Author Archives: SamRugPadMan

Rug Pads and Exercise

Filed in: Rug Pad Info

Rug Pads and Exercise

Many people exercise, stretch or perform yoga on top of their area rug or carpet. The right rug pad can add extra comfort for such exercise, as well as safety from slipping.

rug pads and exercise

This Superior all felt rug pad is very popular under rugs that are used for exercise. It provides comfort and warmth to any hard or cold floor.

We often hear of customers talking about exercising on top of their area rug while they follow a certain exercise video or routine. We are also often asked about our rug pads for use under these rugs to make the exercise more comfortable and to keep the rug in place during exercise. While some rugs can be quite comfortable on their own, the addition of a quality rug pad can add even more comfort to make it very difficult to feel the hard floor underneath. Some exercises involve much movement and pressure and this can normally cause the rug to shift and slip. A non slip rug pad works to keep the rug in place under even very strenuous exercise.

Felt or Foam Rug Pad Adds Extra Comfort

In terms of the comfort level, a felt or foam rug pad adds quite a bit to any area rug. These types of rug pads offer anywhere from 1/4″ to 1/2″ extra thickness under the rug. This added cushion can prove to make any type of exercise much more comfortable. The main difference between a foam and felt rug pad is the material. One contains recycled felt and the other contains either rebond or memory foam. A foam rug pad feels more plush and many people describe it as more comfortable. Felt rug pads are intended to be more dense so that they can resist better to protect the rug and floor from damage. While they offer different levels of density, felt and foam rug pads both offer extra comfort for exercise.

Non Slip Rug Pads Keeps Rug in Place During Exercise

Depending on the size of the rug and type of exercise, there can be some slipping involved. A non slip rug pad can prevent this slipping to make any exercise safer and more efficient. For comfort, a felt and rubber rug pad is best, as it adds cushion and prevents slipping. The typical thin non slip rug pad may prevent the slipping, yet it will not add much comfort.

Rug Padding Adds Warmth to Cold Floor

Depending on location and type of floor, the exercise platform can feel cold. Since felt rug pads have excellent thermal properties, they can add warmth to any floor. A comfortable and warm floor is important for exercises such as yoga, where the floor is quite an important element of the exercise.

When it comes to exercise, especially at home, comfort and safety are a very important part of the experience. Since many exercises involve the floor and many people use area rugs, a rug pad can support many forms of exercise. Based on your situation and requirements, choosing the proper rug pad will prove to add to the benefits of the exercise.

 

How to Avoid Rug Pad With Fold Lines

Filed in: How To's

How to Avoid Rug Pad With Fold Lines

Many people tell us of their rug pads that arrive with stubborn fold marks. The reasons for this are based on the way in which the rug pad is shipped, as well as the content of the rug pad.

Many people contact us looking for a rug pad that will actually lay flat on their floor without any bumps coming through to the rug. Unfortunately, these people ordered their rug pad from a store that believes in folding several times to stuff the rug pad into a small bag or box. The other problem is that most of those rug pads contain adhesives. When the adhesive dries, it becomes hard and stiff and will crack when folded.

Avoid Rug Pad Containing Adhesives

Rug Pad with Fold Lines

Most stores fold their rug pads several times to fit them into a small package. This is the leading cause of stubborn and damaging fold lines that should be avoided.

The popular way to manufacture a felt rug pad is to apply a clear adhesive on the top and bottom surfaces. The adhesive is an inexpensive way to keep the felt intact and prevent shedding. When the adhesive dries onto the pad, it then becomes hard and stiff. Next, fold the rug pad and it will show signs of cracking or stubborn and permanent fold lines as a characteristic of the adhesive.

In order to avoid adhesives to keep the felt intact in our felt rug pad we utilize an intense heat pressing process. This melds the felt together naturally without resulting in a stiff or hard surface. If our Superior felt rug pad is folded, any light fold marks will disappear within minutes because there is no presence of adhesives.

Avoid Rug Padding That Contains Several Folds

Just about every store offering rug pads will take any size of pad and fold it several times within itself. This is done so that the store can fit the padding into a small bag or box. Combine this with the fact that the same rug pad could have been folded on a shelf for days, weeks or months, and the result is very stubborn and most often permanent fold lines within the rug pad. These fold lines show through to the rug, causing premature wear and possible trip hazards.

