If you love your floors and rugs as much as your furniture but worry that particularly heavy or often-moved pieces may scratch your floors or indent, mar, or tear your carpets, the right rug pad is your simple solution.
High-quality, durable, solid-design pads are the best choices for placing under furniture to provide a barrier between your rug and floor and cushion to prevent heavier pieces from indenting or tearing carpets.
But pay attention to quality and materials. Not all solid rug pads are created equal. Some, made with plastics and other synthetics, glues, and clay fillers that can quickly disintegrate, may cause more harm to your floors than furniture by sticking to, stripping, and staining your floors.
Be sure to look for natural rubber, felt, or a combination. Precisely which pads will work best may depend primarily on the size of your rug and where you are placing it.
For small and light rugs that need a grip
Smaller, thinner rugs placed in high-traffic areas usually require pads with some grip to prevent them from slipping, bunching, or buckling, so look for pads with some rubber and felt for cushion and floor and rug protection under furniture.
For a relatively low profile option, consider Contour-Lock, a 1/8 inch-thick heat-pressed felt, and a rubber pad that offers a strong grip and moderate levels of cushioning without bulking. Made in the USA from 100% recycled felt with a 100% natural rubber backing, this eco-friendly, moisture and-mildew resistant pad comes with a 15-year warranty.
For a reliable grip with slightly more cushion, there’s Superior-Lock. Available in two thicknesses, 1/4 inch, and 7/16 inch, these pads are made with a bit more felt fabric than Contour-Lock, using a gentle heat-pressing technique for great non-slip traction with thicker, more cushioned support. The needle-punched felt surface naturally clings to the bottom of rugs to anchor it to its surface. The natural rubber side grips to floors securely to keep rugs from slipping, sliding, bunching, or buckling. These pads work particularly well in living rooms and dining rooms, where chairs may be moved frequently, keeping rugs securely in place while protecting both rugs and floors from damage under tables and chairs.
For large and heavy rugs that don’t need a grip
In general, heavy furniture placed on larger rugs (8′ x 10′, for example) will help anchor them, so grip is less of an issue. Here you can focus on thickness and cushion with 100% felt or foam pads.
Eco-Plush pads are a great choice. Made of tightly woven, eco-friendly heat-pressed 100% recycled felt, Eco-Plush pads will not only offer cushion and protect your floors and rugs for years to come, but they’ll also help soundproof, insulate your home, and improve acoustics.
To protect your floors and rugs from heavy furniture while enjoying the most luxurious cushion under larger rugs that don’t require non-slip pads, consider Cloud Comfort Memory Foam, made from the same high-quality, 100% viscoelastic memory foam found in premium mattresses. Available in two thicknesses, 1/4 inch and 7/16 inch, these ultra-cushiony pads offer the highest levels of sound absorption and insulation as well as superior floor and rug protection from even the heaviest pieced of furniture like beds, armoires, sofas, and dining tables. Cloud Comfort pads are perfect for places you want to be most comfortable, like bedrooms, living rooms, dining rooms, and dens.