Stair rods make a beautiful addition to any staircase, butchoosing the right look and material is important. Stair rods areusually installed over a carpet runner, not only to add adecorative look, but also to keep the stair runner pinned down.When installed properly, stair rods with smaller brackets willactually aid in safety by keeping the stair runner from comingloose.The cheapest option in stair rods is the plated rod. These rodsare made of a very inexpensive metal substance and coated withbrass or a silver finish. When properly cared for, they will lastseveral years, but over time these finish begins to wear off andthe copper finish will gain a tarnished look to it. For areas thatwill receive heavier traffic, these types of rods are not optimal.Rods that are made of stainless steel are