Everybody likes to keep their homes feeling comfy and practical. One of the best ways to do this is to use rugs. You can have these in the bedroom, kitchen, or the living room beneath your coffee table.
While all this is nice, there is one issue you can find, and it isn’t rugs sliding around wood floors, although, in practice, the problem is similar. Small area rugs have little substance, so you often find them bunching up on carpet. While your rug adds texture to your room, a bunched-up rug isn’t the texture you look for when you have carpet underneath.
Bunching rugs are an eyesore and a hazard as they slide across the carpet fibers. In our guide, you can learn how to keep rug from moving on carpet. There are many methods available, so, by the end, you’ll know the best ways how to anchor a rug on carpet in your apartment or home. (Learn How To Get Wrinkles Out Of Carpet)
Why You Need Rug Pad On Carpet
Any large area rug you intend to place on a wall-to-wall carpet has to be supported. While this isn’t professional advice by any degree, you’ll see them bunch up, even if they are held in the middle by a heavy coffee table.
A non-skid pad or rug pad is suitable for carpeted areas and wood floors.
It is challenging to keep rugs flat, even with heavy furniture or a couch sitting on your living room rug. They buckle, and it can be highly frustrating.
You can stop this immediately with a non-slip rug pad, thus preventing the continual tripping hazard.
The solution for area rug from bunching?
Put a pad underneath your throw rug to anchor it to the carpet, making it much safer.
A non-skid pad cushions each step you take, and helps relieve any strain on the fibers, thus extending the life of your high-quality rug.
A rug pad also helps protect the carpet underneath your rug from dye transfer and wear and tear.
If you can’t find the right size, it is accessible to buy a larger size you cut down to fit, and the other piece you can use in another room.
In addition, it makes it easier to vacuum under your rug when it sits in a high-traffic area as they retain dirt and debris that would otherwise be on your carpet.
Even more, insulation is provided by rug pads, which helps live spaces where you want to keep a warm atmosphere. You are separated from the cold subfloor by the additional layer that the padding provides.
Not least of all, a rug pad adds a plush layer of padding that transforms any area rug and stops you from slipping in your house.
However, a rug pad isn’t the only solution to stop a rug from bunching on your floor. (Learn How To Get Food Coloring Out Of Carpet)
How To Keep Rugs In Place On Carpet
Here’s a quick step-by-step guide how to use your rug pad.
Step 1: Buy an area rug pad that will fit beneath your rug and is non-skid to prevent rugs from slipping on smooth surfaces. Wood floors and carpet fibers included.
If the exact size is unavailable, purchase a larger size and cut it to fit.
Step 2: The non-skid rug pad may optionally be attached to the back of your area rug using double-sided carpet tape.
The tape holds the pad to the rug with even more strength. While you might secure the rug’s tape side directly to your carpet to keep it in place, you would leave tape sticky residue behind when you later remove the rug.
Step 3: Put the rug on your carpet with the pad underneath. The anti-skid pad ought to prevent the rug from bunching.
Tips to know before you buy
- Many non-skid rug pad vary. Some seem cheap at first but can damage rugs and carpets and buying the cheapest non-skid rug pad now may save you a few bucks, although it could cost you hundreds afterward.
- A decent carpet non-slip pad will have a felt backing on the pad underneath. This grabs the carpet without causing damage and prevents the area rug from bunching.
- At the bottom of the market, you’ll find plastic and PVC carpet pad options coated in adhesives to strengthen their grip by practically adhering the non-skid pad to the carpet or your floor.
- Over time, they may stop bunching up on the carpet, yet they may harm and discolor your rug and stop your rug from bunching as the adhesive wears off and they no longer attach to it.
- Some adhesives in cheap rug pads (such as synthetic latex, which contains styrene) are carcinogens. Not great for a daily walkway with family and friends.
- So, choose a rug pad made of excellent materials since a cheap pad could eventually cost you a hefty amount and put your health at risk.
Will any rug pad work on the carpet?
Rubber-backed pads for smooth tile or hardwood floors can make rugs slip. The solution is to use a carpet-specific rug pad on the carpet to avoid slipping.
