The short answer: why do you need a rug pad depends on which of four jobs you actually want done, and they pull in different directions. Grip, so the rug stops travelling. Cushion, so it feels better and the pile lasts longer. Floor protection, so grit does not sand your finish from underneath. And airflow, so moisture does not sit trapped against the boards. A felt and natural rubber pad at a quarter inch does all four adequately, which is why it is the default answer. But if your floor is vinyl or LVP, rubber is the wrong choice and can stain it permanently, and if your rug already sits under heavy furniture, you may want pure felt instead. Get the material right first, then the thickness, then the size.
Disclosure: this post contains affiliate links, and as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. If you buy through them I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend things I would use in my own home.
Four jobs, and you probably only want two of them
Rug pads get discussed as one product with one purpose, which is why the advice feels so vague. In fact they do four separate things, no pad excels at all four, and knowing which two matter in your room is the whole decision.
1. Grip, which is the reason most people buy one
A rug on a smooth floor creeps. Every crossing shifts it a fraction, and over months that adds up to a rug sitting a foot from where you put it, with bunched edges and lifted corners. Natural rubber is what stops that, by gripping the floor without any adhesive involved.
But grip is only urgent in some rooms. A large rug anchored by a sofa and two armchairs is not going anywhere, and for that rug grip is the least useful of the four jobs.
2. Cushion, which changes how the rug ages
This is the one people underestimate. A pad absorbs the compression of every footstep, so the pile crushes far more slowly and the walkway across your rug takes years rather than months to appear. Felt is what does this, and it is why a thin rug on a pad feels like a considerably better rug than the same thing on bare boards.
3. Floor protection, which is not about the rug at all
Grit falls through a rug and settles between it and the floor, and then every footstep grinds those mineral particles into your finish. That is the mechanism behind the dull patch people discover when they finally move a rug that has been down for five years. A pad puts a layer between the two, and it also stops a coarse rug backing abrading the boards directly.
4. Airflow, which almost nobody mentions
Wood floors need to breathe, particularly in rooms where humidity swings. A dense sealed pad traps moisture against the boards, while an open structure lets it dissipate. This matters most under natural fibre rugs, which absorb and release moisture from the air constantly, and it is the reason a cheap solid vinyl pad can leave a mark on a floor it was supposed to protect.
Numbers worth knowing
Manufacturers publish a figure that tells you far more than thickness does: felt weight per square yard. RUGPADUSA states 24 ounces of felt per square yard in its quarter inch felt pad, and 32 ounces of felt plus 14 ounces of rubber in its three eighths inch dual surface version. Two pads both labelled quarter inch can differ substantially in density, and density is what determines whether the cushioning survives five years of footfall.
On the airflow point, the same manufacturer describes its felt as needle-punched specifically to prevent moisture buildup, and lists its natural rubber backing as safe on hardwood, laminate, stone, tile, radiant heat, concrete and bamboo, with no glues, PVC or adhesives involved. When a maker is that specific, it is usually because the product was designed around the risk rather than in spite of it.
So before comparing products, decide which two jobs you need. A runner in a hallway needs grip above everything. A large rug under furniture needs cushion and floor protection and barely needs grip at all. Those two rooms want genuinely different pads.
Find the right pad in 3 taps
Floor first, because that rules materials in and out. Then what the rug is doing, then what you want from the pad.
Which material is safe on your floor
Five materials are sold as rug pads and they are not interchangeable. Find your floor down the left, then read across. The column that matters most is the last one, because a pad that damages a finish costs more than every rug pad you will ever buy.
| Material | Grip | Cushion | Airflow | Safe on |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Felt plus natural rubber | Strong | Good | Good | Wood, laminate, stone, tile, concrete, radiant heat. Not vinyl |
| 100% felt | None, relies on weight | Best | Best | Everything, including vinyl and LVP |
| Natural rubber only | Best | Minimal | Fair | Wood, tile, stone. Not vinyl |
| Memory foam | Poor | Very soft | Poor | Most floors, but see the warning below |
| PVC or vinyl mesh | Fair at first | None | Poor | Avoid on any finished floor |
Three things fall out of that. Felt plus natural rubber is the default for good reason, since it is the only row without a serious weakness on a hard floor. Pure felt is the quiet winner if your rug is already anchored by furniture, because it beats the hybrid on the two jobs that matter in that situation. And PVC is the row to walk away from, whatever the price suggests.