At Rug Pad Corner, no order is ever cut until it is ready to ship. Small, medium, large and custom rug pads are always cut after we receive the order and we only cut and pack on day of shipping. In terms of how we fold our rug pads, many are actually simply rolled without folding and very large pads are simply folded in half once and then rolled. Since there are minimal folds, no adhesives and that we fold on day of shipping, there are never any stubborn fold lines in our rug pads.

The next time you search for a rug pad, try to avoid one that could pose an issue with fold lines. Make sure the store does not offer any rug pads with adhesives, make sure it cuts to order and make sure it does not fold more than necessary. Finally, confirm that your rug pad was not previously cut and sitting on a shelf somewhere until it is shipped.

When Should Rug Pad Be Replaced?

Filed in: Rug Pad Info

When Should Rug Pad Be Replaced?

A quality rug pad should normally last at least fifteen years with normal use and care. While timing is a good gauge, it is important to know the signs of when your rug pad should be replaced.

When to Replace Felt Rug Pad

when should rug pad be replaced?

Felt rug pads should be replaced when they start to show signs of shedding and flattening. Most quality rug pads will not need replacement for at least fifteen years.

Felt rug pads contain only felt and ours is meant to last at least fifteen years before needing to be replaced. Other felt rug pads could contain air or adhesives, so their lifespan may not be as long. There are a few way to know that it is time to replace your felt rug pad. The first is to notice if there is any shedding of the felt. When you sweep or vacuum, if you start to notice loose fuzzy material around the edges of your rug, then the chances are that the felt is breaking down. Before the pad starts to really shed, it is a good time to replace it. Another way to determine if your felt rug pad needs replacing is if it seems to be much thinner than original condition. Felt can compress over time and as it does, it loses some of its protective values. Since the density level affects protection to rug and floor, when the padding loses most of its resistance, it should be replaced.

When to Replace Felt and Rubber Rug Pad

Felt and rubber rug pads should be examined a bit more carefully than an all felt rug pad because of the existence of the rubber. We have already seen how to determine of the felt needs to be replaced and the rubber shows wear a little differently. The natural characteristics of rubber when it need to be replaced shows us signs of drying and cracking. This is inevitable and the only fact that differs among various quality of rubber is the amount of time before needing replacement. The most important way to determine of the felt and rubber rug pad need to be replaced is to check the state of the rubber. When the rubber shows signs of cracking, this is a good time to replace the rug pad. The next stage may be that the rubber starts to disintegrate into a fine dust like substance that can cause quite a mess, so it is best to replace before this point.

When to Replace All Rubber Rug Pad

Like with the felt and rubber rug pad, an all rubber rug pad should be checked for signs of drying. After about twelve years of use, it is a good idea to check the rug pad for signs of cracking. Rubber cracking refers to the fact that it is drying out and this means it will not be an effective means of slip prevention. Before the cracking turns into disintegration, it is a good idea to replace the rug pad.

While most quality rug pads will last at least fifteen years, various situations can affect the lifespan of any rug pad. It is always a good idea to start to check your rug pad after ten years of use for signs of wear related to any of the descriptions noted above. Replacing your rug pad in time can prevent damage to the floor and can maintain proper protection for your area rug.

Which Side of Felt Rug Pad Goes Down?

Filed in: Rug Pad Info

Which Side of Felt Rug Pad Goes Down?

Both sides of felt rug pad look similar and people wonder which side to put down against the floor. While there is little difference between the sides, one side is recommended to go against the floor.

All Felt Rug Pad

Felt Rug Pad

A close look at our Superior rug pad shows a fuzzier felt side. It is recommended to place this side down against the hard floor.

All felt rug pad contains felt on both sides and through the entire rug pad. During the manufacturing process, one side of the pad is needle punched in a different manner than the other. The result is a side that is smoother and stiffer than the other side. This smoother side is meant to be used up against the back of an area rug. The other side is a little fuzzier and softer and it goes against the hard floor. The reason for this is to prevent any scratching or damage to hardwood floors. It is argued that the smoother side provides a stiffer foundation for the back of the area rug, adding to the protection of the rug. Based on this, always place a felt rug pad softer side down against the floor.

