Will Rubber Mats Damage Hardwood Floors

I learned it the hard and expensive way.

Will rubber mats damage hardwood floors. Skipping the welcome mat just imagine having sandpaper on the bottom of your shoes. Natural rubber is the best overall option for hardwood floors in terms of both safety and performance. In commercial spaces they call them walk off rugs because they want you to walk off all the stones or dirt or grit and grime on the bottom of your shoe. Will rubber backing rugs harm a laminate floor.

However in most cases the rubber mats are installed over concrete. The chemicals in the rubber can leave permanent marks on the floor or discolor the wood. Many area rugs have rubber or latex backing to prevent them from slipping. In that scenario you would probably want to contact the manufacturer to make sure that there is no risk of damage to your floor.

Rubber backed mats can dull your floor s shine and even cause some discoloration. Rug pads are great for keeping area rugs from sliding around on hardwood floors but the wrong one can leave marks and hurt your floor. Natural rubber also has very strong gripping power but will never stick to your floors. However in some cases certain finishes used on the hardwood can have a chemical reaction with the rubber.

Or any rubber backed floor mats in general. The backed rugs prevent the floor surface from drying naturally. In most cases rubber mats will not damage a hardwood floor. Should i get rubber floor mats.

Hardwood floors can easily get damaged from area rugs or rubber mats that why hardwood floor manufactures came up with an idea of putting a rug pad underneath to protect the floor from getting damaged or getting ruin over time. It s perfectly safe to use with all hardwood flooring and finishes. It is more expensive to have my hardwood floors refinished if it gets damaged by a cheaper or less effective mat. The only way to safely use a rubber backed rug on a hardwood floor is to put it over a safe rug pad.

Hardwood flooring is a different beast as a softer more porous material. If you have a hardwood floor do yourself a favor and stay away from rubber floor mats. On smooth laminate floors that s a safety precaution that can prevent a. As is the case for all vinyl floors rubber and latex mats can sometimes cause staining discoloration so it s best to avoid them if possible although there may be some out there designed for vinyl flooring.

To protect your hardwood floor use a combination felt and rubber pad to keep your area rugs from sliding. Placing a rubber or latex backed rug onto a laminate floor traps wetness beneath the rubber allowing a bubble to form on the floor because moisture gets trapped between the synthetic materials forming the wood or stone and the coating or finish with which the floor is laminated. That s what it s like walking in from the street and onto your hardwood floors says chris sy of carlisle wide plank floors.