You have beautiful rugs and now you need rug pads. The popular question is what size pad to get and how do you measure a pad. Well the answer is quite simple. Carpet pads should be slightly smaller than the actual carpet and there is a proper way to measure this.
The rugs can come with or without fringe or tassels at the end. When we talk about a pad for your rug, we only care about covering the actual body of the rug, not including the fringe. I have many customers who say the tag says one size but maybe they should measure the rug. Yes, it’s always a good idea to take a tape measure and get the exact measurements of your rug, as not all labels or tags are accurate.
Now, using a tape measure, measure the length and width of your rug. Most rugs have a seam on each side and your measurement should include this seam, which is right at the edge of your rug. Remember, we don’t have to worry about the bangs as the pad should not be under the bangs. So at the ends, if you have fringe, measure to just before the bangs. Let’s say the rug you purchased is labeled as 8’x10′ and your measurements come up with an actual size of 7’10″x9’9″. This is important because now we need to cut the pad to the actual size of the mat and not what the label says.
Finally, when you have the rug measurement, you can determine what size rug pad should be. In general, a good rule of thumb is to deduct one inch on all four sides, or a total of two inches from your dimensions. Therefore, the 7’10″x9’9″ rug size should have a 7’8″x9’7″ pad size. This roughly one-inch border on all sides will keep the edges of the rug close to the floor and also keep the edge of the pad out of sight.
It’s much easier for stores to stock pre-cut and packaged rug pads, but there are some that will actually cut the rug pad to size for your rug. These stores usually stock the pad on rolls and cut it when you order it. I like to stock the rolls for a number of reasons and one of them is that I can cut the rug pad to the exact size needed based on the customer’s rug size. If you have to buy a pad from a store that doesn’t do custom cuts, make sure it’s a pad that can be cut with whatever tool you plan to use at home.