Protect your Wood Floors with Rugs

Image: The Fun Times Guide

Protect your gorgeous wood floors with some gorgeous floor decor.



Your wood floors deserve the best treatment. Even though rugs are a significant element in decorating your home, they are also a key element in protecting your beautiful floors. Here's a few tips you can follow to ensure that your floors are protected and your home is artfully decorated.

1. Furniture - Place a rug under legs of furniture to avoid scratching. All furniture has a tendency to slide on wood floors, even from an action as simple as sitting down. By placing at least two legs of a piece of furniture on top of a rug, not only will the furniture stay in place, the rug will be secured as well.

Image: New England Home

2. Dining Furniture - Consider selecting a rug large enough for your dining area upon which the tables and chairs can sit. When people push their chairs along your floor, it can easily scratch. A rug prevents this from happening.

3. Before Placement - Never place a new rug on a dirty floor. Before you place your new rug, make sure that you clean the floor below. Should there be dirt, sand or other gritty elements on the floor when the rug is placed, any slight movement of the rug will cause the dirt and grit to scratch your floors. Of course, you will be unaware of the scratches if they are covered with a rug. Vacuuming or sweeping the floor first and then mopping the entire area will ensure that the floor is clean. It is a good idea to clean the floors of the entire room, rather than just the area where the rug will sit. Also, make sure that the floor is completely dry before placing the rug.

4. The Front Door and High Traffic - If you are opposed to large area rugs in your floor decor scheme, you should consider placing small rugs in front of your doors or runner rugs in your entries and other high traffic areas. At the very least, you can trap the dirt, sand and grit in the areas of your home where you are most likely to see wear on your wood floors due to dirt and moisture from constant traffic.

5. Indoor/Outdoor Rugs in Kitchen - Should you have wood floors in your kitchen, consider placing rugs in front the sink or refrigerator to catch extra moisture. Indoor/outdoor rugs are mildew resistant and highly durable. However should spills or drips happen, make sure it doesn't soak through to the backing of the rug, as the moisture will be trapped between the floor and the rug.

6. Rug Pad - To further protect your floors from damage, provide a bit of barrier between the rug and the floor with a rug pad. A non-slip rug pad will keep the rug in place and add some extra cushion. Keeping the rug in place prevents any surface scratching as the rug will not slip.

Rugs are gorgeous and practical. Who knew?
We did, of course.