Area rugs are a great way to define or separate spaces within your home, and are especially useful in homes with an open floor plan.   Oftentimes, open floor plans can present a challenge because although they create a natural flow from one area to another, they can prove daunting if you want to create a warm and cozy atmosphere.  By using area rugs you can define conversation areas, dining areas, or areas for relaxation plus they provide an economical way to redecorate, refresh, or completely change the emphasis and style of a room.  

An easy application to wood floors, area rugs sole requirement. unless anchored by a table or other piece of furniture, are rug pad to keep the rug in place and to prevent any possible accidents.  In choosing a rug pad make sure that the manufacturer guarantees that it will not reacte to your floor chemically.  Some rubber-backed rugs can reacte and change the color of your flooring if kept positioned on the floor for any length of time.

Area rugs can be placed on wall-to-wall carpet  to achieve the same design goals.   A neutral carpet can serve as the canvas for your decorating; a multi-colored carpet or carpet that has a design or pattern, can serve as your color pallet.  However, there is a precaution for using area rugs with wall-to-wall carpet:

If the underside of the area rug is bare, depending upon the material and weave, it can create wear on your carpet over time.  This seems wrong since common sense would dictate that an area rug would protect the carpet beneath.  Well, to some extent it does, however movement up and down and any other direction of an unlined rug can breakdown the fibers of the carpet beneath.  That is why, MDM recommends that you look for area rugs line with plain cotton preferably in white or ecru.  Additionally, for the same reasons stated for bare floors, do not place rubber-backed area rugs on carpet. 

What if the rug you like and is absolutely perfect for the application you are trying to achieve, does not have a backing?

There are pads that you can buy specifically for this application of area rugs on wall-to-wall carpet; however there is a more cost-effective and green alternative.  MDM recommends recycling an old, clean washed  white cotton sheet, or a sheet you know will not leech or bleed color, cut to the measurements of the area rug  allowing the raw edge to be turned under and either sewn or fused to the back of the area rug.     

Related Articles You'll Enjoy!

• Tip of the Week #17: When In Doubt Ask The Carpet Experts
• Tip of the Week#7 Painting What Comes First, the Chicken or the Egg?
• Wednesday Steals: For Want Of A Place To Lay Your Head
• Tip of the Week: #37 Stubborn Pet Stains & Carpet
• Tip of the Week #9 Small Spaces–Can’t Bump Out, Then Go Up
• This Old Wallpaper-DIYer Tip of the Week
• Tip of the Week #8 Your Young Artist Has Decided Your Walls Are One Big Mural? What To Do.
• Wednesday Steal
• Dives and Good Eats
• Tech Deal of the Day: Oprah Says De-Clutter Your Child’s Artwork & Save It In Book Form

Sign-Up for Daily E-Mail Gems from

(No Ratings Yet)  Loading ...