How to Stop Area Rugs from Sliding
Tired of your area rug creeping, curling and sliding across the floor of your home? Wish it would just stop and stay in the perfect position you placed it?
Well, you’ve come to the right place to find out how to stop your area rug from driving you crazy if you find yourself in a predicament where your rug is constantly moving and sliding around for just your everyday use and foot traffic.
What is a Rug Pad?
A rug pad is what you place underneath your rug or kilim to keep it from moving.
Adding a rug pad keeps your rug in place and wrinkle free. A rug pad is a sheet of material that serves as a buffer (which causes tension from friction in between your area rug and the floor. Using a rug pad is highly recommended because it is also used to protect both the rug and the floor. As a bonus, it provides safety because it makes the rug less slippery since the rug pad holds the rug in place and looks flush to the floor.
Types of Rug Pads and Techniques to Keep Your Area Rug from Sliding
There are various types of rug pads available for you to use depending on what kind of rug you have. Here’s a list of rug pads that may suit your needs and what you’re looking for.
§ Rubber Waffle Rug Pad: The cheaper alternative to rug pads however, the lose their grip over time if not well maintained because of the accumulation of dust.
§ Gripper Tape: This works well for smaller rugs like 3×5 and 4×6 rugs.
§ Double-Sided Carpet Tape: Although pricey, this is a great alternative if you need custom thickness sizes for your rug.
§ Silicone Caulking: Requires a caulking gun but will seamlessly lay out your rug with no future hassles.
§ Rubberized Shelf Liner: Only comes at max 12 inches in width, so great for 9x12s but anything bigger is a no. These liners are also very thin.
§ Natural Rubber Pads: Expensive option but has no harmful chemicals and would be safer for your floor, especially wooden floors.
§ Hook and Loop Anchors: Adhesive coating to help bond the backing of the rug and the pad.
§ Hot Glue: If necessary. Please make sure to read the instructions so you don’t melt your rug.
§ Felt Pads (Offered at Nomads Loom)
§ Carpet Tape and Rug Pad
§ Rug Pins: Used to secure edges of the rugs.
Where Can You Buy a Custom Rug Pad?
Although you can easily order a rug pad online, shipping and handling fees are often ridiculously expensive. Not only that, but most online rug pads are precut, and you may need a custom size that could cost you extra. However luckily enough, there are plenty of rug and carpet stores in most areas that offer in-house rug pad services.
Even better, there are specialized rug stores and galleries that offer rug pads with any purchase of a rug or kilim for free such as Nomads Loom. If you are just looking to purchase a pad, here at Nomads Loom we also offer rug pads that are priced by the size of your rug and available for same day pickup. We use the finest quality rug pads using rubber and felt pads.