...because home doesn't happen overnight.

I get a surprising number of emails asking whether or not I use rug pads or non-slip rug grippers. Up until a few weeks ago, the answer was no. I’ve never liked cushy rug pads for the sake of padding alone. For me, they make vacuuming more difficult and I feel like they’re just one more thing to collect and hold dust. And the good ones are expensive!

As far as non-slip pads go, most of the larger area rugs in my home either have a built-in, non-slip backing (living room sisal, boys’ Flor tiles) or are anchored by such substantial pieces of furniture (dining room kilim, master bedroom jute) which render rugs pads unnecessary. The shag rug in the living room is layered over sisal which has a textured surface that holds the shag rug in place. The cotton and jute rug in Mabrey’s room rests directly on the wood floor. When I first bought the nursery rug, I was sure we would need a pad of some sort to keep it from shifting so I was happy to discover that it stays put. I think it’s because the room is so small and doesn’t see a ton of foot traffic. The 4′ x 6′ sisal in the entry has a built-in, non-slip backing.

entry and kitchen rug  HouseTweaking

I don’t use a pad / gripper under the kilim near the kitchen desk – nor under the Persian rug near the kitchen sink. The kitchen is a high traffic, high mess area so I’m frequently taking the rugs outside to shake out crumbs and dirt. A gripper would keep them from shifting but I don’t want them stuck to the floor. I tried the cheap mesh grippers that you can cut to size but found them completely useless. They bunched up and only stuck to themselves. If we had elderly people in our household then I would consider anchoring the rugs properly (or forgoing them all together) but we don’t find them to be tripping hazards. We’re all subconsciously aware that they’re here, I guess.

The only rug that has given us problems is the seagrass runner in the hallway. (Btw, do you call it a hall or a hallway?) It has a cloth backing and due to all the traffic it sees, it shifted easily. I was constantly repositioning it and, more than once, it posed a tripping / falling hazard. Since the only functioning bathroom is the master, we and our guests have to walk down the hallway to use the restroom. Most OH SH@#! moments occurred as someone was exiting our bedroom and entering the hallway. I called it rug surfing. Fearing someone would inevitably experience a full on wipeout, I finally bought some gripper tape to keep the rug in place.

rug gripper 1

After measuring my runner, I bought two boxes of rug gripper.

rug gripper 2

I removed the runner from the hallway. I vacuumed the floor then wiped it down thoroughly with Bona and a microfiber cloth to ensure the gripper tape would have a clean surface to adhere to.

rug gripper 3

While the floor was drying, I vacuumed the underside of the runner. Preparing clean surfaces for the gripper tape is essential.

rug gripper 4

I applied the gripper tape around the perimeter of the (backside of the) rug then ran an extra line down the middle for added adhesion. This used up the majority of the two boxes of tape.

rug gripper 5

I removed the yellow backing from the tape then carefully put the runner in place and walked around on it to press the tape to the floor. Easy!

The rug has been in place with the aide of the gripper tape for over a month now. It hasn’t budged. Not even with kids running wild and weekly vacuuming. If you’re curious, I vacuum the rug weekly and use an attachment tool to vacuum the narrow space between the rug’s border and baseboards.

While we’ve had great success with the tape, the reviews are all over the place and, from what I can tell, results vary depending on the type of flooring and rug. It doesn’t look like it works well on carpet or on rugs with highly textured backing. But with our wood floors and fairly smooth cloth backing? Two thumbs up. Even so, I expect the tape will need to be replaced at some point in the future. But if it keeps people from wiping out in the hallway then I’m all for it. (FYI – I used this same rug tape in our previous home under a small rug in the entry. We had hardwood flooring in the entry. When we were preparing to move, I took up the rug and tape and there were a few sticky spots of residual adhesive but they cleaned up with a little Murphy’s oil soap and elbow grease. There was no damage to the wood floors.)

What about you? Are rug pads / gripper tape necessary in your home? Is there a particular pad you would recommend? Oh! In case you’re wondering, the seagrass runner is from Overstock. I love the texture it brings to the bland hallway. I can’t wait to add art to the walls.

