With the addition of a rug pad, that friction and wear and tear is slowed down, thus extending the life of your rug. Obviously this is like rug pads. As you can imagine, a rug is not simply laid on top of the concrete or wood that is already in place. This may seem like a silly question, but if you have just spent a load of money on a very expensive hand-knotted Oriental Rug, the last thing you want to do is drop a few hundred more on a rug pad that no-one will ever see.
The rug pad adds another layer of cushioning to make your walk across the rug even more comforting. A rug pad helps significantly - if you have an open cell pad, it will trap the dirt and hold it away from the rug. But has little, or nothing, to do with area rug pads usually. In fact, the only way that you could do this would be by lifting the entire rug; a process that you probably do not want to get involved with.
It’s much easier to pull up an area rug and rug pad to clean up spills than wall-to-wall. Speaking of dirt, a rug pad can also help keep your rug clean. This is similar to Oriental rug pads frequently. There is nothing worse than a rug that is not laying flush on the ground.
Rug pads are engineered to be odor, mold and mildew proof. I hope you are now convinced that a rug pad is a good idea. Finally, a quality pad will also make your rug more comfortable to walk on.
Rug pads reduce the number of falls and slips. You don’t want the rug pad to show, so it should be cut to be at least 1/2″ smaller all the way around. It is better to be safe than sorry. Rug pads come in all shapes and sizes and most can be sized with a pair of household scissors.