Our Back Staircase~~help!

Having a back staircase is such a blessing. Located off the mudroom, this leads to the 2nd landing on the main staircase. Hundreds of trips have been made up and down this staircase by many feet. Suffice to say, the back staircase is used much more than the main entry staircase.

Both staircases have the same type of carpeting-a sisal natural fiber runner.

Initially I selected sisal because I thought it would keep the children, as toddlers from playing on the stairs~~their soft little feet weren’t attracted to the feel of it. I also really like the look of sisal and find it softer than jute or other natural fibers .

But, with heavy foot traffic, the back staircase sisal now looks like this on each of the treads. Since 2001, this will be the 3rd time I need to replace it.

To make matters worse, Cooper, in the last year or so, has found pleasure in scratching at it (on the top step), rolling it up and then laying on it. As a result it now looks like this! (sorry for the bad photo!)

I am really not sure what to do. Do I replace the sisal for a 3rd time, knowing that we have less feet in the house and therefore it won’t break down as quickly?

We have started removing the carpet. The sisal was put down by professionals with boatloads of glue. I was even considering painting the stairs but tackling old glue removal will be a considerable effort. What a mess! The carpet covered up many plaster wall problems too.

This project will take quite some time to finish. But in the meantime, I’d like your help in determining what I should do next. I’d love to paint the stairs and put in a runner, but I’m not sure I can fix or hide all the plaster issues.

Here are some inspiration pictures. Do you have a favorite? Remember that the stairs are angled and not a straight shot like some of these photos.

In addition to replacing the carpet, there must be a way to improve the lighting. The ceiling height obviously varies depending on what step you are on, but at the greatest point, I’d say it’s approximately 18-20 feet to the ceiling. It might be time for a chandelier?

Please send me your thoughts or ideas~~as I am not sure I need to match the front staircase runner with the back. There is a door separating the two.

Thank you in advance for your help!