The Worst Place to Put a Throw Rug

Right at the top of the stairs, that’s where.

Can you think of a worse place to start a magic carpet ride?

Heck, even I find it treacherous.

I taped it down once, but then my parents got a new rug from somewhere and swapped it out for the old one (actually, the “new” one is older, and it really is a nice little rug). Somewhere in the process the tape disappeared. Now it’s a deathtrap again.

Next visit I’m headed back to the hardware store for more grip tape and sticky rug pads.

I like to use Rug Gripper tape when I can. This is super-sticky tape that comes on a roll about 5 inches wide. It’s got some kind of Velcro-like pattern on it that sticks really well to the underside of your rug, and the other side sticks to the floor. You can stick down the edges of the rug, and the middle, too. The advantage is that the rug is very secure. The disadvantage over no-slip pads is that you can’t easily reposition the rug.

See the rug gripper tape on Amazon.

Your other option is a no-slip rug pad. These are designed to be cut just a tiny bit smaller than the throw rug. They grip the floor and the rug, keeping it in place. My personal opinion is that these work best for larger rugs. For little ones like the 2×3 my parents have at the top of their stairs, I like the sticky tape.

See rug gripper pads on Amazon.

Have you had a battle over throw rugs? Feel like they reproduce like rabbits every time you leave your parents’ house? Sound off in the comments.

Photo by New Internationalist