What if I can’t find a rug pad the same size as my rug?
If a rug pad doesn’t reach the rug’s edges, the corners and edges will get kicked up and folded over. An easy solution to the size of finding a rug pad in the same dimensions as your rug is to buy a pad that is larger than what you need and then trim it down to find. So, the rug won’t become a tripping hazard with bunching up on carpet.
Does a rug pad work better than rug tape?
Double-sided carpet tape is like cheap rug pads. It sticks a rug to the carpet with adhesive, not felt fibers.
Double-sided tape degrades over time and reacts with carpet and rug fibers, discoloring or shredding them when you move your rug.
DIY Alternatives To A Non-Skid Rug Pad
A few suggested substitutes for non-skid rug pads will help prevent your area rug from bunching if you’re saving money or just enjoy doing creative DIY projects. (Learn How To Get Carpet Glue Off Of Concrete)
Strips Of Silicone-Based Caulking
Strips of silicone caulking affixed to the back of a rug can help keep your area rug from bunching or sliding around. Caulking made with latex should be avoided since it wears away quickly because of friction.
Hot Glue Solution for Slippy Rugs
Hot glue, like caulking, can be used as a similar and easy do-it-yourself replacement for expensive non-slip rug pads.
Flip the rug over and use a hot glue gun to attach narrow glue strips to the back in a grid pattern spreading out from the center and around the edge.
Ensure the hot glue is totally dry before flipping the rug over onto the carpet when you’re done gluing it. This solution may not work on tile as the glue would be hard and slide on your smooth surface.
Velcro
Several have mentioned using Velcro strips to keep their rugs in the area. If you want to use Velcro, fasten half of the Velcro strip to the underside of the area rug and the other half in the same spot-on top of a thin fiberboard placed on the floor beneath the rug.
When used with Velcro strips, the fiberboard is a barrier between the area rug and the carpeting. As a result, the fiberboard rug is hidden from view and texture.
Carpet Tape For Your Area Rug
Taping the rug directly to the carpet along its edges and its center is another option.
Remember, this would be a temporary solution, as the tape will only hold for a couple of weeks until you purchase the proper thing.
Before investing in a non-slip rug pad, you can temporarily secure the rug to the carpet by taping it down with double-sided carpet tape rather than using a non-skid rug pad.
If you choose to do this, ensure it’s functioning correctly at regular intervals (at least once a week). Reapply the double-sided carpet tape if it becomes bunched up.
Then, once you have the rug pad in the pad, you can put it as described previously to ensure that your rug does not move around.
Related Questions
How do I clean my area rug?
Maintain it with a regular vacuum schedule, just like you would with carpeting. To clean an area rug, soak a microfiber cloth in a solution of water and laundry detergent, then dab the spot gently until the stain disappears. After blotting, hang the rug outside to dry.
What are the best area rugs for high-traffic areas?
High-traffic area rugs should be made of wool or bamboo. Wool is naturally resistant to moisture, making it an excellent choice for areas where spills or wet feet are common. However, bamboo can sustain heavy use for decades.
Can you put an area rug in the washing machine?
Area rugs made of cotton or synthetic fibers can be washed in the washing machine on the cold area rug.
Let the rug air dry after it has been washed.
The safest method of cleaning a wool, jute, or sisal area rug is with the help of a hand washing machine. (Read Borax For Fleas In Carpet Guide)
How Often Should You Replace Non-Skid Rug Pads?
It is recommended that you replace the pad that is underneath your area rug every three to four years to ensure that it is performing its function effectively.
When you get your area rug professionally cleaned, you must never forget to acquire a new pad for it. This is an absolute must.
Before you place your rug on the rug pad, you should consider taking it to a professional cleaner to get it cleaned first. You may, in a way, replace the rug pad without having to remove it and then put it back in place.
If you intend to leave your rug in place while you give it a thorough cleaning, limit the amount of time the water has to sit and soak.
If you do this, the water will eventually seep through the carpet’s backing and reach the area rug pad. Mold is able to form below your area rug, and if this happens, the stickiness of the tape will gradually decrease over time.
