Once you have made the investment in your new area rug, the next purchase you will need to consider is a quality area rug pad.
What should you look for in a quality area rug pad?
Non-Slip
Your pad should firmly grip your area rug and keep it in place even in high traffic areas.
Durability
Your pad should be made from high quality materials with no fillers and last for years.
Eco Friendly
Your pad should be sustainable and made from recycled and/or natural materials.
Floor Protection
Your pad should protect your floor and should not mar, scratch, stain, or strip your floor finish.
Sound Dampening
Your pad should help to reduce the transmission of sound, both below your rug and in the room.
Cushion & Comfort
Your pad should provide resilience, cushion and additional comfort and not flatten out over time.
We have given you our recommendations of what you should look for in a quality area rug pad above. Now here is a short list of a few things that we would not recommend:
Damaged hardwood floor from a low quality rug pad
You should now have a good idea of the quality of the area rug pad you will need. Now you need to choose the right pad for the type and thickness of the rug you purchased, and the type of floor on which your rug will be installed.
Good manufacturers and retailers will gladly extend a guarantee and/or warranty with their area rug pad.
For example, if your rug has an abrasive scrim backing like many machine rugs have, a rug pad is a necessity, especially over a hardwood floor. If your rug has low pile, like a flat-weave, or many hand knotted rugs, then choosing a high rug pad might leave a noticeable ridge near the edge of the rug and a thinner pad might be the better choice.
It is also worth noting, that your rug pad will be approximately 1” – 1.5” less than your rug, all the way around. You need to remember that if you are the one installing your rug and allow that margin when you are placing your rug and pad.
The following is a selection of quality area rug pads that we have provided for your consideration:
(Disclosure: We will make a small commission should you choose to purchase one of these rug pads.)
This type of pad is made of felt upper and natural rubber backing, and is suitable for hardwood and laminate floor types. It is available in the very thin thickness of - 1/16"
This type of pad is made of felt upper and natural rubber backing, and is suitable for most floor types. It is available in 3 different thicknesses - 1/3", 1/4", 7/16"
This type of pad is made of natural rubber and natural jute and is suitable for most floor types. It is very thin so is ideal for runners, small rugs, and under doors.
This type of pad is made of 100% recycled felt upper and natural rubber backing, and is suitable for most floor types. It is available one thickness of - 1/8"