Numbers worth knowing
Memory foam carries a warning from its own manufacturer that almost no buying guide passes on. RUGPADUSA states plainly on its Cloud Comfort listing that it is not suitable for rugs prone to slippage and bunching. It is sold as the comfort option and it is exactly that, but it is not a grip product and using it as one is why people conclude their expensive pad does not work.
The distinction the same maker draws is worth borrowing: non-slip pads for high traffic areas such as foyers and hallways where rugs and runners are prone to sliding, and cushion pads for large rugs already anchored by furniture in living and dining rooms. That is the same split as the four jobs above, stated by somebody who makes both.
One caveat on the word rubber. Natural rubber and synthetic rubber behave very differently against a floor finish, and cheap pads rarely specify which they use. If a listing says only rubberised or non slip backing without naming the material, treat that silence the way you would on rug tape.
Vinyl and LVP, where the guides disagree
Here is a genuine contradiction on this subject, and since luxury vinyl plank is now one of the most common floors in American homes, it is worth resolving rather than averaging.
Most rug pad guides recommend felt plus natural rubber across the board and mention vinyl only in passing, if at all. Chairish takes a harder line and says that LVP and laminate are particularly sensitive to chemical reactions, that heat-pressed felt or specifically LVP-safe materials are essential, and that traditional rubber pads should never be used on these surfaces. Rug the Rock says the same: skip rubber and latex on vinyl, choose a vinyl-safe gripper.
Why vinyl is different
Wood loses its finish. Vinyl discolours from within. Certain rubber compounds react with the plasticisers in a vinyl wear layer, and the resulting yellow or amber shadow sits inside the material rather than on top of it, which means no amount of cleaning reaches it. It is the same reaction that makes rubber-backed mats and rubber furniture feet a known problem on vinyl flooring.
Because it depends on the specific compound and the specific wear layer, tolerances vary by flooring manufacturer rather than following one universal rule. That is precisely why the guides disagree: both positions are defensible, and only your flooring brand can settle it.
What to do instead
Two safe routes. The first is 100% felt with no rubber at all, which removes the reaction entirely. It gives you cushion, floor protection and excellent airflow, and it forgoes grip, so it suits a rug already held down by furniture. The second is a pad specifically labelled vinyl safe or LVP safe, usually felt with an EVA rather than rubber contact face.
And before either, read your flooring manufacturer’s care sheet. Most publish a list of what voids the warranty, and rubber-backed products appear on many of them. That five minute check is worth more than any recommendation on this page, mine included.
The pattern worth noticing
This is the same rule as with rug tape: on vinyl, the failure is a stain inside the material rather than damage to a finish, it is slow, and it is irreversible. Which means a test that looks fine after a week can still go wrong, and the sensible move is to avoid the reaction rather than to gamble on your particular plank.
Thickness: thicker is not better
The instinct is to buy the thickest pad you can afford. It is the wrong instinct, and RUGPADUSA states the counterintuitive version plainly: experts do not recommend the thickest padding for the thickest rug. Thickness is a fit decision, not a quality one.
The four options and what each is for
1/8 inch. The doorway pad. Choose it where a door has to clear the rug, under a thin flatweave or kilim, and anywhere the edge would otherwise become a trip point. It gives grip and floor protection with almost no cushioning, which is the correct trade in those positions.
1/4 inch. The default for most rooms and the one to buy if you are unsure. Enough felt to cushion meaningfully, thin enough not to create a visible lip at the rug edge, and the thickness at which felt and rubber hybrids are most widely available.
3/8 inch. Noticeably plusher underfoot, and the point at which the rug edge starts to be something you feel. Good in a bedroom or a low traffic living room. Not in a hallway, where a raised edge is a genuine hazard.
1/2 inch. Maximum cushioning, and a real commitment. Reserve it for bedrooms and rooms nobody rushes through, on a large rug where the edges are mostly under furniture.
The rug decides as much as the room
Thin and flatweave rugs slip, bunch and curl at the ends, and they want an eighth or a quarter inch with a rubber element for grip. A thick pile rug on a half inch pad becomes a soft unstable stack that rolls underfoot, which is unpleasant and, on stairs or in a hallway, unsafe.
So pair light rugs with thinner pads and reserve the plush thicknesses for heavy rugs that are already stable. That is the opposite of the intuition, and it is the reason so many people find their expensive pad made the rug feel worse.
