What Kind of Rugs Can Go on Laminate Flooring?

Laminate floors can offer the same durability and beauty of hardwood floors for a fraction of the price. Although a wide expanse of laminate flooring in your home can be beautiful to look at, adding a rug or two can increase the aesthetic value even more.

Rugs and laminate floors make great partners. The right type of rug won't harm the laminate flooring. Using a rug pad, nonslip liners or another protective layer can keep the laminate flooring in pristine shape.

While laminate flooring is often chosen for its affordability and durability, it can still get stained or scratched by the dyes or rough fibers in area rugs, runners and doormats. Natural fiber, plastic or other rough-textured rugs may scratch laminate flooring. Rugs with a thin coat of plastic or a smooth backing without dark-colored dyes are the safest to use on laminate flooring.

Rugs work well on durable laminate flooring in high-traffic areas and hallways or other pivotal points in the home, according to Wolfe Flooring. Using a rug backing for laminate floors will help keep the dyes from the rug from leaching through the flooring.

The sheen on laminate floors can be protected with a good rug pad. A carpet pad for laminate flooring is typically thin and rubberized to add an anti-slip benefit to the rug.

Rug Pads USA suggests reading the manufacturer's recommendations for choosing a rug pad. Some laminate flooring manufacturers recommend using only natural rubber rug pads under rugs, while others don't recommend the use of rubber backing materials on laminate flooring at all. Rubber tends to deteriorate over time and stick to the flooring.

Once you have a good pad, it should be cut to about 2 inches smaller than the rug that will be placed on top. Doormats for laminate flooring will likely have an anti-slip feature, which usually consists of a thin layer of rubber or evenly spaced rubber dots.

It can be confusing to know how to set up a rug on a large expanse of flooring. A rug that slides under the edge of furniture can create a seamless flow. A rug that's placed in the center of a room with edges showing can offer a distinct delineation between a living room and dining room.

An area rug that's about 12 to 18 inches from the surrounding wall or barrier will fill the living space for a dramatic and bold effect. A rug that's placed under a table should have 2 feet of space around all sides to prevent tripping and to allow chairs to slide in and out easily.

There are no hard and fast rules. Do what works for the room and the laminate flooring.

A spill or mishap on laminate can be quickly wiped up. When liquid soaks a rug that's on top of laminate flooring, it needs to be addressed quickly to ensure the underlying material isn't affected. Dab the wet spot or apply pressure with clean towels to remove the moisture from the top of the carpet.

Pull the carpeting and rubber pad back and wipe away any moisture that has found its way to the laminate. Allow the rug to dry before returning it to its place on the laminate flooring.

Vacuum the rug regularly on top and underneath to keep the laminate floor from getting scratched by a buildup of dust and debris.