Area carpets over wood floors

I'm in the process of having area carpets cut and edge bound for high traffic areas in my boat. The floors are finished hardwood. In one area I will need some form of pad to keep the rug from moving. The rest, I'm not concerned about movement, but am concerned about whether I need anything between the finished floor and the typical rough carpet bottom. My previous attempt with area rugs proved to be a big PIA. The rugs had a rubberized bottom that adhered to the floor and separated from the carpet. Hours of careful shaving with a plastic razor blade.

Trying to decide what to use for the "no slide" on the one carpet and whether to put anything under the rest. Thoughts?

Ted

We use "standard" high quality rug pads under our area rugs and it works well.


Ken

Use high quality rug pads for sure or nothing. Some of the cheaper ones will transfer the pattern of the pad to the floor and it won't come off, it's almost like it's etched in.
We ruined some expensive tile in the house and I bet it would've ruined hardwood as well .

Pack Mule said:

Use high quality rug pads for sure or nothing. Some of the cheaper ones will transfer the pattern of the pad to the floor and it won't come off, it's almost like it's etched in.
We ruined some expensive tile in the house and I bet it would've ruined hardwood as well .

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So how do you know which pads are high quality?

Ted

Another option is to fit the rugs to the space so tightly they can't move around. My carpets runners are scratching the finish on the hardwood and annoyingly slip in heavy seas while I am walking on them...

O C Diver said:

So how do you know which pads are high quality?

Ted

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The last we bought at a nice rug store . The others came from Walmart. I don’t remember what the difference was other than price but we explained what happened before and they said cheap pad . Maybe the guy that’s doing your border can send you in right direction. It could’ve been that the pad just attached itself to our Mexican tiles because the weren’t sealed properly. But I still wouldn’t take a chance .
What’s your favorite saying ? “ Just write the check”

Ok Ted I just looked it up. Some of the cheaper pads are made with plastics that are made with a chemical called phthalates. This chemical can gas off . It also can be used as dissolving agent .This is just what I read from RUGPAD USA . They say natural rubber is the best choice for rug pad. And you know the internet doesn’t lie.
It’s slow at work today: Nobody works on Friday anymore except us

If any of these rugs are going to be covering an engine hatch an acoustic carpet underlay would give your the abrasion protection you want, a plush feel underfoot, and reduce noise that may leak out around any hatches.
If your hatches are leaking noise you could get a 5-10 db reduction in noise

How about just put some scoot guard under the rug?

Pack Mule said:

Maybe the guy that’s doing your border can send you in right direction.

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Ted I think Marty is on the right track asking your border guy. His next reply had very good information as well.

In my flooring business it is not uncommon to have to sand heavily in a refinish job where a pad has printed through. Sometimes you can still see the shadow of the pad. I am going look into RUGPAD USA.

Rob

O C Diver said:

So how do you know which pads are high quality?

Ted

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What I have been using are the pads made with what seem like chopped up pieces of foam that are then glued together. The higher quality ones of that type are quite "rubbery" on one side. Put that side down. I have never had wear problems with this type of pad.

Ken

I’ve had good luck with this style (various brands):
https://www.amazon.com/DoubleCheck-...7314&sr=8-13&keywords=Carpet+pad+for+area+rug

We have six area rugs with two types of padding; the felt type and the type Padeed mentions. The felt type is good but with vibration and walking on it, it creeps across the floor and it does hold a stain if it gets wet. The double check is ok. If it starts to loose it’s holding, Lena washes it. We replace it frequently enough that we haven’t had serious issues with it sticking to the floor.

We were on another member’s boat recently and the same subject came up. They recommended Durahold Rug Pads. Expensive but they said it was the best. Maybe he’ll pipe in. We may try it under a “test” rug to see if we have the same success.

https://duraholdrugpads.com/

So is there a general opinion on putting pads under carpet to protect the floor? There are several spots where it's wall to wall and won't move.

