Almost everyone whose home has hardwood floors, will at some time, place area rugs on them to help protect the floors from damage due to high traffic or simply to decorate a room. When owners do this, they invariably add a rug pad to keep the rug from sliding. While rug pads are a good addition, especially for safety’s sake, they can cause damage to hardwood floors IF they are not constructed of the proper materials.
Bad Rug Pad Choices
| PVC rug pads - Certain types of PVC rug pads will “sweat” and end up marring or discoloring a hardwood floor. This is caused by the pad’s inability to absorb or release moisture. Also, in hot humid climates, the oils in PVC pads can react with a floors finish, “sticking” to the floor and causing permanent damage. | 
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| Synthetic Rubber or Latex rug pads - Although they may last for a few years, these pads will eventually break down and turn to dust. Anyone who has ever removed an old-style waffle pad when replacing old carpet will have experienced this break down effect. This occurs because the makers of these pads use lots of clay fillers during the manufacturing process. These clay fillers will break down and turn to dust over time. |
The Best Rug Pad Choices
| 100% Natural Rubber – Natural rubber is the safest material to use on all hardwood floors under any weather conditions. Natural rubber pads do not “stick” they “grip” your floor. Natural rubber is also eco-friendly. | 
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| 100% Felt – These pads are a great choice for finishes that are more susceptible to staining. The only downside to 100% felt pads is that they will not prevent your area rug from sliding around. Therefore they should only be used on larger rugs that are less prone to slipping |
Protecting your expensive hardwood floors with area rugs, especially in high traffic or entry areas is a smart idea. Just remember that a cheap rug pad, although it may keep your rugs from sliding around, can become a bad investment. Make sure that you routinely check under your rugs to make sure the rug pad is doing its job without doing damage to your hardwood floor.
| Dragon Restoration has more than 35 years experience restoring hardwood floors. Call (937) 371-3416 and let us put our experience to work for you! | 
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