Small decorator rugs are found in almost every room of my house, and most of them need skid-proof pads underneath. I usually use those mesh-looking pads that can be cut to fit the rug, but I don’t particularly like them because it seems these small rugs can easily get moved a little and the mesh starts peeking out from underneath, not pretty. Enter, Martha Stewart. Her tip is to apply thin strips of acrylic latex caulk to the back of the rug to make the rug non-slip.
I had several rugs similar to this one that I wanted to use to test Martha’s idea.
For this project I used a tube of acrylic latex caulk and a caulk gun, both of which I already had on hand.
Flip the rug over to the back and apply thin lines of caulk every 6 inches or so. My caulking technique is a little lacking as evidenced by the squiggly lines, but that should just give the rug a little more “grip”!
Let the caulk dry thoroughly before turning the rug back over to use.
After the caulk is dry the latex lines will grip the floor and keep the rug from slipping. It should eliminate the need for buying these expensive and troublesome pads to put under every small rug. In my opinion, the caulk should only be used on rugs that are not the washable kind. I haven’t tried it, but I don’t think the caulk would stay adhered to the rug during washing.
All images and text copyright © 2021 Sugar, Spice and Spilled Milk/Aunt Nubby’s Kitchen.Blogspot.com
I'd like to try this out, Anita! I hate those mesh pads and they seem to quit working after awhile. Thanks for letting us in on your tip.
Great tip! Thanks for sharing. I soooo love simple DIY's like this one.
I don't like the mesh pads either. Martha's idea sounds like a good thing ( couldn't help myself ). If it is washable it really is a good thing. Hope you have a great week! ——— Shannon