If you have stairs in your house...

If you have stairs in your house - are they carpeted?

We have a large staircase going up the middle of our house, and right now they are wood treads. I am worried about my 7 month old learning to walk / climb stairs and falling.

Does putting a runner "ruin" the wood treads? Would I have to refinish the stairs if I remove the runner?

Here is a partial pic.

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Re: If you have stairs in your house...

We have bare wood stairs. In my parents house we had carpet for a while and then treads. My parents used to tell me that I never fell down the stairs - they taught me to go up & down on my tush - they never even had a baby gate.

Re: If you have stairs in your house...

I have bare wood steps and my kids do fine. I always tell them to go slow and hold on... Also I only clean them with amonia and water so they dont get slippery.

Re: If you have stairs in your house...

We had carpeted stairs when we moved in, but we are re-doing them and they will be wood stairs with no runner. I personally don't like the look of a runner.

I believe it also gets stapled, or adhered to your wood stairs when it is installed.

Re: If you have stairs in your house...

ours are carpeted - i love wood stairs but we are keeping the carpet for now.....we dont have any kids yet but i feel more comfortable leaving the carpet for when we do have children in the house...i always slip on wood stairs especially in socks (but i am a huge klutz!) so even for me if i am holding a baby i rather have the carpet...although i have a rather large staircase and you'd take quite a tumble whether the stairs are carpet or not....

i dont really like runners and i could imagine them being more slippery if they aren't on properly....

Re: If you have stairs in your house...

My inlaws have hardwood on their stairs and I almost took a spill a couple times LOL I think she uses pledge cause they are really slippery haha

Re: If you have stairs in your house...

we only have two stairs but they are wood.

my parents are in a high ranch. the first set of stairs before the landing are carpeted, then they have tile on the landing, then the 2nd set of stairs is wood with no runner.

Re: If you have stairs in your house...

I fell on my butt on our carpeted stairs last night and it hurts still! I think either way you can slip. My parents always had carpeted stairs though and I fell down the stairs also (when I was older, not as a baby I don't think)....either way I think you just need to be careful! If you have wood stairs I don't like the look of a runner. Also, I don't like the sound of shoes on wood stairs, just me, especially when you're trying to sneak up or down them!

Re: If you have stairs in your house...

Stairs are fully carpeted, but we plan to eventually make them all wood.

Re: If you have stairs in your house...

Right now they are carpeted and will keep it that way until for a while.

Re: If you have stairs in your house...

I would highly recommend a runner. Bare stairs are so loud and scare me so much....we installed a runner right before DD was born and I'm so thankful we did....it cut down on the noise/echoing in our house and I feel much safer with it in.

Re: If you have stairs in your house...

I don't have stairs in my house (I have a ranch) but I grew up in a colonial. Both sets of stairs were carpeted, and it was a good thing - when my little brother tripped and fell, the carpet cushioned his fall.

Re: If you have stairs in your house...

I slipped on my bare wood stairs once it really hurt! Getting a runner soon!

Re: If you have stairs in your house...

we are all carpeted and thank god bc DS fell down the entire flight when he was 19 months old or so bc the gate wasnt properly latched! ER Doc said they wouldve sent him for a CT Scan on his head had they been wood stairs.

Message edited 10/7/2009 9:59:20 PM.

Re: If you have stairs in your house...

When we did our floors, I really wanted to leave the wood stairs and get a runner, but they were pretty badly damaged so it would've meant new treads plus the cost of a runner. It added up to too much money. I ended up choosing a patterned carpet that sort of gives the feeling of a runner, to save money. DH especially felt it was important to have something covering the stairs so the kids wouldn't fall.