Numbers worth knowing
Thickness alone does not tell you what you are getting, and the makers publish the figure that does. RUGPADUSA’s quarter inch felt pad contains 24 ounces of felt per square yard; its three eighths inch dual surface pad contains 32 ounces of felt plus 14 ounces of rubber; and its Superior-Lock uses a 15 ounce natural rubber layer with an additional 5 ounce checkered face coat, backed by a five year warranty.
Two pads both sold as quarter inch can therefore differ substantially in density, and density is what survives five years of footfall. If a listing quotes only a thickness and no weight, you are being told the less useful of the two numbers.
One practical check before ordering: measure the gap under any door that swings over the rug. At three eighths of an inch plus the rug itself, a door that used to clear will now catch, and that is a mechanical cause of a permanently folded corner rather than a minor annoyance.
Size: one to two inches smaller on every side
This is the number people get wrong most often and the one that causes the most visible damage, because an incorrectly sized pad does not simply underperform. It actively creates the problem it was bought to prevent.
The rule, and the reasons behind it
The pad should be one to two inches smaller than the rug on every side. Not the same size, and certainly not larger. Three separate reasons converge on that figure.
A pad that reaches the rug edge shows as a visible line under a thin rug and as a slight lip you catch with a toe under a thick one. A pad that sticks out beyond the rug is a trip hazard, and on a hard floor it is a strip of exposed felt collecting dirt. And a pad that stops well short of the edge leaves the corners unsupported, so they curl over the pad boundary and set into a permanent ridge you can feel underfoot.
That last one is worth sitting with, because it is the most common way a pad makes a rug worse. An undersized pad is genuinely worse than no pad at all, since it gives the corner a hard edge to fold across.
Cutting one down
Almost all felt and felt-rubber pads are designed to be trimmed, which is why buying slightly large and cutting is the standard approach rather than hunting for an exact match. Lay the rug face down on a clean floor, lay the pad on top of it, and mark an inch inside the rug edge all the way round. Cut with sharp scissors or a utility knife against a straight edge, and cut a fraction inside your line rather than on it, since felt frays outward slightly.
For an irregular rug, trace rather than measure. Round and oval rugs are where people give up and use a rectangular pad, and it works badly: the exposed corners of the pad show, and the unsupported curves of the rug lift.
Laying it correctly
Vacuum and wipe the floor first. Grit trapped under a pad is exactly what wears a finish, and you are about to seal it in for several years.
Lay the pad flat and let it settle before the rug goes on. Rubber side down, felt side up, so the rug sits on the soft face.
Then walk the perimeter and check for bubbles or lifted corners. Anything you can see now will be worse in a month.
One thing not to do: never lay a new pad on top of an old one to add cushioning. Two pads slide against each other, which cancels the grip of both and produces exactly the creeping you were trying to stop.
The moisture problem nobody mentions
Of the four jobs at the top of this article, airflow is the one that gets left out of almost every buying guide, and it is the one that decides whether a pad protects your floor or quietly damages it over several years.
What happens under a sealed pad
Wood floors move with humidity, taking up moisture from the air in damp months and releasing it in dry ones. That exchange has to happen through the surface. Put a dense impermeable layer over it and the moisture that would have dissipated instead condenses against the boards and stays there.
The result is a patch of floor that is subtly darker or cupped when you finally lift the rug, and in bad cases mildew between the pad and the finish. Solid PVC and vinyl pads are the usual culprits, which is one more reason they appear in the avoid column above.
Why felt behaves differently
An open fibre structure lets vapour pass rather than trapping it, and manufacturers build for this deliberately. RUGPADUSA describes its felt as needle-punched specifically to prevent moisture buildup, which tells you the risk is well understood in the industry even if it rarely reaches the buying guides.
That is also why natural fibre rugs are the ones this matters most under. Jute and wool both absorb and release moisture from the air continuously, so a rug that is itself constantly exchanging moisture sitting on a pad that cannot pass any is a slow problem waiting to appear.
Rooms where this matters more
Bathrooms, kitchens, entryways in wet climates, and any room over a crawl space or an unheated basement. Also any rug that has been washed or spot cleaned and put back down before the backing was genuinely dry, which is a quicker version of the same failure.