Felt and Rubber Rug Pad

Felt rug pads are also made with a layer of rubber. The top felt surface is stiff. In some quality rug pads, the felt also contains a texture to prevent rug slipping off the rug pad, such as our Ultra Premium. The lower side is rubber and this is meant to go against the floor. The rubber prevents slipping on the floor to keep everything in place. There are some felt and rubber rug pads that are advertised as reversible for use on carpet too. For this purpose, the rubber would face up and felt side would be down on the carpet. While not guaranteed to keep rugs flat on carpet, reversible rug pads have become popular.

Felt rug pad has become one of the most effective types of rug padding available today. Based on its natural elements and density, it has proven to offer an excellent value for the protection and comfort it provides. As one of the main manufacturers of felt rug padding in the United States, Rug Pad Corner is stringent about what goes into our Superior and Ultra Premium pads. Like with most reputable rug pad manufacturers, we take care to use only natural fibers without the addition of any chemicals, glues or adhesives. For this reason, our felt rug pads perform for more than fifteen years under any conditions.

 

Rug Pad for a Cause Progress Report

Filed in: Charity

Rug Pad for a Cause Progress Report

We are proud to say that our campaign of contributions is stronger than ever. Month after month, our donations to charitable organizations are increasing.

rug pad for a cause

Rug Pad for a Cause donates a portion of the proceeds from every order to one of three charitable organizations.

Rug Pad for a Cause is our campaign to donate a portion of the proceeds of every order through our web site to one of three charitable organizations. The organizations are The American Red Cross, The American cancer Society and St Jude Children’s Hospital. Our donations are directed to all three organizations every month, not necessarily in equal amounts. The amount we send to each is controlled by the choice made by each customer for each order. Customers actually choose the organization and we then send the appropriate donations. If a customer is undecided, then we offer the option of “Choose for me”, in which case we are partial to St Jude Children’s Hospital.

Our campaign is one year old and since its inception, has risen more than 30% today. This means that after one year of contributions, today we find ourselves making approximately 30% higher donations as a whole to all three causes. Since our donations are a direct result of store orders, this also means an increase in our sales. While this is important and exciting news for us, quite frankly, the staff at Rug Pad Corner is even more excited that it means more money channeled to those people who need the help.

With the goals of Rug Pad for a Cause, the first twelve months of its existence has generated thousands of dollars of contributions. While a perfectly even share to each charity is 33% of our donations, this has not been the case. Some months have shown a somewhat equal distribution, while others have shown more towards one of the charities. We have found that during those months that one charity is chosen by our customers more than others, the charity has been St Jude Children’s Hospital. This may be attributed to the fact that more people lean towards helping those less fortunate innocent children with illnesses, as well as the fact that when a customer prefers us to choose, we choose St Jude. In any case, all of us at Rug Pad Corner are honored and appreciative of all that we give and we intend to keep giving.

While the donations do not cost our customers anything other than actually placing their rug pad order, we are very thankful for the opportunity to make Rug Pad for a Cause as successful as it is. The reason we are actually able to donate starts with our customers. Since we donate a portion of each order, without our customer orders, Rug pad for a Cause would not be the success that it is today. And, because it is so successful, more people are being helped month after month. This is one of the main reasons why the family of Rug Pad Corner strives to fulfill rug pad orders as quickly as possible.

Rug Pad for a Cause is a registered campaign by Rug Pad Corner. While we are the only direct providers to this cause, we encourage other companies to help in any way that they can. We are doing all we can to change the world one rug pad at a time.

5 Ways to Protect Your Hardwood Floors

Filed in: Rug Pad Info

5 Ways to Protect Your Hardwood Floors

Hardwood floors are an investment that should be properly protected. Some simply care and routine maintenance will protect your floors for a lifetime of use.

Protect Hardwood Floor from Scratches

Protect Hardwood Floors From Scratches

Protect your hardwood floors with some simple tasks to preserve them for a lifetime.

