Lay a rug pad like a pro – you can do it all by yourself!
Raise your hand if you hate the thought of laying a rug pad. Raise both hands if you’ve skipped on the rug pad because you didn’t want to deal with the hassle (that’s a big no-no by the way!) We have a few quick and easy steps to lay a rug pad and you can do this all by yourself! I’ve done this many times with rugs larger then a 9 x 12, and the beauty is you don’t need an extra hand AND it’s quick and pain free! Don’t be intimidated – we have a step by step tutorial so you can position and place a rug pad with ease!
DIY Rug Pad Tutorial
Step 1
The first thing to do is to lay your rug out on the floor with nothing underneath. This lets you easily position it and make adjustments, because you can slide it back and forth until you’re happy with it. Once that’s done, you’re ready to go! (We recommend this type of non-skid rug pad.)
Step 2
Next, take one side of the rug and fold it back on itself halfway, as seen below. This lets you keep the rug in position while you move one half of the pad into place and smooth it out. Don’t worry about getting the corners of the pad exact; you can trim that down at the end. The second half should bunch up in the middle, just like the image below.
Step 3
Now that you have one side where you want it, pull the folded rug back onto the rug pad and lay it flat. You’ll see the bump from the other half of the pad in the middle. The rug should lay flat on top of the rug pad.
Step 4
Once that’s done, repeat the halfway rug fold until you expose the bunched up pad beneath.
Step 5
Pull this side of the rug pad taut so that it lays flat and smooth.
Step 6
Once the rug pad is flat and smooth, pull the folded portion of the rug back on top of the rug pad while you smooth it out.
Step 7
Remember when we said in step 2 that there would be some excess? The perimeter of the rug pad sometimes extends a little beyond the border of the rug itself, all the way around. When you lay a rug pad, it’s always a good idea to have a little more than you need.
Step 8
Get a good pair of scissors and trim down the excess. We recommend cutting it just a bit shorter than the inner edge so that it doesn’t show.
That’s it! The next time you need to lay a rug pad down, you’ll do it like a seasoned pro.
Header image: The Rug Company
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Glenna Stone Interior Design is an award-winning residential and commercial Philadelphia interior designer creating spaces that are a harmonious marriage of beauty, function, and lifestyle. Whether for a home, vacation retreat, or place of business, our goal is to design statement surroundings that express who you are. We encourage you to visit our website, view our work, and keep up with the latest interior design concepts on our blog.