A wall-to-wall carpet can look amazing. A carpet can especially stand out if the color of the rug blends in with the decor on the walls and the design of the furniture.
But a single-color rug will not add much personality or design to a room.
Rugs are a great addition to any room. You can adjust their position and replace them.
But what if you have a wall to wall carpet? Can you put a rug on top of the carpet or will it look terrible?
You can put a rug on top of the carpet, but you have to make sure that the textures and colors will go together well. The rug also should not be thicker than the carpet.
If you do not anchor the rug to the carpet or the larger rug, the fabric will fray.
Adding a small but colorful rug will make the decor in that room pop. Just do not purchase a rug that is a similar color or the same color as the carpet.
You can also layer small rugs on top of large rugs. But like carpet, make sure the smaller top rug is thinner than the larger bottom rug.
Can You Put a Rug on the Carpet?
If you were to ask someone if it was possible to put a rug on top of carpet, they wouldn’t immediately answer no.
Most homeowners believe it is tacky to put fabric on top of the fabric, especially on the carpet.
But if a small rug on top of carpet looks bad, then the bad decor and placement of the rugs is to blame.
But as long as the rug and the carpet complement each other, a rug on top of carpet can look great. Adding rugs on top of the carpet is known as layering a rug.
To layer a rug properly, there are a couple of rules to follow. These rules ensure that the completed look of the room does not look tacky or like someone threw a bunch of stuff together at the last moment.
Rules for Layering a Rug
If the rug is thicker than the carpet, it will stand out. It’s fine to put thick rugs on top of hardwood floors but not on top of a thin carpet.
Also, if the rug is too thick, you can end up tripping over it. Thin rugs prevent people, children, and animals from tripping and falling.
The second rule is to coordinate the rug with the surrounding furniture. If there is a bed in the room, place the rug at the foot of the bed.
If there are three or four chairs in the middle of the room, spread out the chairs and place the rug in between them.
A wide-open living room should have a large rug directly in the very center of the room. When placing a rug on top of a carpeted staircase, the rug should not be as large as the staircase stair.
The average width of a staircase stair is 36in. The rug for the staircase should not be more than 18in. Place the staircase rug in the middle of the rugs and anchor them so no one slips.
The third rule to layering a rug it’s never to place a rug over thick carpeting, like high pile carpeting. Placing the rug on top of thick carpeting is a disaster waiting to happen.
Even with an anchor between the carpet and the rug, the rug will not stay in its intended position.
Will I Damage My Carpet If I Put A Rug Over It?
You can damage your carpet if you place a rug over it. If you don’t secure the rug, then the rug and the carpet will constantly rub together.
The friction will fray the fabric on both sides. The carpet fibers underneath the rug will fray and tear the most.
The rugs on top of one another will also fray and tear. To prevent your fabrics and rugs from tearing, anchor the top rug to the carpet or the larger rug.
But the fraying fabric is not the only way to ruin your rug and carpet. A spilled drink on your rug can cause the liquid to seep down and absorb the dye from the rug’s fibers, and stain the carpet underneath.
Removing stains and dye from a carpet is so much worse than dealing with a few frayed fibers.
If the dye from the rug is a darker color than the carpet, you may have to cut out the stained section of the carpet and replace it with new carpeting.
How to Prevent Rug Dye From Staining the Carpet?
Before you lay your brand new rug down on your carpet, wash it first. The first wash will get rid of any excess dye that was not absorbed by the rug.
Also, placing a rubber pad underneath the rug should prevent any spilled liquids from bleeding through the rug. The pad will catch it.
The dye will stain the mat instead. Underneath the mat, the carpet will be completely dry.
How to Anchor a Rug to the Carpet
Anchoring a rug to the carpet or to the floor will prevent it from moving.
There are two primary methods to anchor a rug onto a carpet.
The first method is to use double-sided carpet tape. This type of tape clings to the fabric so it will keep a rug anchored firmly to the carpet. The larger the rug is, the more tape you’ll have to use.
It’s cheap and easy to use. However, like all adhesives, the stickiness of the tape will wear out in a few months and you’ll have to retape the carpet again.
The second method is to place a rubber pad between the rug and the carpet. The rubber will keep the rug exactly where it is placed.
Another name for a rubber pad is an anti-slip pad.
Besides tape or pads, keep the rug in its place with furniture. Placing a rug underneath a table, under the front two legs of a sofa, or underneath a chair will anchor it in place.
Conclusion to Putting a Rug on Carpet
The positioning and the color of the rug and carpet both really influence if a rug on top of the carpet will look good or not.
Anchor the rug onto the carpet so they do not rub together and fray the fabric.
An anti-slip pad and carpet tape will anchor the rug to the carpet or a rug onto a smaller rug.
Washing the rug before placing it on the carpet will remove any excess dies and prevent dye leakage from staining the carpet.