There are so many reasons that cause scratches to hardwood floors. Most reasons for scratches are from things that can easily be prevented. Shoes coming in from outdoors are one of the most popular reasons for scratches in your floor. There can be small stones or other particles stuck in the sole of shoes that will scratch hardwood floors once they are walked on. You can either ask people to remove their shoes before walking on the floor, or check the bottom of the shoes for any particles. Another reason for scratches is the movement of furniture on the floor. Try to place soft felt pads under furniture legs, or lift, not push, the furniture if you need to move it. One other reason for scratches to hardwood floors is the back of an area rug being against the floor. Many rugs contain a rough backing that is pressed against the floor when walked on. To prevent this, use a rug pad on hardwood floors to act as a barrier.

Prevent Fading to Hardwood Floors

A very common problem caused to hardwood floors is that of fading. Sunlight can do much damage to the floor finish and will fade the finish over time. The intensity and amount of time the sun hits the floor determines the range of the fading. To prevent and minimize any fading, use window covers and keep them closed during times of intense sunlight. If this is not possible, then you may apply a window film that prevents harmful sun rays entering and harming the floor. In any case, know that sun is the leading cause of fading to hardwood floors and try to divert it or prevent it from coming through the windows for long periods of time.

Clean Your Hardwood Floors Regularly to Prevent Buildup

Your hardwood floor can experience much traffic and shoes bring lots of dirt. Even if your floor looks clean, I assure you that dirt does build up and creates a film on your floor. Some of the dirt can be easily seen and vacuumed, while other dirt is less obvious. If the film of dirt builds up, it may be difficult to remove without the use of a buffing machine. To avoid this build up, it is a good idea to give your hardwood floors a deep scrubbing every two weeks. With a mop, use warm water or a water and vinegar mixture to scrub the floor. While the floor is damp, use a dry cloth to wipe dry. Do not allow the floors to dry naturally, as this will allow any dirt to remain on the floor.

Protect Your Hardwood Floors from Dents

Some hardwood floor species are softer than others and are susceptible to dents from furniture. Heavy furniture can actually push into the floor and cause dents. You should determine if this is the case with your furniture and if so, then you need to place something under the furniture legs. There are felt pads and furniture cups that are used for this purpose, yet it is best to find a furniture pad that prevents dents and slipping. This is ideally the most effective protection for your hardwood floors against furniture damage.

Use the Right Vacuum on Hardwood Floors

You may vacuum your hardwood floors to remove any dirt and dust. It is best to use a vacuum without the beater brush activated. Some vacuums do not have a brush and others have one that can be paused. The beater brush is great for rugs and carpet, yet it can scratch hardwood floors because there me be items trapped within the brush bristles that can scratch the floor. Based on this, always vacuum things directly off the floor with suction only, not with suction and brush.

If you have hardwood floors in your home, protect them with some simple prevention such as rug padding and proper maintenance. When your floors are treated right, they will offer a lifetime of performance and beauty.

How to Care for Your Area Rugs

Filed in: How To's

How to Care for Your Area Rugs

Most area rugs are meant to last a lifetime. While they are durable, they do require some care that can add even more years of life. Simple care, such as consistent vacuuming, rotation, regular cleaning the use of a rug pad can prolong the life of your rugs and maintain their desirable appearance during their lifetime.

Caring For Your Rug

With proper care, an area rug can last a lifetime.

Caring for Area Rugs with a Rug Pad

Area rugs are used on the floor and most of them are walked on and can have furniture placed on them. It is this type of use that requires extra care to prevent premature wear and damage. One of the first things to consider with the care of your rugs is to determine the amount and type of traffic they will receive. If rugs are actually walked on, then a rug pad is necessary to preserve the rug’s condition and appearance. The rug pad acts in two ways. First, it prevents slipping under those rugs that could slip. Next, the rug pad can prevent wear and damage to the rug. Choose a substantial rug pad, such as dense felt, for most effective protection under any rug. This will absorb much of the stress and pressure that the rug is exposed to, making for a longer lasting rug.

How to Care for Your Area Rugs with Vacuuming

Whether the rug is walked on a lot or very little, there is always dust that settles into the foundation of the rug. For this reason, it is important to vacuum your area rugs regularly to prevent any dust settling into the base of the rug. Since handmade rugs contain a foundation on which the knots are tied, we must not compromise the foundation. If too much dust settles, it can actually work to rub against the foundation cords to start wearing them. Since the foundation is what keeps every handmade rug intact, it must be shielded against unnecessary wear.

