You bring home a plant that you wanted to get for a long time, you place it in an aesthetic corner of your house, and you water it every day on time but what happens when it doesn’t get enough sunlight?
Along similar lines, when a rug that you bought after so much research and excitement when not taken care of, left on the floor without much of a second thought might not have an extended life. Not only the condition of the rug will be impacted but also the hardwood flooring of your house could get dents, wrinkles, or maybe an inevitable accident by slipping on the rug. The recommended option always is to get a rug pad for several reasons but carpet padding is also good enough to protect your rug as well as the floors which are a considerable investment to make!
Should you put Carpet Padding Under Area Rug?
So before making an investment in having carpet padding under your area, there is a list of benefits and details that you should know while shopping for one like the suggested material, the size, shape, etc.
Keep reading this article to know everything that you should be aware of!
Layers of protection
Since hardwood floors are sensitive to scrapable materials, like woolen which can be pretty rough to the floor, it’s a better idea to provide padding beneath your rug to prevent any damage. Even dust particles or objects that might go under the rug can cause extended damage to the surface, which will further increase if the room has frequent visitors.
The dye of the rug can leave marks on the floor which might not be reversible, or the furniture that is placed above the rug might be too coarse for the floor and cause major damage.
Carpet padding makes sure to provide an extra layer of protection that prevents many of the possible damages that could happen.
Cushions the Rug
Who doesn’t love extra cushioning? Waking up in the morning and stepping on a warm and cushiony rug, keeps a level of calmness in the mood. It will also make the rug more relaxing to walk over. Also if the rug is in use all time of the day, the padding will help the rug to stay in shape. Natural wear and tear of the rug due to slipping away will also be prevented if it will be cushioned from beneath and will have a grip.
Prevents slips and falls/ Adds grip
The most important benefit of putting a pad on an area rug is that it prevents the rug from slipping away from beneath the feet. In a room where there is frequent visiting by people, it is very safe to use carpet padding to prevent accidents. Also for hardwood floors, especially if they are polished with wax and buffed to bring a shine, padding is very necessary because rugs are more prone to slide on smooth surfaces.
When I say that padding provides grip I mean exactly what is mentioned above, carpet padding or rug pads act as an anchor to the rug. Even the best of rugs lose their grips over time & become slippery & when It’s your bathroom rug, It can be hazardous. To prevent those slippery accidents in the bathroom, I recommend going through these 5 quick fixes to make your bathroom rug non-slip instantly.
Finally, the steps to sticking an area rug to the carpet padding
Don’t worry, there is not much of a hassle when it comes to attaching a pad to the area rug. There are just a few preparations that you’ll have to take care of before doing the task.
- Determining the correct size – To be able to stick the pad properly, the first and the most important thing you should be doing is to measure how much of the area carpet should come on the padding. Some easy measurements include measuring the length and breadth of the rug, and for the correct dimensions you can deduct 2 inches each from both the figures, and it’s done. The 2 measurements that you get are the exact size of the pad you’ll need.
- The thickness of the padding- Each of them has a different thickness and quality. Your main focus should be on which fabric would best suit your flooring and provide the benefit of gripping for your rugs!
- On hardwood floors, the best-suggested pads are rubber which helps the rugs to stay firm on the surface, which is not the same if the flooring is soft.
- Padding is preferred to be thick if the rug is a big one, it doesn’t have to be extremely thick as it might cause slipping. Thin pads are preferred when the area where the rug is placed has frequent visitors.
- Clean the flooring- Make sure that the area where the installation has to be done is clean and free from any dirt so that the process of sticking the pad goes smoothly. I also recommend you check out this quick and easy guide on cleaning area rugs on hardwood floors.
- Installation- put the carpet pad on the floor and fold it halfway, then you can unfold the area rug on top of the pad unfolding both of the other halves on top.
- Make sure to always put the soft side of the padding towards the floor to prevent damage and the flat side towards the rug.
Difference between rug pads and carpet padding
Do you see the similarity in both of these terms? Yes, both of them consist of the word “pad” which does not necessarily mean the same thing.
| Carpet Padding | Rug pads |
| Carpet padding is a permanent solution for preventing your carpet wear and tear, and is an important process carried out while installing a carpet. Rug pads are supposed to be pasted on the rug itself which can then be moved around whenever you want to. | Rug pads are the extra cushiony pads that are meant to be placed under moveable and small rugs, Whereas when we talk about the padding that goes under carpets that cover the whole floor, that is called carpet padding. To stick the padding with the floor and the carpet as well, a special tape is used. |
Conclusion
Carpet padding can provide a great experience with area rugs. Installing it with care will make sure that the life of your rug is extended, it is comfortable, and safe.
![How to Clean Area Rugs on Hardwood Floors? [ Don’t do this ]](https://rugsormats.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/How-to-Clean-Are-rugs-on-Hardwood-Floors-min-1024x576.jpg)