P.S. – See who won the ShoeMint giveaway here. I added sources for my entire outfit since so many of you asked.

34 Comments

14.July.2014

I used the same stuff on a runner in my kitchen. It completely gave out after about 3 months of use. I hope it holds up better for you.

14.July.2014

Interesting! I’m in need of something for my kilim in the living room. I’ll have to give it a try. Also, I find my area rugs actually vacuum better with a rug pad underneath. Buuuuut my vacuum is crappy so it’s probably not the same for anyone else.

Thanks for writing about this product, Dana! I’m in the process of ripping up the carpet on my stairs. I will be using multiple Ikea runners for the new runner on the stairs and think the Rug Gripper will come in handy!

I used a similar (maybe the same, I can’t recall the brand but I bought it on Amazon I believe) and it held our rugs in place great. However when we went to move (the rugs had probably been in place a year or so) there was residue all over our wood floors. It came up but took quite a bit of scrubbing with vinegar. I was afraid to use anything harsh for fear it could damage the floors. It wouldn’t keep me from using the grip tape again necessarily; since it did come clean — but I really panicked at first.

15.July.2014

I have been wanting to give this a try for one of our runners, but I have heard that rug tape and certain rug pads will leave residue on hardwoods. Does this product address any of those concerns? I would be interested to have a follow-up after a bit of time to see if the tape affected your hardwoods (and, of course, I hope it doesn’t!).

15.July.2014

I actually used this same rug tape under an entry rug at our previous house – although it was a much smaller rug. The entry was hardwood and when we moved I had to remove the rug and tape. There were a few sticky spots, nothing terrible, and they came right off with a little Murphy’s oil soap. I’ll let you know in a few months how things are going here with this flooring and rug combo.

15.July.2014

Thanks for sharing your experience!

15.July.2014

Sometimes we call it (the hall or hallway) – the hallidor – a cross betwen a hall and a corridor!

15.July.2014

Hi, this is my very first comment but I really like to read your blog – from France. Your post comes at the right time as I was looking for a rug pad yesterday evening. I bought a new rug from Ikea, the Alvine Ruta one, flat and made of wool, kind of kilim like. I previously had a rug with a non-slip backing. And now I’d really really need a rug pad as the new rug slips on my tiles all the time, even if it lays in the living room under the coffee table and a pouffe next to the couch. I wanted to buy the Ikea Stopp filt, what do you think of it ? Has anyone tried it ? Maybe I’d rather use both the Stopp filt and some of the tape you’re showing us. Any advice ?

15.July.2014

Hi Dana, curious to where you found your hallway (I say hallway, btw) rug? It looks extra long? Or is your hallway short? :)

15.July.2014

Near the end of the post I mentioned the runner is from Overstock. The rug is 2’6″ x 14′. The hallway is a little longer than that but I purposefully left the floor bare near the closet at the end to allow the closet door to clear the rug. Hope that helps!

15.July.2014

I don’t have any experience with Ikea rug pads. Maybe someone else does and will chime in!

15.July.2014

I like it!

15.July.2014

One of the things that rug pads do is extend the life of your rugs, and protect the wood floor from the rug scratching it as it moves on the floor (the good felt rug pads, not the cheap sticky mesh ones). If you have any wool rugs you really care about, real rug pads are the way to go. Plus, they make the rug feel so much more comfortable and luxurious.

15.July.2014

Don’t ever move that rug. I tried the same stuff on my high traffic areas and was left with rug tape on the floor and a shifting rug once I moved it to clean the floor. So I need to find a real rug pad for our bathroom and I am eventually going to give up on our entry rug and buy a new one. Horrible residue to clean up off the floor, I am never using it again, but I hope you have better luck.

I tried this tape on my hallway runners and a runner I have in the kitchen – both on tile, both did nothing to stop the slipping. My dog loves to take full speed laps around the first floor and these carpets were all over the place! On a recommendation from another blog, I purchased 2 rug pads from http://rugpadusa.com/ that were made for tile and they have worked wonderfully!! For my larger wool rugs from pottery barn I have splurged on the Pottery Barn pads as well and really think it’s worth it to add that extra level of luxurious to areas like our living room.

