Do Rug Pads Damage Hardwood Floors: An Insight

Rug pads are a necessary accessory that goes hand in hand with the rugs that must be placed on your hardwood floors.

Many homeowners place them along the rugs for various reasons.

However, their functionality is often questioned, and many homeowners debate their benefits compared to the damage they can inflict on the hardwood floors.

Now the question here is, do rug pads damage hardwood floors?

Improper selection or low-quality rug pads can damage hardwood floors, especially if they are not compatible with the type of rug being used. Choosing a cheaper alternative over a high-quality pad can lead to scratching, discoloration, or adhesive residue, causing harm to the flooring.

It is essential to select a suitable rug pad and ensure it is appropriate for your specific hardwood floor to prevent any potential damage.

Besides, not only are the floors in danger when using a cheap rug pad, but your health is also at risk as the cheaper products are usually made from substandard materials, which are harmful to one’s health.

However, you can avoid getting this damage to your floors and health if you follow the method mentioned at the end of the article.

What Is A Rug Pad?

A rug pad is a rubber base for area rugs which can stick to the floors and limit the amount of friction to allow stability to the floors. As a result, the rugs do not move when you step or walk on them.

Rug pads are a great way to keep your rugs in place. They provide stability and prevent additional grit on the surface of the wooden floors.

Besides, they also prevent the rugs from bunching up which eliminates the chances of tripping from the surface.

However, the amount of damage they can give to your hardwood floors is a question worth noticing.

While many debate that it is the rug that causes the damage and not the rug pads, this is a debate that has left many homeowners curious.

Therefore, let us have a look at this and figure out the reality.

Do Rug Pads Damage Hardwood Floors?

Rug pads can leave scratches on the hardwood surface and get stuck on the floor due to the adhesive, which can cause the growth of molds and other such substances under the rug’s surface.

Hardwood floors are very strong yet delicate when it comes to the treatment that they receive.

While rugs are a beautiful addition to your hardwood floors, they can damage the floors and cause serious damage to your health.

When one spends a considerable budget on a rug, it is understandable that one would want its longevity to be as much as possible to get value for their money.

However, many homeowners compromise on cheap rug pads, which can destroy your hardwood floors, which are way more expensive than your rugs.

Below are the types of damage a rug pad can cause to your hardwood floors.

Scratches & Grit

While the rug pads are renowned for providing additional grip and stability to the rugs, many rug pads scratch the surface of the hardwood floors when you walk on them.

As the adhesive and the rubber pattern prevent them from moving too much, they move slightly in the same place and exert extreme pressure on the hardwood floors.

This can cause additional grit and even result in scratches in many cases.

You might not care if your floors are sealed; however, if the hardwood floors are not finished, you might experience scratching or scarring directly on the wooden surface, which can be a sign of permanent damage.

Wood Discoloration

Moreover, another damage caused by the rug pads is the discoloration of hardwood floors.

The grit caused by the rug pads can result in the wood losing its color and lightening or darkening from a certain area, depending upon the type of pad used.

In many cases, the texture and pattern of the rug pad get imprinted on the hardwood floors, which becomes really difficult to remove despite using various cleaning and polishing methods.

Residues

Rubber residues are yet another important factor to notice regarding rug pads and the damage they cause to hardwood floors. Here’s how to remove rug pad marks from hardwood floors.

Upon removal, many rug pads are seen to deteriorate beforehand and start to crumble.

Due to the adhesive solution, the wooden surface becomes sticky, and the rubber residues get stuck on the floors.

Due to their stubborn nature, extracting them from the wood’s surface becomes very hard without damaging the planks.

Spoiling Of Wood Grain

The adhesive solution mixed with the rubber residue can clog and disfigure the wood’s grain. This can mar the original appearance of the hardwood floors and might result in permanent damage.

The adhesive can cause the wood’s color to darken, while the rubber acts as a buildup on the top.

This also promotes the growth of bacteria in such situations, which can lead to molds and mildews that will make your wooden boards weak and hollow from within.

Health Hazards Due To Toxic Chemicals

Another major issue with using rug pads is that they can cause health issues for you and your family members due to their composition.

They are mostly made out of plastics or rubber and are coated with an adhesive chemical for extra gripping on the floor.

Not only can this cause stains and discoloration on the floors, as mentioned earlier, but it can also release dangerous gasses which are harmful to one’s health.

These often include substances such as VOCs, which are harmful to you and your kids and can also cause serious health issues to your pets.

Besides, the chemicals on the surface of these pads can react with the chemicals on the surface of your hardwood floors or finishes.

This can result in the release of toxins in the atmosphere, which might make it difficult for you to breathe in your own house and may pose health risks.

Even worse, some cheaper rug pads also contain substances such as synthetic latex, which contain styrene.

This is a known carcinogen that can be extremely hazardous to your health. Inhaling these toxic particles can cause problems in your respiratory system; over time, exposure to this substance can even cause cancers.

Dissolving of Finish

A suitable example is the use of phthalates in a number of plastic rug pads. For those who do not know this, Phthalates make plastics tougher and more durable.

It makes the material stronger and harder to break even if applied forcefully. However, the downside is that they are extremely toxic and often used as dissolving agents.

Most homeowners have polyurethane finishes on hardwood floors, which are the most common today.

However, with dissolving agents like Phthalates, the poly finish is sure to dissolve and give away your expensive hardwood floors.

This can cause double damage as you would have to pay for the finish of your floors (polyurethane can’t be spot-repaired, so the entire floor will need to be refinished) along with the damage that your hardwood floors might have received during this time of exposure.

Adhesive coating sticks to floors (and itself)

Another issue with cheap imported plastic rug pads is that manufacturers make them with an adhesive coating to enhance their non-slip grip.

Unfortunately, these pads just end up literally sticking to your floors rather than gripping them.

Also, due to this adhesive process, the pad usually sticks to itself, creating lumps under your rugs and not functioning to keep them in place.

How To Choose The Right Rug Pads?

The best type of safe rug pads for hardwood floors, will be chosen according to the rug you bought for your house.

Often, the damages caused by rug pads to hardwood floors are mainly because the rug pad is not suitable for the type of rug you are using.

This creates an imbalance which leads to further damages caused to both the finish and the floors themselves.

Besides, the health damages are mostly caused by cheap products which are made from subs-standard materials.

Buying good quality products from reliable vendors or manufacturers can benefit you and allow you to bid farewell to the worries, health risks, and dangers.

While there are wide varieties of rug pads, there are mainly a handful you can choose from according to the type of rug you have chosen.

The usual types of rug pads are felt pads, natural rubber pads, polyvinyl-based pads, synthetic-latex pads, and felt-rubber hybrid pads.

The best way to choose the right rug pad for your rug is to keep in mind the right texture and thickness of the rug.

For instance, you might need a thin pad for a braided cotton area rug which will keep the rug from slipping on the hardwood surface.

However, a wool rug might be able to scratch the surface due to the texture and the thickness; hence, you would need a thick natural or rubber felt pad to keep it in place.

Although natural-fiber rugs are praised for their eco-friendly nature, they do not offer underfoot cushions.

Resultantly you would need natural rubber pads or, in some cases, thick felt pads to get the comfort under your feet that you desire.

Conclusion

The wrong selection of rug pads can seriously damage the hardwood floors and the finish on top of them.

In many cases, the results are so severe that the finish and the hardwood floors are also severely damaged.

This can result in a requirement for resurfacing or refinishing, which can cost you another 3-4 thousand dollars.

Hence, it is only wise to use our guide and get the right rug pads for your rugs. In addition, make sure to never compromise on quality as it can lead to many risks to your health.