a straight answer for your own room? Call 07342 203294 or see our flooring prices and areas we cover.