How to Keep Rugs From Slipping on Hardwood Floors
Rugs and carpets always add a certain edge to your home decor. They are the ideal head-turners. However, if they keep slipping, you and your guests might trip and fall. Plus, a curled-up rug can take a stab at your home decor.
Rugs on hardwood floors often slip for their smooth finish and personally, I have had bad experiences about it. So, I learned the hard way that it is important to know how to keep rugs from slipping on hardwood floors.
In simple words, to stop it from happening, you need to create a certain friction between your carpet and the floor.
I have picked multiple options here for you to consider keeping the most popular requirements in consideration.
So, let’s begin.
How to Keep Rugs From Slipping on Hardwood Floors
1. Rubber Waffle Rug Pads
You can buy Rubber Waffle Rug Pads online (check my favorite one on Amazon) or from the home improvement section of any large store. These thin pads are mostly sold pre-cut and cover the common rug area. These pieces are easy to set up and stop a rug from slipping on hardwood floor.
Image Credit: Rugs
But they don’t add much padding to the rugs and very often lose their gripping capacity as dirt gathers in its open grid style.
2. Rubberized Shelf Liner
The rubberized shelf liner you use to keep your crockeries in place can be used to support your rug from slipping. The rubberized shelf liners (click here to view my recommended rubberized shelf liner on Amazon) are similar to the waffle rug pads but are far more affordable.
However, they are much thinner. Mostly these liners come in 1-2 inches of width. If you want padding, you can use rug gripper tape or sew two or more rubberized liners together.
3. Natural Rubber Pads
These pads have strong grid patterns that are ideal for pairing thin weave rugs. Since these are made from natural rubber, they are more expensive than the usual waffle rug pads.
However, these don’t contain any harmful chemicals that might damage the floor on the plus side. Though these don’t have much padding, they do stop the rugs from slipping.
4. Felt Pads
Unlike the options mentioned so far, felt pads come in various thicknesses and are mostly cut and sized as per requirement. The high-end versions of these pads combine the strength of rubber and felt and are ideal for hardwood floors.
In addition, these pads offer the maximum level of cushion to the rugs and provide fiber protection. However, its anti-slipping advantage only applies to more oversized rugs.
Also Read: How to Install Hardwood Floors : Step by Step Guide
5. Gripper Tape
This is a popular option for keeping rugs in place on hardwood floors. These tapes are made from rubber with adhesive on their back, which firmly sticks the floor to the rugs, ensuring no movement.
Rug grippers for hardwood floors are available in multiple lengths, widths, and thicknesses. The tape should at least be 1 inch wider than the rug on the sides as a rule of thumb. This option is ideal for those looking for DIY methods to keep rugs from slipping.
Click here to view my recommended gripper tape on Amazon!
6. Double-Sided Carpet Tape
These tapes are sold as rolls or are available in pre-cut squares. Like a few options mentioned here, these tapes are available in multiple thicknesses and have excellent adhesive quality. The top-end ones come with acrylic adhesive on either side, ideal for synthetic or polypropylene rugs.
It’s advisable to read the tape’s directions well before use.
7. Hook and Loop Anchors
Hook and Loop Anchors are another option available to keep rugs from slipping. The anchor’s back has an adhesive that firmly sticks the carpets to the floor. In addition, there are small hooks that can be pulled up and down, eliminating the fear of damage. The best part about this is that no nailing or hammering is required.
8. Silicone Caulking
Silicone caulking is mostly used on the carpet’s edge to keep it from slipping. It is also applied near doorways, thresholds, and furniture legs.
The idea is to create a protective layer around these areas and keep the rug from slipping away. Thanks to the caulking, the surface is made smooth and flat, making cleaning easy.
Also Read: 37 Impressive Bedroom Rug Ideas For Your Home
9. Hot Glue
This is yet another DIY method. All you need is some hot glue and solid double-sided tape available in any hardware store. Use the hot glue and tape to press down your rug in place, and you are set!
The best part about this technique is that the glue is very easy to remove when required. You can also use it around other furniture and doorways.
10. Stop Curling Corners and Edges
This is mostly done by using a bit of tape on the edge to secure it in the proper place so that once the rug is rolled, it does not curl. Once you stop curling, you reduce the chance of the rugs slipping.
Measure the area and determine the amount of tape you will require for this. You can stop the corners from curling by sticking the carpet tape at the edges. Make sure you ease the wrinkles.
11. Carpet Tape and Non-Slip Rug Pad
You can keep your rug in place by using carpet tapes and rug pads. Place the tape at the back of the rug and then stick the rug pad on the other side of the tape. You can take the security level up a notch by adding another layer of carpet tape to secure the rug.