Rotate Your Rugs to Maintain Even Wear

Most often, there is a specific traffic pattern that can affect any area rug. While we can walk all over the rug, most rugs experience a pattern of traffic. This can wear that part of the rug sooner than other parts. Uneven wear is a negative element for any area rug. Fading due to sunlight can also occur and we need to avoid fading of only one part of the rug. To prevent such wear, it is important to rotate the rug at least once a year and more often if possible. By rotating your rugs, you are preventing a specific wear pattern on one part of the rug. A wear pattern not only looks bad, it also takes away from the value and life of the rug. So, try to rotate your rug and rug / carpet pad at least once a year and for larger rugs, use the help of someone else to make the task easier and more effective.

Professionally Clean Your Rugs on a Regular Basis

Rugs can become soiled from regular use. For spot cleaning, you can use a damp sponge and some mild soap and water. Most area rugs clean easily with right cleaning agents and process. You should have your rug professionally cleaned when necessary. The frequency of cleaning depends on the type of rug and the materials within the rug. Most handmade wool or silk rugs should be cleaned every 3 to 5 years. Most synthetic machine made rugs should be cleaned every year. Be careful to use a reliable cleaning company with experience with cleaning your type of area rug. A traditional carpet cleaning company is not the same as one that specializes in area rugs. One of the benefits of using an experienced area rug cleaner is that the company will actually beat the back of your rug first to remove any settled in dust or dirt.

Area Rugs are an investment and should be properly cared for. Some simply, yet very effective practices will maintain the look and condition of your rugs so that they may last a lifetime.

What’s the Best Rug Pad for a Silk Rug?

Filed in: Rug Pad Info

What’s the Best Rug Pad for a Silk Rug?

Silk rugs tend to be very fine, yet fragile and easily wrinkle and slide on the floor. Rug pad for silk rug must be able to prevent wrinkling and slipping.

Ultra Premium rug pad for silk rugs

Ultra Premium is the only rug pad that contains distinct textures within both surfaces to keep any silk rug flat and in place on the floor.

Most silk rugs are made by hand and are extremely fine. While silk is one of the strongest fibers in area rugs, it is also soft and gives a fragile effect. Since the fibers are soft, within a rug they tend to wrinkle easily. A quality rug pad is required to keep the rug as flat as possible and in place on every hard floor. When a silk rug is kept flat and dos not slip, it then is protected against premature wear and damage. For these reasons, a rug pad for silk rug should be quite dense and should be able to prevent slipping on both top and bottom surfaces.

Most rug pads available contain a non slip surface on one side, normally the side against the floor. Since silk rugs are so soft and flexible, they tend to slip right on the top of the pad. Based on the fact that most felt and rubber rug pads contain a smooth felt surface, the silk rug will slip off the surface. Non slip rug pads do a great job to keep the rug on place on any hard floor, yet we must also consider keeping the rug in place on top of the padding. Our Ultra Premium is perhaps the only rug pad that does this.

Ultra Premium is manufactured in a unique way. It contains a felt surface and rubber lower surface. The most impressive part of this rug pad is that both surfaces contain a distinct texture. The felt surface contains a series of  deep ridges in an exclusive pattern. These ridges actually grab to and hold any silk rug to prevent slipping on top of the pad. The bottom natural rubber contains a distinct pattern. A hexagonal tire tread like design acts to grip to any hard floor surface better than any other non slip rug pad. This prevents any silk rug moving, slipping or sliding on the floor. The result of the top and bottom textured surfaces is a silk rug that will not move and will remain as flat as possible.

The facts show that the best rug pad for silk rugs truly is our Ultra Premium rug pad. We manufacture it and make it available in all sizes and shapes, as well as custom. You may shop Ultra Premium rug pad at this link: https://rugpadcorner.com/shop/ultra-premium/.

How to Reduce Floor Noise

Filed in: How To's

How to Reduce Floor Noise

Rug or carpet pad under any area rug can reduce and prevent floor noise.

how to reduce floor noise

Superior Felt Rug Pad has been rated as one of the top rug pads to use as a noise reduction rug pad.

