Have you recently installed brand new hardwood floors throughout your home? Do you know why you should put area rugs to use with your new floors? If not, you should certainly consider the ways in which area rugs can benefit your floors in the long-term.
At Smith Brothers Flooring, we value the long-term investment that many homeowners make in hardwood floors. That’s why we believe it’s essential to help our clients do everything possible to protect their hardwood floors.
Area rugs are a great way to protect your hardwood floors while also giving certain rooms of your home a creative, personal design element. When putting down area rugs, there are a number of factors you should consider:
Function and Flush
When selecting the color and design of area rugs, be sure to think about their function in your home. You should also think about the mood you’re trying to create for a given room. For example, a room with solid or neutral colored walls might benefit from a colorful rug with a bold design that attracts attention.
On the other hand, if you’ve gone through a lot of effort to decorate the interior walls of your home, you might want to choose a neutral colored rug that won’t take the attention away from the other design elements of your home.
Positioning and Dimensions
The size and placement of area rugs is also important to using them properly. A rug that is clearly too large or small can significantly upset off the balance of a room’s décor. A good general rule for choosing the size of area rugs depends on the size and spacing of furniture in a given room.
You should either choose an area rug that will fit the legs of all furniture in the room, or none of the legs at all. If your choose to place a rather large rug in the living room, you should be sure to leave at least eighteen inches of space between the edges of the rug and the walls.
Use your Creativity
While it’s generally easier to find, and make use of, rectangular rugs, other shapes and sizes can be used creatively throughout your home. Round, oval, or other oddly shaped rugs can be nice conversation pieces if placed in a creative manner.
For example, a circular or curvy area rug can help to make a room with a lot of angles appear much less severe. Narrow or awkwardly shaped rooms can also benefit from circular rugs, and layering rugs is a great way to warm up a room while adding depth.
Stay Safe
Once you’ve decided on the placement of rugs in your home, you need to think about doing what you can to avoid trips and slips. Applying acrylic-latex caulk to the back of your rug about every six inches is a relatively simple and cost-effective way to slip-proof your area rugs.
If you’re looking for more advice on proper care of hardwood floors, or you’d like to explore your options for installing new hardwood floors in your home, please don’t hesitate to give us a call at 1-403-917-0847 today!