The Value of a good Rug Pad

Many homes in Arizona have loose lay area rugs covering their hard surface flooring. It just makes good sense. The rug will eat up some of the echo you can get with tile or stone and add some color to a wood floor. Now, you should know by now that I can handle the cleaning of these rugs for you. One thing you might hear me ask is, “Do you have a rug pad under your rug?” Why do I care? Why do I need to know? What the heck is a rug pad? Well, I’ll answer some of these questions for you.

1 – Do I need a Rug Pad?

The best answer is it depends on a few things. What type of rug do you have? Is this a thick and full bodied handmade rug or is it a thin, double sided piece? What kind of flooring does it sit on? Let’s say it’s a thin rug, you may not want a pad under it making it appear thick, but if it slides around a pad will help keep it in place. If it is a thick handmade it depends on how much traffic it gets. If the rug gets a decent amount, a pad would help save the face fibers from damage. And the type of flooring is important too. If it is on a saltillo tile, you could end up with a rug that looks like the one below.

2 – Why do you care if I have a Rug Pad?

I like to compare the use of a rug pad to the question,”When was the last time you had this professionally cleaned?”. I am not out to judge, but if it has been 20 years since the rug was washed and the rug shows it, maybe you don’t value the rug as highly as I might. True it may not get much traffic, but then the rug wouldn’t show the wear and tear as such.

You see, having a pad under your rug leads to similar conclusions. If you don’t have one it might be a situation where one is not needed, but if you do, I can guess you plan on taking good care of this floor covering. Simply put, a pad reduces the impact your feet have on crushing the fibers as you walk across it. When you go without you can see in the image above, you can crush the poor rug into oblivion.

3 – My final thoughts on Rug Pads

I will not recommend every person should go out and buy a rug pad, but I do often believe they can help. I believe that in most cases you can get more life out of your rug as long as you have a good rug pad under. Having one will extend the life of your piece, but it has to make sense for your home and your style. Besides, what is the point of buying a rug you love but having to ruin it with a rug pad.