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So I have kind of a dumb question, but this will be my first time with a hardwood floors, so I'm going to ask it anyway.
I always thought the purpose of area rugs was to serve as a buffer between furniture and floor. I assumed that we would ruin our hardwood floors if we didn't buy a whole bunch of rugs to put under all the furniture.
However, now I'm wondering if that's true.
I've been looking through a lot of real estate listings to get an idea of what various rugs actually look like in people's homes. To my surprise, I see a lot of homes with furniture legs touching the wood floor, including in very expensive homes with really nice floors. Won't the floors get scratched?
Asking because I have a lot of things to buy. I assumed rugs would be the first thing, but if it's ok to have furniture directly on top of the wood, then I won't be in such a rush, and buy some other things first.
If a piece of furniture has rough scratchy bottoms of the legs, go to the hardware store and buy some of the little adhesive felt pads and install on the bottoms of the legs. Normal furniture is fine on wood floors. Yes, there will be tiny scratches on a wood floor from all types of normal use. This is normal. It's called "patina" and it's why old floors look better than brand new ones.
If a piece of furniture has rough scratchy bottoms of the legs, go to the hardware store and buy some of the little adhesive felt pads and install on the bottoms of the legs. Normal furniture is fine on wood floors. Yes, there will be tiny scratches on a wood floor from all types of normal use. This is normal. It's called "patina" and it's why old floors look better than brand new ones.
The foam and felt "sliders" are even better, as they absorb some of the weight of the furniture so you can move it without scratching the floor. A lot of my furniture, since it is antique, weighs a ton, so I can only move it around using large sliders on my antique heart pine floors. I don't know who invented those things, but they were a genius, imho. It took 2 guys struggling and panting to move my 1920s divan into the living room - there's no way I could ever pick up even one end. Sliders are 'da bomb! BTW, WalMart has them for the cheapest prices; you can even get "variety" packs with different sized sliders for all sizes of furniture feet.
Under the furniture that doesn't/shouldn't move - we have rubber, 'no skid' pads under each leg. This keeps furniture from 'traveling' when you plop down into it. We have felt pads on the legs of the furniture that does move (dining room chairs for ex), and we change the felt pads out every year so they don't build up too much dirt and grit. So far our floors are still in excellent shape.
If a piece of furniture has rough scratchy bottoms of the legs, go to the hardware store and buy some of the little adhesive felt pads and install on the bottoms of the legs. .
Wood floors are meant to be durable and will grow to reflect the life that was lived on it. If you worry about every little scratch, then you will not like them. In my life, I've lived on wood floors since 1924, (not me, personally) and people dust mopped them every few days and didn't worry at all about marring them.
Of course, you can do things to avoid damage, like chair and table leg pads.
Last edited by gentlearts; 06-21-2017 at 04:47 PM..
To answer your question, it is definitely OK to have furniture on your hardwood floor but I would always, always use protectors (whether they are sliding felt pads or whatever), even if your furniture legs rest on rugs. While a rug may offer some buffer between your furniture and the hardwood floor, the main purpose of a rug isn't protection of flooring from your furniture. If you don't end up using rugs, the felt pads make it easier to slide furniture around in the future.
Area rugs are really popular here in the US. Some people consider rooms "unfinished" until they see an area rug. I think this attitude is a bit dogmatic and really limits the imagination for many people. It really depends on your space, how you want it to feel, how pragmatic it is for you to maintain a rug (destructive pets, allergies, cleaning, etc.), and whether you miss it. I know many people in Europe and East Asia don't care for area rugs. Some people will advise you to start designing from the floor up, probably because it's easier to decorate around a rug rather than the other way around. If you already have your furniture and perhaps other decor items, then this is really a moot point. You can take your time, see what your space feels like without a rug, and whether you want to add one later on. Who knows, you might end up liking the bare look!
We have a lovely cat whose passion is tearing up rugs and towels, eating the torn bits, and throwing up said ingested bits back on the rug. For practical and aesthetic reasons, we prefer no rugs in our living space.
If a piece of furniture has rough scratchy bottoms of the legs, go to the hardware store and buy some of the little adhesive felt pads and install on the bottoms of the legs.
I've found that these don't stick as well as I'd like. The sticky backed craft felt sheets at WalMart or Hobby Lobby stick just as well for me, and they're less expensive and you can cut whatever size you need.
They are for the "underfoot" feel and acoustics- if you want to protect the floors from furniture, don't put furniture on the floor- it's an easy rule to follow!
They are for the "underfoot" feel and acoustics- if you want to protect the floors from furniture, don't put furniture on the floor- it's an easy rule to follow!
Where else would you put furniture but on the floor?
Use felt pads like everyone suggested. Accept the fact that your floors will show signs of being lived on; it's part of the charm of hardwood. You can always refinished them some day if it gets too much for you.
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