How to reduce floor noise involves determining the reason for the noise. Most floor noise is generated from foot traffic, such as walking and running. The impact from the foot sinks into the rug or carpet and then hits the floor. This can create various types of floor noise, none of which as desirable. The floor noise generally penetrates from one floor to another and is very common in multi floor residences. Since it is the pressure impact that makes the noise, we must find a way to absorb this impact with noise reduction rug pads.

If the floor is covered with any area rug or carpet, one of the most effective way to reduce the floor noise is by placing a rug or carpet pad underneath the floor covering. While there are plenty of types of cushion or padding available, not all will effectively reduce floor noise. Common carpet padding is plush and soft and actually helps the impact that creates noise. The rug or carpet pad used on top if the floor should be very dense to resist the pressure penetrating through to the floor. For this, we always recommend a dense felt rug pad.

Felt is a fiber that is compressed into a rug pad in various densities. While this type of rug pad is available in 20, 28, 32 and 40 ounce densities, we must consider the higher density for effective noise reduction. Density refers to the resistance level within the rug pad. The higher the resistance, the more likely the rug pad will prevent any pressure penetrating through to affect the floor. We have perfected our Superior Rug Pad into a true 40 ounce density. All other felt rug pads contain some air from production. The air acts to thicken the fibers, yet this is temporary. Once walked on, the rug pad loses the air and this flattens the pad and compromises its resistance. Superior is compressed of all felt, no air, and retains its thickness and density for several years.

A genuine dense felt rug pad is one of the best solutions for eliminating floor noise. When the rug and pad are walked on, Superior felt rug pad is able to prevent the foot sinking through to the floor. By preventing this sinking, Superior avoids any foot contact with the floor. This eliminates any noise that is normally associated with foot steps walking or running across any rug or carpet on any floor. Superior is a full 3/8″ thick and we make it available in all sizes and shapes. While it is mostly requested for specific area rug sizes, we also offer it in rolls for wall-to-wall carpet installations.

Feel free to view more of Superior Rug Pad at https://rugpadcorner.com/shop/superior/ and to learn more on how to reduce floor noise.

How to Use Carpet Padding

Filed in: How To's

How To Use Carpet Pads

How to Use Carpet Padding depends on whether it is used under carpeting or under area rug on carpet. In either case, Carpet Padding is meant to add protection and comfort to any area rug and carpet.

how to use carpet padding

This is an example of a memory foam carpet padding that is used under wall-to-wall carpet installations.

How to Use Carpet Padding shows that it can be used underneath wall-to-wall carpet, as well as under area rug on top of carpet. Carpet cushion is traditionally what we refer to when we think of the material that is installed under wall-to-wall carpet. Types of this padding include popular rebond foam cushion. This is a soft and comfortable carpet pad that comforts every step on the carpet. Our felt rug pad is also used under carpeting as an option to the softer foam padding. The main difference between our felt rug pad and foam carpet padding is softness and protection. Felt rug pad is more dense and offers better resistance and protection. This is why it is most used under area rugs on hardwood or hard floors. Another pad referred to as Carpet Padding is our No-Muv rug pad. This is specifically used under any area rug on top of carpet to keep it flat and in place. Rugs on carpet tend to shift and wrinkle and No-Muv works to prevent this.

Carpet padding in reference to No-Muv means that every area rug on top of carpet should have No-Muv carpet padding under it. No-Muv is a recycled felt pad made in the USA. It contains a specially stiffened lower surface that is textured to grab and hold to the carpet. This prevents the rug from shifting and slipping on carpet. The top felt surface is a very dense felt that works to resist common pressure penetrating through. The pressure is what wrinkles the area rug and No-Muv prevents this from happening. The result is Carpet padding that works to keep your area rug flat and looking great when it is on top of carpet.

Carpet Padding has been used for many years in various installations. Most homes with wall-to-wall carpet have some sort of padding under the carpet. This adds much comfort under the carpet and some even protect from spills with a spill barrier on top. Certain Carpet Padding can also reduce sound and noise from floor to floor. In terms of an installation of an area rug on carpet, No-Muv Carpet Padding is used more to keep the rug flat and prevent slipping. If your needs are for padding under wall-to-wall carpet, choose a clean looking foam pad. For rug to rug application, No-Muv is the carpet padding to choose. There are a few ways on how to use Carpet Padding.