<p>I am looking for a runner for the staircase in our front hallway. So far, the only one I’ve liked visually is made of nylon. Well, there is one wool one I like but it’s $70 per foot, compared to $26 for the nylon. Anbyone have experience with this? I want the stairs to look nice, but don’t want to spend an arm and a leg.</p>
<p>Wool is far superior to nylon. It is considerably more expensive, but you will probably never have to replace wool. I have wool stairway runners that were installed 12 years ago and they are still perfect, even with three kids.</p>
<p>I agree about using wool. It is very durable and doesn’t seem to attract dirt like synthetics.</p>
<p>I also have a wool runner for the staircase in our front hallway. It is now 11 years old and looks as good as it did when we installed it. It has endured three kids and 5 cats scattered throughout the 11 years. I think we may never have to replace it. :)</p>
<p>About 15 years ago, I replaced the synthetic carpeting on the stairs with wool. At the time, I took a deep breath when I saw the price. It held up beautifully. I recently did some redecorating and had to go back to the carpet store to look for a replacement. Once again, I gulped when I saw the price, but in the end, I bought wool again. Once you get past the sticker shock, you won’t regret your decision.</p>
<p>I got rid of a wool hall runner that we had used for many years and was in great condition, because we were redecorating and changed color schemes. Replaced it with a synthetic from Lowes which is falling apart after just a couple of years. I hate it.
If you can swing the wool, go for it.</p>
<p>If you are not allergic to it and you can afford the price, go for the wool.</p>
<p>Wool for sure. Ours is a Karastan, 18 years old and looks brand new. Make sure you get a great pad for it and that you have a good installer. Also, don’t ever have it cleaned with a liquid process. The wool will stretch. We have it cleaned every other year.</p>
<p>Well, this is sounding consistent. Is $70 per foot a reasonable price? It sounds so high to me. I had the other staircase in our house fully carpeted (not with a runner) and it seemed less expensive than a runner would be. I guess I’l check into that. I like the look of a runner though.</p>
<p>I’m curious, too. A quick Google of wool stair runners seems to show many cheaper options, but then I don’t know how much more you’d have to add for shipping, pads, installation, etc.</p>
<p>I tore off our carpet from our front stairs a couple years ago, and refinished and painted the stairs, with the expectation of putting a runner on them. Hasn’t happened so far. It’s possible I’ll just re-carpet them when I get new living room carpeting (which is needed, but can’t afford yet) because I’m not sure I did a good enough job with the refinishing.</p>
<p>binx–I was going to have them painted anyway, at least on the sides, so maybe I’ll have them fully painted and take my time looking for the perfect wool runner. It could be the price I was quoted included pad and installation. I will shop around some more. But I at least have gotten the clear message that anything I get needs to be wool.</p>