How to Choose a Rug Pad

After getting a gorgeous rug for my living room a few months ago, I'm glad I did because now baby boy is starting to crawl! He's growing up so fast. However, the one thing I did regret was not researching rug pads a little bit more before I purchased one.

I didn't realize that there were so many different options that are available when it comes to rug pads. I think everyone knows about the non-slip vinyl pad. Did you know there were felt pads available as well? Not to mention a host of other types!

In This Post

Considerations for Non-Slip Vinyl Rug Pads

Here is a list of reasons why I do not like my current non-slip vinyl rug pads:

Tricky Installation. Installation was a wee bit difficult because I had it cut to size, BUT the vinyl can stretch as you lay it down, especially on hard woods because its tacky. So it will stretch, sometimes past your rug. Then you have to get scissors to cut it down. This is what happens - uneven cutting. Yep.

Holy Problem. It has holes in it. Which means that when something spills through the rug, it will spill down into the vinyl and onto the hardwoods (or carpet if that's what you have underneath there).

Bunching. It bunches up! Gah! So when you are walking on it, you can feel the folds. I'm not sure how it bunches up, but it does. Its so annoying and uncomfortable.

Babies Head. Yeah, I get rugs aren't as soft as carpet, but when baby is learning to crawl, its not as soft when he bonks his head.

Now that you know what to look out for, here are a few things that you should look into when purchasing a rug pad.

Non-Discoloration of Flooring. You want to make sure whatever you choose will NOT discolor or damage your floors. I think some rug pads that may be sold in varying colors may do this.

Cushioning. Cushioning is definitely important (i.e. baby head bonking). Not only that, a cusioned rug pad allows it to last longer because it alleviates the stress on the rug itself.

Ease of Vacuuming. A quality rug pad also allows the rug to be anchored to make vacuuming easier.

What to Look for in a Rug Pad

Overall, a rug pad should make your rug feel more luxurious and softer while providing protection for your floors.

Now that you know what to get, you can purchase an awesome rug pad at RugPadUSA.com. They specialize in Rug Pads. While they do offer the non-slip vinyl pad, I would highly recommend going a different route, such as their Premium Lock brand. This thing is a haus. I love it because it takes the stress off of my feet when I'm walking because it is so soft! My baby loves it because the head bonking is a little easier 🙂

I purchased a rug pad that was customized to the size of my rug, but had RugPadUSA.com cut it an 1 inch shorter all around (yes, they do that!).

So here's what it looked like delivered. It looks super heavy duty (and it is!).