Area rugs for damp spaces

In an ideal world, home interiors would be consistently free of any dampness and would be sealed off from the outside elements. In reality however this is sometimes a very difficult goal to accomplish. Structural imperfections can lead to a leaky home and lower levels can, over time, become more likely to allow water to come in.

So how do area rugs fit into this picture? Rather than installing carpet wall to wall in a room that may be prone to leaks, consider using rugs that are outdoor friendly.

As an example, let's proceed as if a room in your home has just been subjected to water damage. These are the steps that may be taken to ensure the next water problem does not become an overwhelming disaster.

1)Remove all the furniture from the room.

2)Remove the installed floor covering and dispose of it.

3)Determine the state of the floor (IE is it concrete? what sort of shape is it in? etc).

4)Smooth out the surface if necessary by using concrete filler as needed.

5)Select a paint that is suitable for use on concrete floors, and paint only the perimeter of the room with this color.

6)Choose area rugs that coordinate with the room decor from the Rugs To My Door indoor/outdoor category.

7)Lay the rug over the floor so that the only portion of the hard floor that is showing is painted, with the non painted portion of the floor being covered by area rugs.

8)Allow the area rugs to acclimate to this new room for at least 48 hours before replacing the furniture (if you do not allow the rug to acclimate and immediately replace all the furniture, the rugs could bunch)

9)Replace all the furniture.

This way if the room takes on water again, you simply need to remove the indoor/outdoor area rug and place it somewhere that it can dry out quickly. Once it is entirely dry, just put it back into place and no permanent harm has been done.

At Rugs To My Door, our business is as much about solutions to life challenges as it is about area rugs themselves.