Having a rug pad under your area rug is extremely important – it helps prevent buckling and slipping while also protecting your floors. But what side of the rug pad should touch the floor? As a professional custom rugs manufacturer, I am writing this complete guide to walk you through exactly how to install a rug pad properly.
Why Use a Rug Pad Under Your Rug?
Before jumping into the specifics of how to install rug pads properly, let’s quickly review why you need one in the first place:
- Prevents buckling & slipping – Rug pads give your rug something secure to grip onto, stopping it from migrating across the floor.
- Adds cushion – Many rug pads provide extra padded comfort underfoot. This is especially beneficial for thinner rugs.
- Protects floors – Placing a protective pad between a rug and hard floor shields against scratches and dents.
What Side of the Rug Pad Goes Down?
When installing a rug pad, you need to place the rough, textured side down against the floor. The smooth side should be face up, touching your rug. This proper orientation allows the rug gripper to keep your rug securely in place.
Getting this backwards is an easy mistake to make, but it renders your rug pad ineffective. Read on for more specifics on how to determine which side goes down for all the major rug pad materials.
Materials Used For Rug Pads
There are 5 main materials used to construct rug pads:
- Rubber
- Felt
- Rubber + Felt Combination
- PVC
- Jute/Natural Materials
The installation orientation depends on which one you choose. Let’s break it down:
1. Rubber Rug Pads
Rubber pads are extremely popular because they grip floors very securely. Many are molded into waffle-like traction patterns on one side to prevent rugs from sliding.
With rubber rug pads, place the textured, grippy side DOWN against the floor. The smoother side should face upwards, touching your rug.
2. Felt Rug Pads
For felt rug pads, its quite easy to distinguish which side should go down – felt has a rough, fuzzy side and a smooth side.
The fuzzy side should be placed DOWN on the floor surface. This allows the felt fibers to adhere tightly. The smooth side should face your rug.
3. Combination Rug Pads
Combination pads feature a rubber gripper layer bonded to a felt cushioning layer. The materials work together to prevent slipping while adding softness.
With these, the rubber side should always face the floor. Place the smooth felt upward, against the bottom of your rug.
PVC (polyvinyl chloride) is sometimes used as an inexpensive rug pad material. Many PVC pads have gripper points or a waffled texture on one side.
As with other textured pads, install with the gripper side DOWN against the floor. The smoother area should be face up.
5. Jute or Natural Fiber Underlays
Jute is a natural fiber harvested from plants, often used to add cushion and support underneath rugs.
Jute naturally has a bumpy, fibrous side and a smoother back side. Place the rough, hairy side DOWN onto your floors for the best grip.
Tips For Installing Your Rug Pad Correctly
Now that you know which side goes down for all the major rug pad materials, follow these pro tips to get your pad positioned perfectly:
Vacuum the floor underneath first to remove any dust or debris. This allows maximum contact between the grippy side of the pad and your flooring.
Cut the pad to be slightly smaller than your rug – about 2 inches away from the rug edges all around. You want just enough exposed floor to keep the pad hidden.
If your pad doesn’t perfectly fit your rug size, use scissors to trim and customize the shape.
Roll out the pad first, properly oriented grippy-side down. Then lay your rug on top, lining up the edges.
Make sure to flatten and smooth out your rug completely so it makes uniform contact with the pad underneath.
That’s all it takes! Following these best practices for installing your rug pad properly ensures it can provide the maximum non-slip grip, floor protection and padding.
Take a minute under your next area rug purchase to correctly position that pad! It makes a big difference.
Now give your floors the safe, secure cushioning they deserve.