There is more to a rug than simply purchasing it and throwing it on the floor in your home. Instead, you need to think about not only looking after it, but to also make sure that it is completely safe to walk on without it sliding all over the place. For this, you must think about the padding aspect and that is where a rug pad really does come into its own.
The idea behind having padding is that it will both protect the hardwood or tiled floor from marks or even scratches from the rug while also providing you with some insulation as well as offering the rug some protection from general wear and tear. There are several different materials used in rug pads, but one of the best has to be jute which is a vegetable fiber that is pretty similar to the more well known cotton and this is not as crazy as it sounds. There are actually even different varieties of jute pads that are available on the market and some will even then have an impact on how it is laid on the floor, so you must pay attention before you make any purchase.
Non slip pads.
There are a number of non slip jute pads available on the market and they come with a rubber bottom that then creates a certain degree of traction between the pad and the floor stopping the rug from sliding across the floor as people walk on it. In order to get the best results with this particular type of pad you will of course need to ensure that the rubber bottom is facing the hardwood floor with there being enough grip between the rug and the pad for it to largely stay in place at all times thanks to the jute fibers gripping the material.
Felt jute pads.
The other type are felt jute pads that do not have the words “non slip” mentioned anywhere on the label. In this instance, you are strongly advised to really look at how you place this pad on the floor in order to get the best results. With jute pads, you need to remember that both sides of the jute will be made slightly differently, so you have to pay close attention when looking at how to use it in the correct manner. You will find that one side of the pad is actually flatter and firmer than the other and it should always be the case that the flatter side meets the rug while the softer option is on the floor. The reason? Placing the harder and rougher side towards the floor will only result in the hardwood being scratched and do you really want that damage to occur?
Felt rug pads work very well with rugs, but just be careful with placing them in order to get the best possible results.