Luxury vinyl plank with rubber backing

Fashion always comes back around. It's true for clothing – bright colored sportswear first made popular in the 80s has won our hearts again for its comfort and style. Home decor trends, such as vinyl flooring, follow a similar pattern. Its budget friendly price, wide variety of designs, and durability make it an attractive option for many home owners.

Table of Contents Show

Vinyl floors: the pros
Vinyl floors: the cons
Rubber rug pads and vinyl floors: not a match made in heaven
The best rug pad for vinyl floors
HELP CENTER
What backing is best on vinyl plank flooring?
What is the difference between vinyl plank and luxury vinyl plank flooring?
Will rubber backed rugs discolor vinyl plank flooring?
Is latex backing OK for vinyl flooring?

Vinyl floors: the pros

Vinyl flooring is an attractive alternative to hardwood and tile flooring because of its flexibility and versatility. It can take the texture of gorgeous white stained marble for bathroom and kitchen surfaces or transform itself into oak planks that are barely distinguishable from real hardwood. And unlike hardwood and tile, vinyl floors are softer on the foot. They absorb sound better and feel warmer and more comfortable than other hard surface flooring.

One of vinyl’s most attractive features is its ease of care. Vinyl is waterproof, easy to clean, resilient to damage, and requires very little overall maintenance. Sweep as needed and mop using a vinyl floor cleaner and you’re good to go.

Vinyl floors: the cons

This flexibility that vinyl flooring provides unfortunately comes at a price. Because it is softer than other hard surface flooring, sharp objects and heavy furniture can cause scratches, abrasions, and other permanent damage. With certain vinyl tiles, the attrition can cause the whole tile to pop out and require replacement.

That's why it's necessary to use furniture pads and rug pads to keep heavy furniture and rugs from slipping and sliding and damaging the floor.

Rubber rug pads and vinyl floors: not a match made in heaven

While vinyl usually durable and low maintenance, it can be damaged by certain materials found in many rug pads. Rubber, both the natural and synthetic, is not safe to use with vinyl floors because it reacts with the chemicals found in vinyl and causes staining. Heat from sunlight or even the friction of foot traffic on rubber-backed rug pads causes this chemical reaction.

A lot of cheaper rug pad alternatives are made using a type of plastic called PVC. Rug pads that contain PVC have a number of issues – typically, they are made with glues and adhesives that stick to floors and negatively affect the air quality of your home.

The best rug pad for vinyl floors

It is important to choose a rug pad that is made from materials that are compatible with vinyl floors. Anchor Grip is the best solution – it’s low-profile, non-slip, and contains absolutely no rubber. Anchor grip is made from sustainable soy oils and bio based fillers engineered to keep rugs firmly in place without damaging the floor beneath. Its ingredients are non-reactive with vinyl flooring, making it a great non-slip alternative to rug pads that contain natural rubber. Anchor Grip’s low-profile doesn’t add any extra bulk, great for rugs in high traffic areas or underneath doorways and is ideal for thinner rugs and high quality Persian carpets.

Patricia is on it...as usual. The "plasticizers" in rubber (natural latex or petroleum based) are what react. These are added to the "rubber" to keep it stretchy and supple. This is what causes the discolouration. Which is why both natural latex and petroleum based rubber products can cause the same discolouration.

Go ahead and look at natural backings (cotton, jute, regular woven backings) if you want an area rug. If you want a rug to stop moving, then go ahead and purchase one of those rug UNDERPADS (made from recycled fibres in a felt configuration). They are pricey but they also have a GUARANTEE on them that says, Safe For Hardwood Floors.

As for "changing because of lack of sunlight" this is RARE for vinyl. Very rare. It is stable in regular lighting conditions. But it can have issues in direct sunlight when it gets TOO HOT (direct sunlight = pools of sunlight on the floor for hours = hotter than 28 C or 85F = HUGE problems for vinyl).

Good luck. Go ahead and purchase area rugs that say "Safe for Use with Hardwoods". You should be just fine....and the hint to finding them is this: Low-end retailers do NOT sell them (Walmart and Target do NOT sell these rugs) whereas medium and high-end retailers do (Ikea has SOME that work...Wayfair, Restoration Hardware, etc have a huge selection of "Safe for Hardwood Floor" rugs).

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Can I use rubber-backed rugs on my vinyl floors?

Neither natural or synthetic rubber or latex-backed rugs should be used on any type of vinyl flooring. They can react with the top layers of the vinyl floor and cause discoloration or staining, potentially resulting in permanent damage to the floor.

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Still Have Questions?

What backing is best on vinyl plank flooring?

Rubber - The Most Durable Backing for Vinyl Flooring Several different materials are used as vinyl floor backing, including jute, latex, and cotton.

What is the difference between vinyl plank and luxury vinyl plank flooring?

The only difference between the two is the form. Luxury vinyl flooring (LVF) can be cut in either plank (LVP) to mimic hardwood or into groutable squares for stone and tile looks, called luxury vinyl tile.

Will rubber backed rugs discolor vinyl plank flooring?

Rubber backed rugs and mats can stain or discolor your designer vinyl flooring for two reasons. The first reason is that there is a chemical used when developing the rubber for bathmats, rubber backed runners, and area rugs. This chemical is used to prevent the rubber from deteriorating over time.