5 Tips For Maintaining A Hardwood Floor Beneath Area Rugs
The elegance of hardwood flooring pairs well with the luxurious feeling of plush area rugs. However, if you hope to successfully pair the two together in your home, you will have to take some steps to protect your hardwood floors from damage caused by area rugs.
Purchase a Rug Pad
If you will be using area rugs on a hardwood floor, it is important to purchase high-quality rug pads to place beneath your rugs. Rug pads prevent the rug from slipping when you step on it and help protect your hardwood floor. If there is dirt or debris between your rug and the floor, when your rug slips, the debris can be carried along and scratch your finish. Similarly, if you have a low quality rug, the backing on the rug can easily scratch your floor through everyday use if you do not have a rug pad.
The best rug pads are usually made from rubber, rubber and felt, or felt. You should avoid rug pads made from PVC and other plastic materials as they can stain your floor and tend to decay more quickly than natural rubber or felt.
Wait an Appropriate Amount of Time Before Placing Rugs
While you can usually safely move your furniture into a room a few days after you have a new floor installed or a new finish applied, you should wait until your floor has fully cured before you place rugs. For most types of finishes this is about one month, but you should ask your contractor exactly how long it will take.
If you place the rugs too soon, they can end up sticking to your hardwood floors, causing bubbling and other unattractive blemishes.
Regularly Clean Beneath Your Rugs
Dirt and dust can go through your rugs and rest between your rug and the floor, creating a greater potential for scratches. To avoid this, you should regularly clean your rugs and the floor below them. Whenever you vacuum your rugs or mop your floor, you should vacuum or mop beneath the edge of the rug as well. If you are mopping, you should leave the edges flipped up until the floor is dry.
Once a month or so, you should roll up your rugs and thoroughly clean beneath them. Depending on the type of rug you have, you may want to take this opportunity to clean out the rug by beating it with a rug broom.
Rotate Your Rugs Occasionally
Over time, it is natural for your hardwood flooring to fade or darken. This is because UV light interacts with the wood, causing it to change colors, similar to the way that human skin tans or burns in direct sunlight. While most flooring will age to a satisfactory color, it can be a problem if the some sections of the floor change color while other parts that are covered by rugs or furniture do not.
To prevent uneven discoloration, you should rotate your rugs regularly. Alternatively, you may want to remove your rugs completely during the summer and place them during the colder months, when less UV light should be streaming through your windows.
Consider UV Protection for Your Windows
If you cannot regularly rotate your rugs, then you will want to look into other methods to protect your floors from uneven discoloration. The most simple method is to keep your curtains closed when direct sunlight would hit your floor. Even a sheer curtain that allows some sunlight in will help diffuse the light, making your hardwood floor change color more slowly. Alternatively, you can look into UV protective films or glass to put in your windows to protect your floor and the furniture in your room from fading.
These simple steps will help protect your flooring so you can enjoy it for years. For more information on different kinds of flooring, consider websites like http://www.nationalcarpetmilloutlet.com.