How and Where to Use Area Rugs With Hardwood Floors
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Carpets can have many uses in your room. They can add great texture in your room when used over hardwood flooring. Rug padding, whichever one under consideration, helps keep the area rug in position, not allowing them to bunch up preventing ventilation beneath the carpet. This air movement aids in preventing mildew from forming through your area rug.
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The first thing you have to do is determine which pad, or no, you need to use. Pads for carpets comes in many types and also have many uses. Many of the available pads are gripping pads which do not let the rug skid, felt for really softness (in some areas felt can make a rug slide or move unless you have a heavy furniture piece on it), polyurethane, or sponge rubber. Polyurethane and sponge rubber will be the least used. Sponge rubber can leave marks for the hardwood floor and polyurethane can decrease the airflow under the floor causing possible damage to the hardwood floor. These pads has a use and reason behind this use.
Gripping pads are popular for many reasons. They are very thin and provide no additional cushioning for the area rug. The rug must be very dense to make up for this form of pad. The pad has a waffle pattern with lots of holes. The counter of this pad has many grip and will keep rugs in place. In low traffic areas, this pad is very useful for a thin silk or similar carpet since a thicker pad would increase the risk for rug to move around and present a tripping hazard along with not allow the thin rug to lie properly on the hardwood floor.
Second to think about is what room will be best for the different types of rugs. Will your rug get into a Bedroom, Lounge room, or what purpose could it serve in your decorating plan. All these decisions make a difference about what size will work right for you in a particular area. This decision will help you know which pad is the best for this area as well as how big rug or rugs you would like to use.
Consumers using silk rugs tend to place them areas of high traffic and soil buildup. Unlike most area rugs, silk rugs can't be steam cleaned because of the delicate silk. The feel can become distorted along with the fiber water damaged through the cleaning. They can only be cleaned with a special dry cleaning solvent by hand. This process will not eliminate the heavy soils and stains that happen in a high traffic or soil area. From a relatively short period of time you will find a very expensive area rug that wont look very good. In the event you still want to convey a silk rug during these areas, it is recommended that it's solvent cleaned every 3 months and to turn it to switch the traffic pattern. This may expand the pretty section of its life. NEVER install it by your front door. The rain or snow moisture will permanently damage the silk. Wherever you place it, a thin gripping pad under it's going to keep it from sliding that assist slow down the wearing with the silk.
If you are locating a rug in your Lounge room, Great Room, or any large area, one large area rug might just be what you might need. The sole alternative is if in a very large room you may have several distinct seating areas. In this kind of decorating, you would use several smaller rugs to tie in your area. If the green area rug is thick, you should place a felt carpet pad under it to offer a softer feel for the hardwood floor and protect it from foot impact that takes place every time you step on the rug as well as hardwood floor damage in the weight of heavy furniture.
Some Bedrooms also provide hardwood floors. If you want to use rugs in bedrooms here are a few suggestions. In an average size bedroom a smaller area rug can be placed on each side of the bed and perchance at the foot from the bed, depending on the layout of your other furniture. For those who have a large heirloom carpet that Grandma gave you, it can be equally spaced in the spare room and extend out on all three exposed sides from the bed, again based on the size of the room as well as placement of your other furniture. The kind of pad you use for Grandmas' rug is determined by the rugs thickness and its condition.
Your Master suite can be a decorating challenge. Like every other large room there are several options. Grandma's large heirloom rug can be under the bed or be a focal point in any room. This too depends on the size of the region rug. Any area rug may be used on either side from the bed and another may be used in the center of your seating area, should your master bedroom get one. Depending on the thickness and condition of the rug determines if you are using a thin waffle gripping pad or thicker felt pad on the hardwood floor.
Most mats can be steam cleaned for maximum results. Just be sure that your particular cleaner uses a low moisture, quick dry method therefore the backing doesn't get wet. Properly cleaned, this will never happen which is a very safe and effective approach to have the area rug cleaned in addition to your hardwood floors. After the rug is cleaned, turn a large part over and be sure it really is dry. It always should be.
One last note, somewhat off the immediate subject. Area rugs can be used over wall to wall installed carpet for decorative effect. Carpeting acts as your pad. Whether or not this happens to move around, position the hook side of Velcro on the back of the rug and the carpet works as the soft side. The carpeting shouldn't move around and is easily removed with no damage to to either carpet.
I think you will enjoyed this article you realize some of what you need to know about placing area rugs on hardwood floors.
