Do I Even Need a Rug Pad?

Yes, you do need a rug pad and we’ll list the top reasons why:

• Safety – this is the main reason why a rug pad should be a no brainer when purchasing an area rug. Picture a slip n’ slide. That’s what happens when you have an area rug without a rug pad underneath.

• Floor Protection – simply put, rug pads offer protection from damage that may occur to your floors from the harsh abrasive backside of your area rug. It also helps protect against dents, color transfer and staining.

A rug pad’s job is basic: hold the area rug firmly in place, which will inevitably lead to prolonging its life and beauty.

Things to Keep in Mind:

• A rug pad for hardwood floors should not contain any glues, adhesives, chemicals, plastics, or PVC. These can stain or stick the surface – ruining your floors.

• The more dense and heavier your rug pad, the more protection you will receive from dents, etc.

Natural Felt – A great choice for larger rugs. We recommend a 30oz to 40oz weighted rug pad if you go with the natural felt route. Make sure 100% natural felt is used. Natural Rubber – Perfect for smaller rugs and offer durability, stability, and grip. If thickness is an issue, then rubber pads work the best.

Combination of Rubber and Felt – An excellent choice for both durability and stability. Provides a non-slip grip, while adding cushioning for both large and small rugs.

Before we dive into things, we must first establish a definition of the term “eco-friendly”. Eco-friendly could be broken down into two words: ecosystem and friendly. Our ecosystem is made up of humans, animals, plants, and living organisms that combine with the nonliving components such as air, water, fire, and soil.

A quick search on the Internet’s dictionaries will list this term as “not harmful to the environment” or a similar definition. In other words, being friendly to our ecosystem: “eco-friendly”.

Every company will differ on this matter. But generally steps should be taken with our ecosystem in mind:

Well, let us explain. An ecologically well-managed forest is a forest that is very carefully planned out so that a forest’s trees are not exhausted without the possibility of having them regrow.

For example, a person or company could simply take over a forest, cut all of the trees down, and you would have a flat landscape when all said and done. That’s not ecological.

For a well-managed forest, there are strict selective cutting practices that allow enough time (several years – up to 30 or more) for trees to regrow. This is because after a tree is cut down, a new one is planted. We’re making it seem basic, but it’s a lot more complex than this – it takes a lot of careful management to make this happen efficiently and most importantly, ecologically.

In addition to being committed to ecosystem conservation, we’re equally as committed to the health of homeowners that use our product, as well as our own employees that engineer the products.

Also, all of our products are Phase 2 certified compliant. In layman’s terms, our products have met strict standards to ensure everyone around our products is happy and SAFE!

View our collection of wide plank floors.Wide Plank Flooring Pros

Install time – wide plank floors take up more room per square foot, so naturally it will take less time to fill a room with 7-inch boards as opposed to 3-inch boards. This allows for quicker installation periods, especially when handled by a professional. Budget accommodating – wide plank floors vary greatly in price. Random width flooring is a popular option that falls within most people’s budgets. However, wide plank flooring can become expensive if you want boards that exceed roughly 10-inches. The illusion of more space – wide planks create an illusion that the room you’re in feels larger than it really is. For some, this is a great way to liven up a room. More characteristics – hardwood floors contain natural characteristics. Knots, natural splits, mineral streaks, and other characteristics can be seen easier with wide plank flooring as more of the board is exposed. This is something you cannot get with carpet!

Wide boards have a tendency to shrink and expand simply because they do not have as many seams as narrower boards. This can make it difficult for those who live in environments that fluctuate in temperature often. However, engineered wide plank floors help combat this issue. Engineered wood floors are built to withstand fluctuating temperatures.

Wide plank floors are not as DIY-friendly as you would like. Unless you absolutely know what you’re doing, leave wide plank floor installation to the pros.

As far as “is there such a thing as floors that are too wide?”, well… that’s simply a matter of preference. You can have hardwood floor planks as wide as you can imagine, but price may be your barrier. Also, the wider the floors, the more likely for issues relating to fluctuating internal temperatures.

Christmas trees are a wonderful addition to any home during the holiday season simply because they bring back many memories, as well as leave a fresh natural scent in your home. However, many hardwood floor owners are skeptical of placing a real Christmas tree on their luscious hardwood floors in fear of potential damage. Good news: you can sport a fresh, real Christmas tree with hardwood floors!

It is recommended that you purchase a tree stand mat (also called floor protectors), or use a folded towel or blanket, to create a soft base for the tree stand to relax on. This will save you from the possibility of scratches to your hardwood floors.

Pro tip: We suggest shaking as many of the needles out as you can before bringing the tree into your home. Followed by cleaning the area that your tree will be placed in.

Just as rugs are hardwood floor’s best friend, a tree skirt is a Christmas trees’ best friend. You can get fancy with this, but whether you use a tablecloth, plastic sheet, store-bought Christmas tree disposal kit, or something else just make sure you have a tree skirt under the tree to help catch falling needles, as well as prevent water or tree sap from seeping onto your floors.

Falling needles will not damage your floors, but if you or someone else steps on them and begins to drag them around, then there’s always a possibility of scratches.

Make sure you are sweeping any needles off your floor whenever you have the chance. We recommend using a broom over a vacuum to make sure your vacuum does not become damaged.

Pro tip: Have your guests leave their shoes at the door.

It takes a little bit of upkeep maintenance to house a beautiful Christmas tree whether you have hardwood floors or carpet, but it’s all worth it in the end.

Finding the right wall color to match your newly placed, beautiful hardwood floors can be a daunting task for many. We understand this, which is why we’re giving you a few interior design tips in order to help you select the best matched wall color for your hardwood floors.

Sometimes you just want something easy that you know will work with anything and guess what – that option does in fact exist. They’re called neutral colors and aren’t meant to make any bold statements – yet still provide an appropriate style that can be appreciated.

Despite what the color or hue of your hardwood floor is, these wall colors are sure to mesh very well:

For those looking to make bold statements with both walls and floors that stand out, then you’ll need to find contrasting colors. The best advice is to find out what undertone your hardwood flooring is (if you don’t know, call your hardwood floor distributor/salesman and they will tell you) and then use a color wheel to find the exact opposite color.

For example, say your hardwood flooring has red orange undertones (i.e. Rochester), then a color such as blue-gray will work very well.

A rule of thumb here is if it’s a warm color, then contrast it with a cool color. Simple enough, no?

Sometimes you want to purposefully place more eyes and attention on your floors over all other décor in the room. Contrasting could work well for this, but we have a better suggestion: selecting a color based on intensity.

What we mean is if say you have dark wood floors and want to maintain attention on the floors, then you’ll want to choose a lighter color such as light gold, pale blue, or peach. It’s not a contrast that would put emphasis on both the floors and the walls. It’s a design technique used to keep your floor center stage.

Pro tip: You should never be afraid to ask for someone’s opinion on a design idea you have as it will help you narrow your choices down by exposing you to different perspectives.