The short answer: I'm just going to be straight up honest here: I tend to like carpet on stairs. It's safer, cheaper, and easier to install and maintain. We can certainly put LVP on stairs, and it can look amazing, but it costs a lot more and it won't look new forever.
| Carpet | LVP | |
|---|---|---|
| Typical staircase (rough ballpark) | $500 to $800 | About $2,000 |
| If you slip or fall | Softer, less risk of serious injury | Much harder, more risk of serious injury |
| Grip | Tends to be grippier and more slip-resistant | Slicker, especially if it gets wet |
| Over 10 to 15 years | Replace it for a fraction of the LVP cost | Looks great at first, but likely to look beat up over the 15 years |
Cost
As a rough ballpark, a typical staircase in LVP is about $2,000, and a typical staircase in carpet is between $500 and $800. That carpet number includes the carpet, padding, installation, and the stair charge. You could do carpet two to four times before you'd reach the cost of doing it once in LVP. From a cost perspective, it's definitely better to do stairs in carpet.
On a carpet job, the carpet on the stairs is charged the regular carpet labor like the rest of the job, plus an additional $100 stair charge for a standard set. (See How Much Does New Carpet Cost in Utah County?)
Safety
LVP is much harder. If someone did happen to fall, trip, or slip on the stairs, it's going to hurt a lot more and carry a lot more risk of serious injury than carpet. Carpet, depending on the carpet, also tends to be grippier and more slip-resistant. And if you managed to get water on LVP, it would be slicker and more dangerous than carpet.
Does an LVP staircase last forever?
There's kind of this notion that if you put LVP down once, it'll look good forever and you'll never have to change it. That's not actually the case. LVP is basically a plastic floor, and the stair nosings are basically plastic too. They can be damaged, no doubt about it. Ten or 15 years from now, an LVP staircase is going to look pretty beat up, especially if any furniture has ever been moved up or down the stairs.
If you do want LVP on your stairs
We can do it. With our Lux Premier brand, we have flush stair nosings, and the stairs tend to look amazing. (Nosing prices are on How Much Does LVP Cost Installed?)
The bottom line
Overall, my choice is carpet. It's safer, cheaper, and easier to install and maintain.
Come see us in Provo or Lehi. We offer free measuring and free estimates.