12. Rug Pins
If you are using your rug on wall-to-wall carpeting, rug pins (check my favorite one on Amazon) are your ideal choice to secure the rug’s edges. The pins are angled in a way to secure the rug area to the carpet beneath without damaging the floor.
Don’t worry; the pin top is clear and flat, so it’s not very visible.
Mistakes to Avoid with Hardwood Floors & Rugs
1. Avoid Cheap Rug Pads
Cheap rug pads can be more damaging than helpful. Rug pads are ideally used to keep the rugs from sliding on hardwood floors. However, the cheap ones scratch the floor, leaving ugly stains, and eventually stop functioning.
Besides, if you end up choosing the wrong rug pad, it may also discolor your floor.
2. Don’t Buy Thin Rug Pads
One of the significant issues with thin rug pads is that they do not provide any form of cushioning to the rug. Plus, most thin rug pads have a layer of adhesive to enhance their non-slip feature.
However, if these adhesives are not of premium quality, they might leave stains on the floor, which are hard to remove.
3. Wait before Placing a Rug Tool
All the tools mentioned above are great for keeping your rug from slipping on your hardwood floor, however, do not pick up one right away and apply it.
If you have a delicate carpet or one that is extremely expensive, you want to wait and try out less harsh methods for stopping your rug from slipping. It’s advisable to look into the DIY methods first before trying anything drastic.
Here is how you can make your DIY rug pad.
4. Limit the Sunlight Exposure
The placement of your rugs is essential, and if they receive a heavy amount of sunlight, the carpets are bound to be harmed. Be it the morning sun or the afternoon one; continuous sunlight streaming will lead to color fading in dyed rugs.
A similar thing happens with cotton and wool rugs, which get brittle in sunlight. You need to limit the exposure to the sun, and one way of doing that is by shutting the curtains. You can also tint your windows for better sun protection.
5. Avoid Non-waterproof Area Rugs
Waterproof rugs provide the ideal protection against pets and spills. Unfortunately, these advantages are not available with non-waterproof area rugs. Thus to avoid any kind of accident or mishap, it’s advisable to opt for waterproof area rugs.
Also Read: How to Choose Living Room Furniture
FAQs
Q1: Will Rug Tape Stick To Concrete?
There are hundreds of carpet tapes available these days, but the only carpet tape that sticks to concentrate is heavy-duty rug tapes. Unfortunately, 80% of carpet tapes available in the market cannot stick to concrete; thus, it’s essential to look for the one that does the job.
Q2: What Rug Backing is Safe for Hardwood Floors?
Natural rubber pads are the best option for hardwood floors of all the options listed above. These are safe, have excellent performance, and, most importantly, do not damage hardwood floors. In addition, since natural rubber has a strong gripping capacity, they don’t stick to the floor and eliminate stains.
Q3: Can You Put Rugs on Kitchen Hardwood Floors?
Yes, placing a rug on the kitchen hardwood floor is a great idea for added comfort. Especially if you cook barefooted during winters, a rug can keep your feet warm and help you enjoy the process without fussing about the chilly weather. Adding a rug to the kitchen will also make the place look more beautiful.
However, make sure that you are working carefully in the kitchen because if anything falls on the rug like tomato ketchup, it might be difficult to take off the stain. Otherwise, adding a rug to a kitchen is an excellent decision!
Q4: Is a Latex Rug Pad Safe for Hardwood Floors?
It is not advisable to use latex pads on hardwood floors as the ventilation caused by them leads to significant damage to the hardwood floors. In addition, latex pads gather moisture under them, leading to the wood’s discoloration.
Q5: Are Rugs Necessary on Hardwood Floors?
I would say that rugs are not an absolute necessity for hardwood floors, so you can skip them if you want. But there are tons of benefits of using rugs, and I am not sure if you would like to skip the perks. Here are a few major advantages of using rugs on hardwood floors:
- Drive attention
- Add warmth to the room
- They give a nice visual effect
- Increase the comfort level of the room
- Keep away scuffing
Final Thoughts
I hope by now you know all about how to keep rugs from slipping on hardwood floors. As all of the products mentioned in the guide are easily available in online and offline stores, you won’t face any difficulty with the application.
Make sure that you choose the right solution because if you go for the wrong one and your floor gets damaged, you have no one to blame except yourself. Also, if there is a user manual with the product, kindly read it.
That is all that I have got to say today. I hope that you found my tips helpful. Please share your experience with rugs on hardwood floors with me before leaving!
