Carpet installation: looking to install a stair runner but I have a question

[Homerboy]

We have hardwood floors on our stairs and at the top landing.
We'd very much like to install a runner up the length of the stairs and go through the 2nd floor hallway (~12ft). However the bedroom door at the end of the hallway is off center by about 6" or so, so I'm not sure how they would terminate the end of the runner.

The hall way widens about half way, which is the cause for the off-center door at the end - going from ~38" wide to ~46" wide. The stairs end at 38" and the end of the hallway is ~46" with a door centered on that 46"

Can they put a "jog" into the runner across that hallway? so that it "turns" a little bit going from centered on that 38" to being centered on the 46"? Does that make sense? And if they can't "jog" the runner, how could they terminate it on the end of the hallway if it is not centered on the door itself (and would it look stupid?

Any insight is appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[olds]

What, no MS Paint diagram?

 

[Homerboy]

Originally posted by: oldsmoboat
What, no MS Paint diagram?

I was waiting for that.

MS Paint diagram can be provided if needed.

 

[Bryophyte]

It can't be limited to the steps themselves? Why does the runner need to extend down the hallway?

 

[radioouman]

We did this a couple years ago. It has held up well.

 

[Homerboy]

Originally posted by: Bryophyte
It can't be limited to the steps themselves? Why does the runner need to extend down the hallway?

It can, but we wanted it to extend down the hallway. The HWFs in the hallway are kinda beat-up for lack of a better phrase and the runner would have covered it nicely.

We did this a couple years ago. It has held up well.

I guess worst comes to worst that's what we will do. Though not sure about extending it on the landing itself as it leads right to our front door and in Wisconsin winter don't need people trompin' all over the carpet in their boots.

 

[radioouman]

Runners are cheap, so it wouldn't hurt make it disposable after a few years. Also, there are brass (appearing) carpet rods that are hinged to make it easy to get the runner out and replaced/cleaned.

EDIT: But I don't have any clue how you would make a runner curve around a corner. Sounds like you might have to buy a piece wider than you would want and cut to to the right shape, but that would cost more and you've have to put an edge on it to keep it from fraying.

 

[Homerboy]

Originally posted by: radioouman
Runners are cheap, so it wouldn't hurt make it disposable after a few years. Also, there are brass (appearing) carpet rods that are hinged to make it easy to get the runner out and replaced/cleaned.

EDIT: But I don't have any clue how you would make a runner curve around a corner. Sounds like you might have to buy a piece wider than you would want and cut to to the right shape, but that would cost more and you've have to put an edge on it to keep it from fraying.

Technically the runners are free for me (father in law owns a flooring supply distributor) so that's not too big of an issue. Interestingly I just didn't think of the geometry of it and you're right. the "jog" piece would have to be wider than the runner itself. The patterns would never match up either.

Guess we may just end up having to run it the length of the stairs and leave the HFW the rest of the way. I guess it would look silly to terminate off center of the door at the end of the hallway hey?

 

[Bryophyte]

Two different runners. Make the one in the hallway wider than the stairs one, so it looks deliberate.

 

[radioouman]

I think that if you have access to the materials, I would carefully measure the entire area and cut a custom runner out of a piece of carpet. Then you can either have someone stitch the edges on, or you can use the adhesive stuff. I've had a lot of luck with the adhesive, btw.

 

[Homerboy]

Originally posted by: radioouman
I think that if you have access to the materials, I would carefully measure the entire area and cut a custom runner out of a piece of carpet. Then you can either have someone stitch the edges on, or you can use the adhesive stuff. I've had a lot of luck with the adhesive, btw.

so your saying take one big piece (long and wide) of carpet cut my stair runner and the "jog" and the hallway runner into one piece. Have somebody stich the end and install it like so.

 

[NissanGurl]

You definitely have a difficult situation with everything being out of whack as far as alignment. First off, for the best option (not cheapest) I would recommend getting some estimates/ideas from carpet installers or interior designers that would come out and look at the space for a free estimate. If that's not really an option, I would go the way Bryophyte suggested: 2 separate runners. You could have the one on the stairs and then for the landing/hall at the top get a runner that would cover most of the HWF instead of lining a path. I have an idea of what you are describing, but without a picture or diagram it's hard to really recommend a solution so take any suggestions with a grain of salt.

 

[Homerboy]

Ok here's some visuals to potentially give you lay of the land better:

Stairway (ignore the door viewable at the top as its gone this is a picture from our first day in the house years ago): http://picasaweb.google.com/potrzebowski/House/photo#5060360977448769250
Hallway, this is right were it widens. You can see on the lower right the old hallway wall is (where the door is in the above picture) and the flooring in the new, wider hallway:
http://picasaweb.google.com/potrzebowski/House/photo#5060365783517175714

I think the "fix" is going to be a runner up the stairs and have it terminate at the joint where the hallway widens. Then in the new wider hallway take a matching piece of runner, and center it in there, with about an inch or 2 "seperating" the 2 offset runners. The other option is to just do the stairs and spot-touch-up those new (reused) floor boards.