Carpet on Stairs, Hallway: Nap Direction

Carol Emmarie

We have a straight run of stairs leading to an upstairs hallway. We're having a fine carpenter remodel the stairway soon, and then we'd like to install WTW carpet on the stairs and in the hall. I'm puzzled: How should the carpet nap on the steps lie: in the "upstairs" or "downstairs" direction? Also, must the direction of the nap be consistent throughout the stairs and the hall? If so, then the 12-foot carpet width would cause a crosswise seam in the middle of the hall, so I'd be tempted to let the carpet nap change direction where the stairs meet the hall. Would this nap direction change be too strange?
Thank you,
- Miss Carol

rusty baker

The nap should brush up as you go up the stairs. And the hall should run the same direction. If you 1/4 turn it, it will look like a different shade.

Floorman6

Carpet nap sweep should run over the nose of a step. Sweep of nap runs over step plus when tucked into the crouch of the step it will be strong enough not for your stairtool to cut through it if you run it where the side sweep is in the crouch it will cut through with the stair tool. Hallway can be 1/4 turned if you run the side sweep the same as the step where it sweeps over the nose of the step.

Floorwizard

Carpet likes to run one direction. Problems can be a "smile" that shows the backing if the nap is short.
But if it's a thick nap then anyway is fine.

Hall and stairs can have the nap different directions. I doubt any color change will be noticeable. It's only bad to do on patterned carpets.
The stairs are going to change color anyway due to dirt and wear...in short order...

Floorman6

You correct in a way, If a stair or tread is not a bullnose (rounded nose) it will smile between nap but in our area not too many treads are sharp edge nose treads which will cut through pad and carpet over time but also smile between nap. If it was a berber or comercial I would run in same direction with out a doubt.

Floorwizard

Good idea.