Rug Pads — Rugsville Buying Guide & Sizing
Rug Pads: How Rugsville Picks the Right Underlay for Every Rug We Ship
Rugsville has been moving area rugs across the United States and Canada for over a decade. Every rug we sell has a recommended pad — because the wrong pad turns a beautiful $1,200 rug into a tripping hazard in a week, and a great pad makes a $300 rug feel like it belongs in a showroom.
This page is the cheat sheet our customer-service team uses when buyers ask “what pad goes with my rug?” If you only read one section, read the one that matches your floor.
The 60-Second Rug Pad Decision Tree
- Is your floor hardwood, engineered wood, vinyl plank or laminate? → Felt-and-natural-rubber pad. No PVC. No adhesive. (See Super Lock Natural or Superior Lock Premium.)
- Is your floor tile, stone, or polished concrete? → Open-weave natural-rubber grip pad. (See All Stop Non Slip or Contour Lock.)
- Is your area rug going on top of wall-to-wall carpet? → Anchor-style pad with hooked backing. (See Anchor Grip or Carpet Lock.)
- Is the rug going outside (covered porch, patio, deck)? → Outdoor-rated pad. (See Super Lock Outdoor.)
- Is it a hand-knotted wool rug or vintage piece? → Premium felt-and-rubber, 3/8″ minimum thickness, for cushioning the knots.
Sizing Your Pad to Your Rug
A rug pad should be 1 to 2 inches smaller than the rug on every side. That keeps the pad invisible from above, lets the rug edge taper softly to the floor, and prevents the pad from peeking out as a tripping line.
| If your rug is… | Order a pad |
|---|---|
| 3′ x 5′ | 2′6″ x 4′6″ (or trim a 3x5) |
| 5′ x 8′ | 4′6″ x 7′6″ (or trim a 5x8) |
| 8′ x 10′ | 7′6″ x 9′6″ (or trim an 8x10) |
| 9′ x 12′ | 8′6″ x 11′6″ (or trim a 9x12) |
| Custom / odd shape | Order the next size up — we’ll cut to fit, free. |
Materials, Plain English
- Felt-and-natural-rubber: the rug-industry default. Felt cushions, rubber grips. Lasts 10+ years.
- Open-weave natural rubber: thin, breathable, ideal under low-pile rugs and on tile/stone.
- Memory foam & PVC: we don’t sell these. They flatten in 6–12 months and can mar wood floors.