If you have layered your area rugs on any of the carpets in your home, you may have noticed that they tend to travel over time despite being inanimate objects. Have you ever wondered what causes rug creep? Can you do anything to stop rug creep and keep your rugs in place on your carpeted floors?
Why Area Rugs Creep across Carpet
Area rugs can look really beautiful on top of carpet if they are layered with an eye toward design. “Layering your rugs adds depth and scale to a room which not only makes it more interesting, but actually pulls the eyes down and gives your guests additional style elements to enjoy and admire.”
It can be frustrating, though, to put your rugs down in a specific place and watch them slowly creep somewhere else over time. The reason rugs move on carpet is not because they have teeny tiny legs but because the carpet’s pile slants in one direction. All of the fibers in the carpet lean one way so that when a rug is placed on top of that carpet and people walked on it, the rug will slowly be pushed in the direction of the pile by the force of the tread. The carpet remains in place because it is fastened to the floor with staples or nails, but the rug is repositioned every time someone walks across it.
Carpet installers know this. When they install the carpet, they will lay it with the pile towards the main doorway because this will make the colors look more vibrant to anyone entering the room. Similarly, when installing carpet on stairs, the installer will lay it so that the pile flows down the stairs. It will make the carpet last longer and look more attractive.
When you vacuum carpet, you will notice that it’s easier to vacuum it in one direction than it is in other directions. When you vacuum with the pile, you won’t be meeting resistance from the fibers and it will be an easier job.
How to Stop Rug Creep
There are many backing products that can be used to stop area rugs from moving. Bond Products offers a number of rug backing supplies including:
Safety grips – These grips can be peeled and stuck to the back of a rug to keep it from slipping on any surface, including carpet.
MOVENOT and SUPERMOVENOT rubber backing – Both products can be glued to the underside of a rug. Glue the felt side down to keep it from creeping on carpet and the rubber side down to stop it from slipping on hard floors.
LOK-LIFT Rug Gripper – This tape can be attached to the bottom of a rug to keep it from moving.
RUGLOCK Spray – This product can be sprayed onto the rug’s back to keep it in place.
Using one of the above products will keep your area rugs in position and halt rug creep in your home. They are also useful for stopping rugs from slipping across hard floors. If you have any questions about which product would best suit your need, please call us at 1-888-800-BOND. We will be happy to help you choose.