The habit that solves it costs nothing: lift the rug twice a year, at the same time you rotate it, and look at the floor underneath. Two minutes, and it catches every version of this problem while it is still reversible.
If the floor underneath looks damp or dark
Take the rug and the pad up entirely and let the area dry with airflow before putting anything back. Then reconsider the pad, because a sealed one in a room with humidity swings will simply do it again. This is also worth checking on any natural fibre rug that has developed a musty smell, since the source is far more often the floor beneath than the rug itself.
The links below are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
The default for most rooms: 1/4 inch felt and natural rubber
If you want one recommendation and no further reading, this is it. A quarter inch of heat pressed felt over a natural rubber backing covers all four jobs adequately, which is exactly why the whole industry treats this combination as standard.
What makes this version worth naming rather than any hybrid is the specificity. The maker lists the floors it is safe on rather than saying safe for floors: hardwood, laminate, stone, tile, radiant heat, concrete and bamboo. It states there are no glues, PVC or non stick adhesives involved. And it describes the felt as 100% recycled and needle punched to prevent moisture buildup, which is the airflow point from the section above stated by somebody with no reason to raise it.
The rubber grips without adhesive, so nothing is transferred to your finish, and the felt gives soundproofing and insulation alongside the cushioning. On a wood floor with an unanchored rug, there is very little reason to buy anything else.
Worth it or skip: Worth it on any hard floor where the rug is not held down by furniture, which is most living rooms and every hallway. Skip it if your floor is vinyl or LVP, where rubber is the risk rather than the solution, and skip it if the rug is already anchored, in which case pure felt gives you more of what you actually need.
For vinyl, LVP, and anchored rugs: 100% felt
Pure felt is the quiet winner in two situations and almost nobody recommends it, because grip is the job people shop for. If your rug is pinned by a sofa or a bed, grip is the job you need least, and giving it up buys you more of everything else.
It is also the answer on vinyl and LVP. No rubber means no compound to react with the plasticisers in a wear layer, which is the failure that stains vinyl from the inside where no cleaning reaches. The maker states this pad contains no glues, PVC or latex at all, which is precisely what you want against a sensitive floor.
On density it publishes the figure that matters: 24 ounces of felt per square yard at roughly a quarter inch, with 3/8 and 1/2 inch versions available for more cushioning. And it is refreshingly honest about its own limits, telling you outright that for non slip applications you should look at the felt and rubber options instead.
Worth it or skip: Worth it on vinyl or LVP, under any rug anchored by furniture, and under natural fibre rugs where airflow matters most. Skip it for a runner, a hallway, or any unanchored rug on a smooth floor, because it has no grip at all and relies entirely on the weight above it.
For runners and high traffic: the premium locking pad
Hallways, kitchens and entryways ask more of a pad than any other position, because a narrow rug on a smooth floor travels more than a large one and the footfall is concentrated. This is where paying more actually changes the outcome rather than buying a nicer version of the same thing.
The difference is in the rubber layer. Where a standard hybrid has a plain rubber backing, this one uses a 15 ounce per square yard natural rubber layer with an additional 5 ounce checkered pattern face coat on top of it, which increases the contact area with the floor. Underneath that sits a dense quarter inch felt for cushioning and impact absorption.
It also carries a five year warranty, which is unusual in this category and tells you something about expected life in the position it is designed for. Manufacturers describe non slip pads as being for high traffic areas such as foyers and hallways specifically, and this is the version of that.
Worth it or skip: Worth it under a hallway runner, a kitchen runner, or any rug in a route everybody walks. Skip it for a bedroom or a rug under a dining table, where the extra grip is wasted and a standard hybrid or pure felt does the job for less.
Two more, for specific situations
1/8 inch, for doorways and flatweaves. The low profile version of the same felt and rubber construction. Choose it where a door has to clear the rug, under a thin kilim or cotton flatweave that would look bulky on anything thicker, and anywhere a raised edge would be a trip point. You lose most of the cushioning and keep the grip and the floor protection, which is the right trade in those positions. See the 1/8 inch low profile pad →
3/8 inch, for bedrooms. Noticeably plusher, at 32 ounces of felt plus 14 ounces of rubber per square yard, and the point at which a rug starts to feel genuinely luxurious underfoot. Two cautions: measure any door that opens across the rug first, and do not use this thickness in a hallway, where the raised edge becomes a hazard rather than a comfort. See the 3/8 inch enhanced pad →
Need a size that is not standard? Most felt and felt-rubber pads are designed to be trimmed, so buying the next size up and cutting is usually easier than hunting. Browse felt and rubber rug pads →
When to replace it
A rug pad is not a permanent installation, and this is another question that almost never gets answered. The industry figure is five to ten years, or sooner if it becomes worn, flattened, or loses its gripping power. One manufacturer backs its premium pad with a five year warranty, which gives you a sense of where the lower end of that range sits.
