Does my rug need a pad?

In a word, YES. It also needs to be the correct pad for your situation. The wrong pad can not only shorten the life of your rug, but it can ruin your floor. Remember, the purpose of a rug pad is not only to prevent your rug from slipping and sliding around on your floor, but to protect your rug and floors. Those cut it yourself rug pads you can buy at the hardware or furniture store that look like a waffle or lace doily can actually adhere themselves to your wood or tile floor. The cost of repairing the damage to your floors will make buying the correct type of pad a real bargain. In just the past couple of years, there has been a quantum leap in the quality and functionality of rug pads.

In addition to protecting your floors, your rug pads should absorb and disperse the energy of heavy furniture (think coasters) foot traffic, and protection from insects. Older felt or horsehair rug pads were a breeding ground for all kinds of hungry rug bugs. The new hypo-allergenic rug pads don’t have anything for these rug destroying insects to eat. At the same time they are designed to let air pass underneath the pad and between the rug and pad. If you’ve ever noticed an outline of your rug on the floor when you’ve moved your rug, it means there was not much airflow and the wood or stone began to oxidize and discolor your floors. These rug pads accomplish this without being squishy or spongy.