Do You Put A Pad Under Hardwood Floors

A pad underneath an area rug is well worth the investment for both safety purposes and to help that rug stay exactly where you want it.

Do you put a pad under hardwood floors.

Padding and layers under hardwood flooring. Note that the underlayment you purchase should be specifically marked for use with hardwood floors not for carpets. While manufacturers have made hardwood floors easy to install you do need to take a few steps to prepare the room to make installation easier. And the area rug provides cushioning for the carpet so that it too will last longer.

Carpet padding does not provide enough support for hardwood floors and is often too thick for nail installation. Scott you re dead right. Why you need padding underneath an area rug. Not just any pad will do though.

An area rug is a great way to add a little warmth under foot atop a cool hardwood floor. Engineered wood flooring however offers far more options for the addition of the padding style underlayment. Unlike padding under a carpet this type of underlayment padding is too thin for you to feel when you walk across a laminate floor. If you don t have an area rug pad you are likely to damage your hardwood floors underneath by scratches discoloration and or wearing the finish down.

Soft padded foam of the type that is regularly installed under laminate flooring is one layer installed between the subflooring and solid hardwood flooring. Hardwood flooring can increase your home s value. If you want scratches and marks on your beautiful hardwood floors don t use furniture pads. When it s done over and over again the marks will get worse and worse.

We put proper padding under floating floors not under nailed or stapled down floors which is how solid hardwood gets installed. Hardwood floors do not require underlayment padding but they may squeak and creak if you place the surface boards directly against the underlayment. Felt rubber hybrid pad this is the premium rug pad offering the best of both worlds. An area rug on its own slips easily when stepped upon especially on smooth floors such as hardwood or laminates.

You are getting the benefit of the cushioned protection of the felt with the gripping attributes of the rubber. Placing a pad under a rug not only prevents the rug from slipping on your hardwood floor it also makes the rug more comfortable for walking. If sound mitigation is a concern. Any time you sit down on a sofa or chair that s right atop hardwood floors the piece will shift ever so slightly and the legs will mark the floor.

If you plan to nail or staple your hardwood floor in place virtually any underlayment can be used.