Four signs it is done
- The rug has started moving again. Natural rubber hardens and loses tack with age, and once it has gone it does not come back. This is usually the first symptom.
- You can feel the floor through it in the walkway. Felt compresses permanently where people walk, so a pad can be a quarter inch at the edges and almost nothing down the middle.
- It crumbles or leaves residue when you lift it. Cheaper synthetic backings degrade into a powder or a tacky film, and that film is what marks a floor.
- It smells, or the floor beneath looks dark. That is trapped moisture, and it is the sign to take the whole thing up now rather than at the next rotation.
The habit that doubles its life
Rotate the rug and the pad together twice a year, so the compression and the wear land in different places each time. It costs ten minutes and it is the same schedule as rotating the rug for sun fading, so it does not add a task to your year.
While the rug is up, vacuum the floor, vacuum the underside of the pad, and look at the boards. Grit sealed under a pad is what wears a finish, and the whole point of owning one is to prevent exactly that.
Numbers worth knowing
One safety note from the manufacturer that is easy to miss. Rug pads should be kept away from open flames and high heat sources, and cleaned only according to the maker’s instructions. That matters near a wood burner or an open fire, where a felt pad edge sitting close to a hearth is a genuine consideration rather than a theoretical one.
It also rules out the instinct to put a wet pad in a tumble dryer. If a pad has been soaked, air dry it flat and give it as long as it takes, or replace it, which for the price is frequently the better answer.
Something is wrong with the one you have? 2 taps
The quiz above is for choosing. This one is for diagnosing a pad that is already down and not doing its job.
People also ask about rug pads
Do you really need a rug pad on hardwood floors?
On hardwood the strongest argument is not grip, it is abrasion. Grit falls through a rug, settles between it and the boards, and every footstep grinds those particles into the finish, which is why people find a dull patch when they move a rug that has been down for years. A pad puts a non abrasive barrier between the two. If the rug is anchored by furniture and cannot slide, you can skip the rubber and use pure felt, but skipping the pad entirely is how finishes wear unevenly.
What size rug pad do I need?
One to two inches smaller than the rug on every side. Larger and it shows as a lip or a trip hazard; the same size and it reads as a visible line under a thin rug; much smaller and the corners fold over the pad boundary and set into a ridge, which is worse than having no pad at all. Most felt and felt-rubber pads are made to be trimmed, so buy the next size up, lay the rug face down, mark an inch inside the edge and cut.
Is a rug pad necessary on carpet?
No, and a conventional one will not work anyway. Felt and rubber pads grip by friction against a smooth surface and carpet pile provides none, which is why several manufacturers print do not use on carpet directly on the packaging. Carpet already supplies the cushioning, and there is no finish to protect. A rug that creeps over carpet needs a mechanical fix rather than a pad.
How thick should a rug pad be?
A quarter inch suits most rooms and is the sensible default. Go to an eighth of an inch where a door has to clear the rug or under a thin flatweave, and to three eighths or a half only in bedrooms and low traffic rooms where a raised edge is not a hazard. Thicker is not better: manufacturers themselves advise against pairing the thickest pad with the thickest rug, because a deep pile rug on a plush pad becomes an unstable stack underfoot.
Rug pad FAQ
Can a rug pad damage a wood floor?
A good one will not, and a bad one can. PVC and solid vinyl pads trap moisture against the boards and can leave a residue as they degrade, and some synthetic rubber compounds react with a finish. Natural rubber and felt do neither, which is why reputable makers name the material explicitly and list the floors it is rated for. If a listing says only rubberised or non slip backing without naming what it is, treat that silence as an answer.
Are rug pads safe on vinyl and LVP?
Felt is. Rubber is the question. Vinyl fails differently from wood: certain rubber compounds react with the plasticisers in the wear layer and leave a yellow or amber stain inside the material where no cleaning reaches it. Tolerances vary by flooring manufacturer, so check your brand’s care sheet, and in the meantime a 100% felt pad removes the risk entirely.