15.July.2014

I call it a hallway :) A hall to me is a giant space, a dining hall, reception hall, etc.

I have also used this product on my 60 year old hardwoods in my front entryway. It left sticky residue, which I was able to clean with some elbow grease, but it also discolored the clear coat finish after a few months, which I haven’t been able to fix. I’m hesitant to try anything else.

15.July.2014

Hi Dana,
Just wondering where your 4 x 6 rug at your front door is from. I’m looking for that exact thing.
Thanks!

15.July.2014

We call it a hall. I find it amazing that you have white rugs, and white chairs and only vacuum once a week. Your family is sure clean. Didn’t know kids were that clean!

15.July.2014

naturalarearugs.com!

15.July.2014

Thanks for sharing what works on your tile!

15.July.2014

Dana, hope I didn’t miss this in the post but have you tried that on the corner of your living room rug? Seems alike a good option. Thanks!

15.July.2014

Oh that corner is so messed up! It’s curled so tightly and has been that way so long that I don’t know if rug tape would work.

15.July.2014

I’ve been looking for a long natural runner for our upstairs hallway and can’t ever seem to find anything long enough! Where is your runner from?! Also, I noticed your interior back door is black but your interior front is still white. Curious on your thoughts about this as I’m trying to decide whether or not to paint my interior front door a glossy black!! Thanks, love your blog!!

15.July.2014

Near the end of the post, I give the source for the runner. It’s from Overstock!

The french doors in the kitchen are gloss black inside and I LOVE it. I haven’t painted the exterior side yet (lazy!) but it will be the same color as the mudroom french door exterior and front door exterior – Behr evening hush.

These seem like a great option Dana. We are going from a house that had all carpet to one with all hardwoods so im sure ill be needing this at some point. I’ve read before that another alternative to this is to put down a thick bead of caulk and let it dry. Then it can be used as rubber backing to keep rugs in place.

16.July.2014

We have high quality felt pads under all the rugs in our home, living room, bedrooms, kitchen, bathroom, etc. They absolutely make a massive difference in both the feel of the rug underfoot and how the rug stays put & wears. They don’t budge a millimeter, and most importantly, leave no residue.
We have used these rug pads from Amazon for years and would highly recommend them. They aren’t expensive and make a big difference:
Durable, Reversible 8′ X 10′ Premium Grip(TM) Rug Pad for Hard Surfaces and Carpet
by CraftRugs(R)

16.July.2014

Thanks for sharing a link to your rug pads!

17.July.2014

Hi, we call it a hallway in our house, but we say pop and not soda. lol :-)

22.July.2014

We have a long runner in our hallway that was always getting bunched up from our kiddos and cats. I bought a set of Ruggies, you know, those As-Seen-On-TV things? They work AMAZINGLY well. I’ve been using them for about a year now and have no complaints. I take the rug up fairly often to sweep or mop under it (or clean up something a kiddo has spilled), and you just rinse the little pads off and put them back down. I really can’t say enough good things about them, and they were only $10!

26.January.2015

hi there,
we have a long ranch hallway similar to yours (minus the closet at the end). I’m stuck on how to decorate the walls…do you think you’ll add your hallway to your house tour?

27.January.2015

That hallway is on the to-do list for 2015 but I’m not sure what to do with it. It’s narrow and dark and the closet door as a focal point at the end has me drawing blanks. I’ve been rolling around the idea of wallpaper and / or a gallery. I’ll be sure to update the blog when I decide!

04.June.2016

Hello! We have a similar long hallway to all our bedrooms and guest bathroom. I’m curious how your runner from Overstock is holding up after almost 2 years. I want to buy the same one but worry it’ll look worn & dirty in no time. Four kids, 2 dogs, lots of traffic down that hallway every day! Are you still happy with yours? Thanks for your great blog!

12.June.2016

The seagrass runner sees daily foot traffic and it still looks great! I vacuum it about once a week.