RPC News Release: Manufacturers Utilize Air Blowing Process of Felt Rug Pads which is known to add an artificial thickness to the rug pad, decrease performance. September 27, 2012: Our Research and Development Team has discovered that certain 40 Ounce rug pads are being manufactured with an AIR BLOWING process, a procedure where air is blown through the felt to make it thicker. This air is used to replace felt, making it less expensive to produce the product. The problem is that once the air is compressed with use, the rug pad mats down and becomes considerably thinner and performs under standards.

Why Does This Happen? The main reason for the AIR BLOWING is to provide a thicker felt rug pad at a lower cost, hence offering it for a lower selling price. AIR BLOWING costs much less than using more felt to add to the rug pad, yet the blowing process creates an initially thicker rug pad, something desirable by customers. The problem occurs after short use of the rug pad when the air is pushed out with normal use and the rug pad mats down to a considerably thinner height than when it was first purchased. What Does This Mean for the Performance of the Rug Pad? Since a 40 ounce rug pad is intended to be the most dense available to provide excellent protection from wear to both rug and floor, when it becomes less dense, the safety to your rugs and floors is compromised. The felt rug pad acts as a protective barrier between your area rug and floor, protecting both. It should be dense enough to withstand and resist any pressure and stress from the weight above it. A rug pad that contains air also contains about 30% less felt than our Superior Rug Pad, making it less effective at protecting your rugs and floors.

What Does 40 Ounce Mean? Felt rug pads are rated on density, among other things, and the 40 ounce means that there are 40 ounces of felt fiber to every square yard of rug pad. During manufacturing, 40 ounces of felt are compressed into an air free texture to result in a weight of 40 ounces of felt per square yard of rug pad. The correct way to acheive this density is through an intense needle punching process that compacts all the felt together as tight as possible, leaving little room for air. SUPERIOR IS NOT LIKE OTHERS Our Superior rug pad may perhaps be the only true 40 ounce rug pad in the industry. At first look and feel, you can tell that this felt rug pad does not contain any air to make up for its thickness. There are 40 ounces of pure compressed felt per square yard of rug pad that will keep this rug pad as thick and as dense during use.

While a felt rug pad containing air should cost less than our Superior True 40 Ounce Rug Pad, it should be known that it also does not offer the same protection. Take care in choosing a true 40 ounce felt rug pad to assure the longevity of your area rugs and floors. Shop Superior 40 Ounce Felt Rug Pads