Is memory foam a good rug pad?
For comfort, yes. For grip, no, and the maker says so: one popular memory foam pad states plainly that it is not suitable for rugs prone to slippage and bunching. Buy it if the rug is anchored by furniture and you want softness. Do not buy it expecting it to stop a rug travelling, which is the mismatch behind most disappointed reviews in this category.
How long does a rug pad last?
Five to ten years, or sooner if it flattens, crumbles or loses its grip. Natural rubber hardens with age and the tack does not return, which is usually the first thing you notice. Rotating the rug and the pad together twice a year spreads the compression and meaningfully extends the life, and it fits the same schedule as rotating a rug for sun fading.
Can I use two pads together for more cushioning?
No. Two pads slide against each other, which cancels the grip of both and produces exactly the creeping you were trying to prevent. If you want more cushioning, buy one thicker pad rather than stacking two, and check your door clearance before you do.
Do I need a pad under a jute or natural fibre rug?
More than under anything else, and for a reason specific to those fibres. An open weave lets grit fall straight through, and that grit then saws at the underside of the weave from below every time somebody walks across, which is what actually destroys a jute rug. A pad also reduces the friction that works loose fibre free, so it cuts shedding. Choose felt or felt and rubber, not a sealed pad, since natural fibres exchange moisture with the air constantly.
The rug pad cheat sheet
Material, decided by your floor
Wood, laminate, tile, stone, concrete: felt plus natural rubber.
Vinyl or LVP: 100% felt, or something labelled vinyl safe. Never standard rubber.
Rug anchored by furniture: 100% felt, whatever the floor.
Carpet: no pad works. That needs a mechanical fix.
Thickness, decided by the room
1/8 in: doorways, thin flatweaves, anywhere an edge would trip somebody.
1/4 in: the default. Buy this if you are unsure.
3/8 in: bedrooms and low traffic. Check door clearance first.
1/2 in: maximum cushion, large anchored rugs only.
Size, and it is not negotiable
One to two inches smaller than the rug on every side. Trim to fit, cutting just inside your line.
Too small is worse than none at all, because the corner folds over the pad edge and sets there.
Avoid
PVC and solid vinyl on any finished floor. Standard rubber on LVP. Memory foam where you need grip. Two pads stacked. Anything that will not tell you what it is made of. And a pad left down for a decade without ever being lifted.
Free printable
The Cozy Home Starter Checklist
The layer under the rug is the least visible decision in a room and one of the few that quietly affects everything above it. This printable walks you through a home room by room, from the floor upward, catching the practical choices that get made once and then live with you for years.
Keep reading
- Rug Corners Curling Up? Diagnose the Cause Before You Buy Anything
An undersized pad is one of six causes of a curling corner, and buying a bigger pad will not fix the other five. - Rug Tape and Your Floor: Read the Adhesive, Not the Brand
If a pad is not enough and you are considering tape, this covers which adhesives are safe on which floors and what a rug over carpet actually needs. - Jute Hates Water. Here Is How to Clean It Anyway
Natural fibre rugs are where a pad does the most work, because grit falling through an open weave is what wears them out from below. - Wool Can Take Water. What It Cannot Take Is Alkaline Soap
Wool holds up to 35 percent of its weight in moisture, which is exactly why the pad underneath it needs to breathe. - Boho and Eclectic Interiors: Your Guide to a Cozy, Creative Home
The wider framework, for when you are putting a room together rather than solving one problem in it.
Decide the job, then the material
The reason rug pad advice feels so interchangeable is that everybody answers the question as though there were one product doing one thing. There are four jobs, no pad is best at all of them, and the pad that suits a hallway runner is not the pad that suits a bed you walk beside barefoot every morning.
So work in that order. Decide which two jobs matter in your room. Let your floor rule materials in and out, which on vinyl means ruling rubber out entirely. Then pick a thickness that clears your doors, and cut it to one to two inches inside the rug edge on every side.
And if you take one number away, take that last one. An undersized pad is the only version of this that is actively worse than owning nothing, because it hands every corner a hard edge to fold across and then sets there.
Mine gets lifted every spring and autumn when the rug is rotated. Two minutes, a vacuum underneath, and a look at the boards. It has caught a damp patch once in eleven years, which was one more time than never.
Leave a Reply