Carpets and rugs are both floor coverings used for style, warmth and comfort. They're made of similar materials but their designs and textures are different. Although the terms are often used interchangeably, carpets are mostly machine-made, while rugs can be handmade and come in various designs and can even be custom designed like most of the rugs at The Rug Establishment.

The main difference between carpets and rugs are that carpets are a wall-to-wall style of floor treatment and need professional installation and removal, whereas floor rugs don't. Beautiful rugs with patterns and designs can also be hung up on a wall like art which we do in our showrooms!

Oriana French Navy rug creates the perfect accent colour by DDK Consulting

Carpets

Carpets are primarily used as floor coverings and accentuate the theme of the room. Their pros include softening the look and sounds in a room as well as being comfortable to bare feet, making for a nice flooring to walk on. Carpets create a cushion underfoot and can work as another insulation for your entire room or home and is safely secured to your floor.

However carpets have a few cons. Firstly, carpets need to be professionally installed. Being installed in the floor, carpets can be difficult to clean, especially around the edges near the walls. After a few years, carpets will probably need to be replaced too. Lastly, you can't take them with you when you move!

Rugs

Rugs can be used as the centerpiece flooring, to define spaces especially in open floor plans, hung on the wall or act as soft foot rugs and more. There are a number of pros when it comes to them.

Area rugs come in more designs, styles and colours than carpets, making them great design pieces. You can choose from traditional, classic, modern or transitional rug styles just to name a few, as well as different fibres like wool, art silk or textured shags and jutes.

Asha Oyster jute rug in this living room by Neo Interior Design

If you love hardwood floors or tiles then rugs are the option for you, allowing you to have the best of both worlds! Rugs are also good for renters because they're versatile; they can be moved from room to room and be taken with you when you move.

We recommend Teebaud, a non-skid reversible rug underlay suitable for carpets and all flooring which we supply, if you're worried that rugs are a safety tripping hazard. Teebaud is thin and not noticeable under rugs and won’t rot, crumble or shed fibres and stops your rug from sliding and bunching up. It is completely odourless and won’t stain or discolour your floor.

Rugs on Carpet

The Rug Establishment does not recommend placing rugs on carpet because they are not structurally designed to be placed there. Carpet doesn't provide a solid sub-floor and can create issues like "rug-shuffle or rug-creep" which is like a rippling or scrunching effect. This effect is further increased when furniture is placed on top.

Understanding the differences and pros and cons between rugs and carpets will help you decide which is best for you.