Guide · For the trade
Hall runner rugs: widths, lengths and how designers spec them
A hall runner is 27, 32 or 36 inches wide and sized to leave 4 to 6 inches of floor on each side of the hall, so a 36-inch hall takes a 27-inch runner, a 42-inch hall a 32, and a 48-inch hall a 36. Length is the hall minus 12 to 18 inches at each end, stopping short of any doorway; standard runners come 6, 8, 10, 12 and 14 feet long, and anything longer, to 30 or 40 feet, is cut from broadloom to the inch in 3 to 5 weeks.
This guide is for the designer or the junior drawing a hall, a landing or a long gallery. It covers the width rule, the length rule, standard versus custom lengths, the fibers and constructions that survive a hallway, pad and installation notes, matching the stair, and the questions clients ask.
Hallway runner size: the width rule
The runner should read as a path down the middle of the hall, not as fitted carpet with the edges missing. That means 4 to 6 inches of floor showing on each side, never less than 3 and rarely more than 8. Measure the hall at its narrowest point, between the door casings if they project, and subtract 8 to 12 inches. The three standard runner widths cover almost every residential hall; a wider gallery or a hotel corridor takes a 4-foot or custom width cut from broadloom.
| Hall width | Runner width | Floor each side | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 36 in | 27 in (2 ft 3 in) | 4.5 in | The minimum code hall; the narrowest standard runner |
| 42 in | 32 in (2 ft 8 in) | 5 in | The most common hall and the most common runner |
| 48 in | 36 in (3 ft) | 6 in | Wide halls and landings; 36 in is also the stair runner default |
| 54 to 60 in | 42 to 48 in, cut to order | 6 in | Galleries and corridors; cut from broadloom and bound |
| 72 in and up | Custom width | 8 to 12 in | Treat it as a long area rug, sized to the furniture against the walls |
Runner rug length: where it starts and stops
A runner should not be the same length as the hall. Leave 12 to 18 inches of floor at each end so it stops short of the end walls, and stop it 6 to 12 inches before any doorway it runs toward, so the door swings clear and the threshold shows. Where a hall passes doorways on the side, run the runner straight past them; do not stop and start. In an L-shaped hall use two runners that meet at the corner with a 4 to 6-inch gap, or a single piece cut to the L from broadloom and seamed at the inside corner. On a landing the runner is sized like a small rug, 18 inches from the walls, with the stair runner feeding into it.
Standard lengths and custom lengths
Mill runners come in fixed lengths: 6, 8, 10, 12 and 14 feet are standard, with some lines at 16 and 20. The runners by size collection lists them by length. For a hall that is 22 feet or longer, or any length that falls between the standard sizes, the runner is cut from broadloom. The strip is cut along the length of the roll, so the pattern runs down the hall and the length is open: 20, 30 or 40 feet in one piece from a 12 ft, 13 ft 2 in or 15 ft wide roll, with a seam at a doorway only when the run is longer than the mill will ship. A stripe runs down the hall, a border is mitered at the corners by the finisher, and a large repeat is centered on the width before cutting. Finished with binding, serging or a border, a custom length runner ships in 3 to 5 weeks; see the custom size rugs guide.
Fiber and construction for a hallway
A hall takes more passes per day than any room in the house, in a narrow track down the center. Wool is the first choice: it recovers from crushing, hides soil in a heathered or patterned face and is naturally flame resistant. A wool Wilton or a hand-knotted runner at 60 to 100 knots per square inch is the long-life spec; a flatweave wool runner is the lowest-profile and the easiest under a door swing. Nylon, solution-dyed, is the spec for a back hall, a mudroom corridor or a family with dogs, and it cleans with anything. Sisal and seagrass runners work in a dry hall with a bound or leather border; jute does not belong in a hallway. Silk, viscose and Tencel blends stain with water and are not for a hall under any circumstances. Keep the pile at 1/2 inch or under where a door crosses it, and under 1/2 inch on an accessible route.
Pad and installation to specify
Every runner on a hard floor gets a pad cut 1 inch short of each edge: a 1/4-inch dense felt-and-rubber pad under a wool or hand-knotted runner, a thin rubber grip pad under a flatweave so it does not creep. A loose runner on a bare wood floor is a fall hazard, and the pad is what stops it. For a long custom runner in a busy corridor, tell the installer to tack it at both ends with carpet tacks or to use a double-sided carpet tape rated for the floor finish. Rubber-backed non-slip runners are a retail product and will mark a wood floor over time; a felt-and-rubber pad does the same job without the residue.
Matching the hall runner to the stair runner
When a hall meets a stair, the two runners should be the same goods, the same width and the same finish. Specify both from one roll so the dye lot matches, and have the finisher bind both edges the same way. A 36-inch stair runner feeding onto a landing and into a 32-inch hall is normal; the width changes at the landing, where the eye expects it. The stair runner collection lists 59 styles made for the stair, and nearly all of them cut to a hall runner as well.
Questions designers ask
How wide should a hall runner be?
The hall width minus 8 to 12 inches, so 4 to 6 inches of floor show on each side. A 36-inch hall takes a 27-inch runner, a 42-inch hall a 32-inch, a 48-inch hall a 36-inch. Measure at the narrowest point, between door casings.
How long should a hallway runner be?
The hall length minus 24 to 36 inches, leaving 12 to 18 inches of floor at each end, and stopping 6 to 12 inches before any doorway it runs toward. A 14-foot hall takes a 12-foot runner; a 22-foot hall takes a custom length of about 19 to 20 feet.
Should a runner go the full length of the hall?
No. A runner that touches both end walls reads as badly fitted carpet. Floor at each end is what makes it look placed; the exception is a runner that turns a corner into a second runner or a stair, where the two meet with a small gap.
What is the best material for a hallway runner?
Wool, in a Wilton, a hand-knotted or a flatweave construction, for a main hall; solution-dyed nylon for a back hall or a house with dogs. No viscose, silk or Tencel, which stain with water, and no jute, which crushes under traffic.
Can you make a runner longer than 20 feet?
Yes. Any broadloom in the catalog cuts to a runner along the length of the roll and is bound or serged, so 20, 30 or 40 feet in one piece is routine; beyond what the mill will ship in one length, two pieces seam at a doorway. 3 to 5 weeks.
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