Rugs can bring comfort, noise-proofing, and protection for your floors to your home. A carpet is also a wonderful expression of style. Most people will invest in high-quality options.
You’re a savvy shopper and have probably given a lot of consideration to your new rug purchase. You have selected the style and color you like and researched how durable your rug will be over time.
Read this if you are interested in your wooden floors
Quality and material will be equally important when selecting what goes between them if you are as concerned about your floors and rugs as your carpets.
After you have chosen the perfect rug for your home or office, selecting a pad may seem like a last-minute decision. If you go for the cheapest option, you may want to reconsider.
Rug pads are a good foundation for rugs and carpets, but they should also protect hardwood flooring and other hard surfaces, which is susceptible to stains and stripping.
A good rug pad will protect your flooring from the underside of a rug that is rough and possible dye leakage.
Internet stories are rife with examples of how rug pads have damaged, stripped, or stained floor finishes. Unfortunately, today’s rug pad market is flooded with cheap but inferior rug pads, which can seriously damage floor finishes.
Rug pads that damage floors are often imported plastic pads. They are available everywhere and are offered at attractive prices. These pads are expensive because they can damage the finish on valuable hardwood floors.
This article will discuss the dangers of low-quality products and alternatives that you can consider.
Cheap rug pads can cause damage to your floor
If you only consider the price, it’s easy to make a costly error when purchasing rug pads.
You may have found a great deal, but the damage to your floor or rug could be costly. The average cost to repair moderate hardwood flooring damage is $1200. The frustration of a bad surface is unbearable.
Most rug pads can prevent your area rug from sliding across hardwood floors. However, a cheap pad can cause scratches, leave ugly marks and stop working.
The wrong rug pad may also stain wood or tile flooring. Imagine lifting a rug pad to find stamped stripes on your floor. These stains are usually permanent on hardwood floors.
Low-quality rug pads can be dangerous
A rug pad of inferior quality is dangerous to your floor and health.
Toxic chemicals can cause health hazards
Most imported plastic pads are coated with an adhesive to improve grip. This can damage your floor. These pads are made up of toxic chemicals that can stain and “off-gas.” They can also fill your house with toxic chemicals.
Most of the pads available on the market are made by manufacturers in other countries and contain oils, chemicals, or adhesives which may react negatively with your floor finishes.
This is illustrated using phthalates as a dissolving agent in plastic rug pads. Phthalates, a group of chemicals, make plastics stronger and harder to break. However, they can also be toxic and used as a dissolving agent. As you can assume, you probably don’t want something listed as a dissolving agent on your brand-new polyurethane-finished hardwood floors (or even old ones!)
Some inexpensive rug pads contain styrene, which is a carcinogen. Imagine inhaling cancerous, toxic particles while you relax on your rug pad. This is a bargain that is eroding your life every day.
Adhesive flooring sticks to the floor (and to itself)
A cheap import plastic rug pad can also be a problem because it is coated with an adhesive to improve its non-slip grip. These pads are not able to grip your floor but instead, stick to it.
Due to the adhesive process, this pad will also tend to stick to itself and create lumps underneath your rugs. It does not work to hold your rugs in position.
Why rubber and felt are better than plastic for rug pads on hardwood or hard surfaces
Natural rubber is the best material for rug pads for the safety and protection of your floors. Natural rubber is free from toxic chemicals which can damage your floor. It is also non-adhesive, providing a strong grip without adhering to your floor.
A natural rubber pad is unlike many imported plastic rug pads that can stain or discolor wood floors. A good rug pad will hold your rug in place for years to come, will not disintegrate, will never stain or stick to your floor, and will never be odorous.
Look at the differences between pure rubber and other rug pads that are safer for hard surfaces.