Protect and Preserve Your Marble Floors with These Rug Pads

Marble floors have long been treasured as a hallmark of luxury and elegance. But the cold, hard truth is exactly that – they can be cold and hard, not to mention expensive to replace if not treated with care. So fine rugs make a natural complement to this type of flooring and good quality rug pads are absolutely essential. To protect your marble floors from stains and scratches, keep rugs from slipping on marble’s super slick surface, and add cushion and comfort underfoot, consider these high-quality pads, presented as options here according to the size rugs they’ll be placed under.

For runners and rugs 4ft x 6ft and smaller

Smaller rugs (anything under 4ft x 6ft) and runners require pads with strong gripping power to keep them from slipping on marble floors. To protect your valuable marble floors while keeping rugs firmly in place, be sure to look for rug pads with natural rubber rather than synthetic adhesives and glues which can stick to and stain floors and rugs. Natural rubber, on its own or combined with felt, adheres to both floors and rugs naturally and safely. It’s also naturally long lasting, as is heat-pressed felt, which, combined with natural rubber, offers a blend of grip and cushion.

Made in the USA with over a pound of natural rubber per square yard, Super-Lock Natural is the best-gripping pad on marble floors and is particularly recommended for small rugs and runners in high-traffic areas. Its open waffle design facilitates airflow between the rug and floor and lends a comfortable, subtle level of cushioning. Yet it's thin enough to keep rugs lying flat, facilitating door clearance in hallways and entryways and preventing any tripping hazard (no one wants to fall on a hard marble floor)!

Nature’s Grip is another great, low-profile choice for small rugs and runners that need to lie completely flush with marble floors in high-traffic areas. This 100% eco-friendly pad weds hand-woven organic jute fibers with natural rubber to maximize your rug’s stability, extend its life, and protect your flooring in a most natural way.

If you’d like a bit more cushion under smaller rugs and runners on marble floors, consider Contour-Lock. This 1/8 inch-thick heat-pressed felt and rubber pad offers a strong grip and moderate levels of cushioning without bulking. Its slightly thicker solid design not only helps facilitate vacuuming, keeping rugs and floors clean by preventing dirt from accumulating and reaching floors, but also fully protects marble floors from scratches. Made in the USA from 100% recycled felt with primarily natural rubber backing, the Contour-Lock is more environmentally friendly and mildew resistant then other rug pads on the market. By design (and by virtue of its high-quality natural materials) this pad far outlasts synthetic latex alternatives made with clay fillers that cause rubber to break down prematurely, potentially staining your valuable marble floors.

For rugs larger than 4 ft x 6 ft

For medium and larger sized rugs, over 4x6, any of the pads for smaller rugs will work well. But you may also want to consider pads with slightly more cushion, like Superior-Lock. Combining the best of both grip and cushion, these pads are made with a bit more felt than Contour-Lock, using a gentle heat-pressing technique for great non-slip traction with thick, cushioned support. Superior-Lock pads combine a thick layer of felt with a thinner non-slip, natural rubber pad. The needle-punched felt surface naturally clings to the bottom of rugs to anchor it to its surface, while offering extra softness and comfort in two thicknesses, 1/4 inch and 7/16 inch. The natural rubber side grips marble floors securely to keep rugs from slipping, sliding, bunching, or buckling.

Most larger rugs tend to stay in place by virtue of their own weight and also because they are often held in place by large pieces of furniture, so grip is generally less of an issue, even on marble. But since larger rugs tend to be placed in rooms where comfort is particularly important, like living rooms and dining rooms, cushion may be more important, particularly over hard marble floors. For luxurious cushion and reliable protection for your valuable marble flooring, consider Eco-Plush pads, available in three thicknesses, 1/2", 3/8", and 1/4", depending on how much cushion is preferred. Made of tightly woven, heat-pressed 100% recycled felt, Eco-Plush pads will not only cushion and protect your marble floors for years to come, they’ll also help soundproof and insulate your home and improve acoustics in rooms where marble floors might create echo and over- amplification. These eco-friendly pads are non-toxic and perfectly safe, extending the life of both floors and rugs.

For the most luxurious cushion over your elegant marble floors and under larger rugs that don’t require non-slip pads, consider Cloud Comfort Memory Foam, made from the same high-quality, 100% viscoelastic memory foam found in premium mattresses. Particularly well-suited to rooms where you want the most sumptuous comfort, like living rooms, dining rooms, dens and bedrooms, Cloud Comfort is as made with natural minerals and soybean oils vs. petro oils, resulting in very low VOC content. Its proprietary moisture barrier protects floors by blocking spills while at the same time allowing vapor to escape. It offers the highest levels of sound absorption, comfort and insulation available in a rug pad and pairs well with larger rugs that lie flat on their own.