Rugs For Basements

Getting rugs for basements doesn't have to be all that hard. Sure you might here that you've got to get a specialized rug to deal with all the moisture and humidity that is typically always present in a basement setting, but it really doesn't have to be that way. In fact they make pads these days for regular rugs that can be used on a basement floor.

So, whether you've got your heart set on a nice persian or oriental rug, a more traditional or antique rug, you can use them in your basement to not only help keep your feet warm, but to add a touch of style and class as well. Let's take a look at a few factors:

What To Look For In Basement Rugs:

The first thing that you are going to want to know is that for the basement you are likely going to want a rug that does not have a "jute" backing. The reason being is that putting a jute or jute back rug directly on a concrete basement floor will likely lead to damaging the rug as it will attract and soak up the water.

Jute is nothing more than a plant fiber that has found it's way into the production of a lot of common household type items. Things like rope, curtains, sacks and carpets. It's really a fairly rough and coarse type of material, and is made basically the same way that thread is in that it's spun. It's really quite a "green" material as well in that it's being looked at as an alternative material for paper production, so yeah, save the tree's!! But in the world of carpets and rugs, you can easily identify it cause it looks a lot like burlap.

So What Can You Use Instead:

Jute backing is not the only type of backing used in manufacturing rugs but the material that's used to back a rug is important for a number of different reasons. For one, a rug needs to be able to "breathe". This allows it to pass moisture and air through the rug. If a rug is not able to breathe, it will likely have all kinds of issues with mold and mildew as well as wear problems. The other types of backings on rugs that are not jute are woven, felt, foam rubber, latex, urethane and heat-set.

You need to keep in mind that most machine-made rugs have a heat-set backing. All that simply means is that the backing is applied through a high-heat process that easily reproducible and able to happen on an assembly/production line. Heat-set backings are typically very consistent and do allow a rug to breathe as it should.

If you are thinking about throwing down a good bear skin rug on your basement floor, you need to consider a few things first. One, most of the cheaper bear skin rugs are really not well prepared for a basement setting. Yeah they are cool, but they don't really breathe very well. In fact, most of them will end up "curling" if they don't have additional backings installed. I'd stay away from imitations on this front, if you gotta have a bear skin in the basement, you better make sure your basement is ready and that you get a good quality one.

Really, there are all kinds of rugs that you could use. Anything from oriental rugs to persians, antique rugs to traditional, square rugs to rectangular. Just make sure that the backings on these rugs are appropriate and will hold up well in a very humid and moisture present environment like most basements are. Here's a few things that you can look at to give you some ideas on what's possible:

Typical Rug Sizes for Basements

• 2 x 3 - can be used at the bottom of stairs or doorways
• 3 x 5 - can be used in areas where you might stand and wipe your feet
• 4 x 6 - find a colorful one to be used in a corner as a mat for a playroom
• 5 x 8 - use it in smaller basements as a center point in the room
• 6 x 9 - small basements, maybe under a coffee table in front of a couch
• 7 x 9 - to layout in front of the T.V. to lay on and watch in a basement theater or media room
• 8 x 10 - large basements - could use a couple matching ones to give the room a "break" in the flooring
• 9 x 12 - large basement - to use under a card table in the basement poker room
• 10 x 13 - if you have a dining area in your basement, you could use this large rug to go under the table
• 12 x 15 - to fully cover a "living" area where people would congregate and socialize in a finished basement
• Round - to add a different splash of design and color to an otherwise square room
• Square - it's an odd shape as most rugs are rectangular, so could be a conversation piece
• Runners - for finished basements with hallways to different rooms, maybe even for the feet in front of a couch.

When using an area rug in your basement, it might be a good idea to get a good non-slip pad to go under the rug to help it stay in place. Some concrete basement floors can get a little slick and the rug may end up being more like a slide instead of a place to rest and comfort your feet.