Non Slip Rug Pad

There are some areas where an area rug or carpet may slip and will benefit from a non slip rug pad, which is simply an under rug pad. This includes on hardwood floors, tile, linoleum, and other surfaces too.

Now some rugs will be non slip themselves, perhaps having a rubber backing or similar, but quite a few don’t. The ones that don’t will benefit from a non slip rug pad. This pad is simply a cushion that’s placed under your rug. Pads are made of various materials like rubber, felt, polyester, or synthetic foam. It keeps your rug in place, preventing it from moving all over the place with traffic, helps keep you and others from slipping, and helps prevent the floor underneath from wear and tear. For example, think about a rug that slips a bit and is placed on top of a beautiful hardwood floor. Over time, the underlying floor will wear from movement. Sometimes they are used together with rug pad tape to better secure the rug.

Rug pads have other benefits as well. As they are made of cushioning material, also add cushioning. On a hard floor this can make them more comfortable you walk on them. Most floors are made of pretty hard material, for example hardwood or tile. And they also add some noise absorption qualities, which I certainly notice as I live with three very active children and a dog. In my office building, they cut down on the transmitted noise from the front hall with its relatively heavy foot traffic.

In general you want a rug pad almost the same size as your rug, usually an inch or two less wide and long, which allows a half inch to an inch border along each edge. For some types of uses, for example for with carpet and stair runners, they often come already made for the appropriate width and merely need to be cut to the appropriate length. For other uses they may need to be cut to the right length and width, although you may be able to buy one that is exactly the right size as well. For example my wife recently picked up a 5x8 rug pad for the front hall.

There are different types of non slip rug pads (you might see the term non skid rug pad or similar as well), both with different amounts of padding and for different uses. For example, you may use a pad with more cushioning on outdoor surfaces. You’ll see some described as “hard surface” rug pads; mine are made of a thickish gray fabric material, where my other ones are made of a rubber or rubber-like mesh fabric. As a general rule, you use a thicker pad with a thinner rug and a thinner pad with a thicker rug. Also make sure you use pads rated for outdoor use outdoors, and for expensive rugs such as Orientals, I use what the store/experts recommend.

In a room with wall to wall carpeting, carpet rug pads help reduce area rug wrinkling and traveling. Additionally, the carpet rug pad can help avoid any dye transfer between the area rug and the wall to wall carpeting. Reducing the movement of the area rug on the carpet, the rug pad averts any piling due to friction.

Rug pads are also used with wall to wall carpeting, although not for non slip purposes. They help keep the carpeting from wrinkling, provide padding, and protect the underlying floor material. With area rugs on top of wall to wall carpeting, they not only protect from wear but also help soak up any liquids, like from spills or wet/snowy/icy shoes and boots before it can reach the underlying carpeting.

You can buy rug pads almost anywhere, certainly anywhere rugs are sold locally as well as online. For example, Click Here to see hundreds of non slip rug pads at Amazon.

You also may find Rug Pad Facts to be helpful.