Investing in a rug for your home is one of the best and most cost effective ways to improve the look of your home on a room by room basis. This rule stands no matter what interior design style you’re a fan of, whether that is Scandinavian interior design or a minimalist style.

One thing you could find when you first place your rug on your floor is that it starts to slip. Not only can this be annoying but it can also be a safety hazard, so something that you will need to stop as soon as possible.

Luckily, there are certain things you can invest in and certain things you can do to stop rugs from slipping.

Let’s dive into it.

Place an Anti-Slip Underlay Down

Perhaps the easiest thing you can do to stop a rug from slipping, whether it is slipping on carpet, laminate, wood or stone flooring is to invest in some anti-slip underlay. Whilst simple in design, anti-slip underlay works like a charm as it adds an additional layer of friction between your rug and your floor which will minimise rug movement in almost all cases. 

Anti-slip underlay is incredibly easy to install, simply cut it to a size that is just smaller than your rug and then place this underneath your rug on top of your floor.

Use Gripper Tape on the Edges of the Rug

Gripper tape which is also referred to as carpet tape is another great way of minimising rug slippage, but will work better on hard surfaces such as laminate than it will on carpet. Gripper tape, often sold in 5cm or 7.5cm rolls should be stuck to the edges of the rug and then placed down on your floor.

The premise of gripper tape is that the tape grips to the floor, meaning that when weight is placed onto the rug it will not slip. 

One thing we will mention is that gripper tape will not last forever and will need to be replaced more than other items such as anti-slip underlay.

Place a Felt Pad Underneath the Rug

Felt pads are perfect for minimising rug slipping on carpet especially as they provide a soft cushion and protective backing. In our opinion, using felt pads will see the biggest benefit when being used underneath large area rugs on carpeted areas. Small rugs, and runner rugs especially, will still experience some movement with felt pads on hard surfaces.

It is also possible to purchase a felt pad with rubber backing for added grip if this is something you feel like you need in your specific situation.

Use Velcro Strips on the Edges of your Rug

Velcro strips, whilst not a very popular option nowadays, are a great way to stop rugs from slipping, especially when compared to gripper tape. Whilst they do take slightly more effort to install, you will find that Velcro strips last longer than gripper tape, especially on carpeted surfaces.

We will take this opportunity to mention that Velcro strips will not work as well on hard surfaces such as wood, stone and laminate flooring. The general rule of thumb we use is we recommend gripper tape for hard surfaces and Velcro strips for soft surfaces.

Question... Should I Use Silicone Caulk???

When you read a lot of articles advising you on different methods to stop rugs from slipping, almost all of them (especially in the US) will mention silicone caulk as a way to stop rugs from slipping.

We do not recommend this, ever. For the simple reason that sometimes rugs need to be returned within the agreed time period and if you have placed the rug down with silicone caulk, the retailer will no longer accept this as a return, leaving you out of pocket. In times like these, we want to minimise this for customers as much as possible.

Please do not use silicone caulk on your rugs.

Best Solutions for Carpet

If you are trying to stop rugs from slipping on carpet, our recommended options would be to use either:

• Anti-Slip Underlay

• Felt Pads

• Velcro Strips

All of these options are cost effective, will not damage the rug or your carpet in any way and are easy to remove if need be.

Best Solutions for Hard Flooring (Laminate, Stone etc)

If you are trying to stop a rug from slipping on wooden, stone or laminate flooring then we would recommend using:

• Anti-Slip Underlay

• Gripper Tape

Anchoring Rugs with Furniture

One of the options we have not yet discussed, and the option that will be the best for most people, is to anchor rugs using furniture. For most people, rugs are going to be placed underneath furniture in some part whether that is a sofa/couch or a coffee table. 

Why not use these to anchor your rugs in place?

This is something we would always advise before purchasing any of the options listed above.