Ted

Our boat has always had an area rug of some sort. We currently have a “wall-to-wall” carpet in the main area of the saloon that’s finished on the edges. We do not have a non-slip type of material under the carpet. The carpet doesn’t move. It helps that our table is bolted to the sole through the carpet. The finish on the parquet hardwood sole is undamaged.

In our case, having a pad under the carpet would only be to add padding and softness to the feel under our feet.

...here’s another view showing the uncovered parquet floor.

We use a couple real wool orientals. They don't scratch the floor, feel good underfoot and the sliding is not often a problem.

WE have used bathroom carpeting for winter rugs in the NE.

These can be cut to fit with scissors , don't harm the cabin sole and can machine washed to remove winter mud salt etc. Some insulation value.

You may kick of your winter foot wear getting "home" , but guests seldom will bother.

So a midwinter wash or two is a great concept.

I've used the type that comes on a roll from big box stores for a runner. Rubber one side stick on the other. Probably not useful for large areas but if most is tight fit and you only need it in a smaller area like entry etc it might.
In tight fitting areas
I have sometimes skipped binding and used hot melt glue around edges on back side to prevent unraveling. Lay a bead at edge and smooth w a narrow putty knife. Worked well.

O C Diver said:

So is there a general opinion on putting pads under carpet to protect the floor? There are several spots where it's wall to wall and won't move.

Ted

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Not required IMO.
Our rugs get rolled up and shaken outside frequently, so I would know if there was any wear of the varnished surface they protect. The genuine handmade Turkish rugs we bought on a trip to Turkey have no backing and the wool is gentle on the varnish. The cheap ones we put by the door often have a latex backing that disintegrates within a couple of years, but doesn't hurt the varnish below. The backing acts as a non-slip.

My boat has painted plywood floors under the wall to wall carpet. There is a thick felt pad under every bit of carpet. Why? Very comfortable to walk on in bare feet and provides additional sound insulation.

We have a teak and holly sole. There are 2 recliners the would slide around on the wood decks so we bought an area rug that they sit on so they don’t slide. We put a nonskid pad under the rug. Has not left any residue on the deck and they don’t slide around.

Found some wool looking recycled padding that I may try under the non moving pieces. Will probably bite the bullet for some thin wool with natural rubber for the piece that needs no slide.

Ted

My boat has beautiful wooden floors but hardly ever see them unless lifting rugs to access below floor for engine compartment and bilge. Frequently use a "hip thrust" to move rugs back into position as the rugs move because of foot traffic.

No skid rug pad

I have been in the carpet business for 40 years and would use nothing but teebaud. Google it for availability in your area. Best and safest no slip underlayment on the market.

Gatehopper,
I have floor paint on my plywood floors and can’t see what all the carpet fuss is about. I like the green color of the floor paint. Floor paint is non-marine latex. Because it’s floor paint it wears like iron.

Gatehopper said:

I have been in the carpet business for 40 years and would use nothing but teebaud. Google it for availability in your area. Best and safest no slip underlayment on the market.

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Thanks! We’ll try it the next time we have to replace a pad for one of 6 area rugs.

Nomad Willy said:

Gatehopper,
I have floor paint on my plywood floors and can’t see what all the carpet fuss is about. I like the green color of the floor paint. Floor paint is non-marine latex. Because it’s floor paint it wears like iron.

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The green looks good Eric. Paint is much easier to colour coordinate than carpet.

I went to the next level. I laid my old house carpet down over my painted floors. Screwed in place to stop any movement. It's not looking very pretty since I did the engine repower job without covering it properly; but it still reduces the sound level and is non-slip.

I couldn't imagine having loose carpet on polished floors on a boat that left the dock.

I have used Soundown under carpet insulation and am very happy with it. Seems ok protection the floor as long as you clean and dry the floor before putting it down. Our carpet is wall to wall but loose fit and it doesnt slide on the Soundown. It comes in 54” wide rolls.

Regards

Paul

Indoor outdoor carpet

Anyone use I-O carpet over the fiberglass in their cockpit area? It's (obviously) supposed to be able to be used outside but after one of our infrequent rains here in San Diego, it seemed it stayed pretty wet even several days later.