Rugs instantly uplift the feel and appearance of a given area. They are the easiest option to change the look of a particular room. Be it your office cabin, your bedroom or the living room, if you’re bored with the current settings, install rugs and you have a whole new ambience to you.

Things that one must know before deciding on and buying a particular rug:

Doing a proper detailed research is very important before buying a rug. You must know all the types, designs and the materials of rugs that are available. Rugs are mainly classified into natural rugs and synthetic rugs. Natural rugs are made from the materials obtained from nature therefore they are highly prized compared to the synthetic ones. Man-made materials are used to make synthetic rugs. The chemicals that are used to make a synthetic rug, makes them highly durable and water resistant. One can select any type of rug based on the usage and the area you want to place them in. Natural fiber rugs like woolen rugs and silk rugs are regarded as a niche and used specially in bedrooms and living rooms. These rugs are soft in texture with rich looks and feel. Silk rugs are considered a royalty and are the most costly yet most elegant looking natural rug that one can posses.

Other natural material rugs are jute rugs, bamboo rugs, sisal rugs, etc. Bamboo rugs are considered as eco-friendly as it is a renewable resource. Synthetic rugs are available in materials like nylon, polypropylene, etc. These materials have properties like stain and water resistance, weather proof, etc. When it comes to the rough use, synthetic rugs are more durable than the natural ones. Many different designs are available in both of these types, namely, traditional rugs, oriental rugs, contemporary rugs and the most versatile transitional rugs. All these kinds of rugs are made in either of the two ways, hand-made or machine made. Hand-made rugs are a rare niche that requires more investment and extra care, though they are the best quality rugs to have.

Synthetic material rugs are best suited for areas with high traffic and moisture content like the entry ways, outdoors near the pool, kitchen and bathrooms. These places see lot of foot traffic and also changing weather conditions or constant moisture thus synthetic rugs are suited as they can be easily cleaned and are durable. Natural rugs bring a cozy feel to the room with their soft texture and looks hence are perfect for private areas.

Know how to install the rug:

Once you buy an area rug of your choice, the next step is to successfully install it. For installation you can hire professionals or you can do it yourself and take your friends help if needed. You can place an area rug on any type of flooring, be it the wall to wall carpet, wooden floors or tiles. Installing a rug can be a task but it surely isn’t a rocket science. With proper instructions and concentration it can be successfully installed.      First and foremost, clear the area where you want to place the rug. Move out all the furniture you have on and close around that area. Like for e.g., if you want to place the rugs under a centre table or under the dining table in the dining area then move the table out and free the space.

• Clean the flooring or if you have a wall to wall carpet installed then vacuum it properly to remove all the loose dirt. This helps the non-slip rug pads to stick well. If the floor you place the area rug on is not clean then the rug pad wouldn’t function right.
• Before placing the rug, lay the rug pad down in the place exactly where you want the rug. Make sure that the rug pad is installed properly.
• Now once the rug pad is fixed, carefully place the area rug directly on the rug pad. Press the rug down so that it gets fixed properly. Once it is placed in a correct manner, vacuum the rug and put back the furniture that you had moved in their places.

Repair and maintenance of an area rug:

Once you have the rug properly installed, maintain and take proper care of the rug. If you have bought an old age antique then it may require time to time repair, see to it that you carry out these maintenance activities on time.

The basic thing to remember is, regular vacuuming of the rug to remove the dust. Spot clean the stains as soon as possible, as delaying the cleaning of stains would allow them to set into the depths of the rugs making it difficult to treat them at a later stage. Some maintenance actions that you should take in the following conditions:

• Rippling of the rug:- Due to constant moisture exposure, rugs tend to get rippled. If so is the condition then care of it immediately. You can use a dehumidifier, which helps to reduce the moisture content in the air thereby offset rippling. Getting your rug re-stretched after this is very important.
•  Rugs areas that get wrinkled:- Rug fabric tends to get loosened or wrinkled over a period of time. This can be corrected by re-stretching the rug to its original state. This is like a facelift for the rug as it make the rug tight again. This also ensures a prolonged life of your rug eliminating the wear and tear that might happen. This also lessens the risk of tripping on the loose fabric.
• Seam repair:- Rug seams can come off because if the wear and tear. It is necessary to repair a seam when it’s undone. Most of the time, the strip that contains the seam is cut out and then put back into the place with the help of hot glue. If immediate attention is not paid to this then one by one all the seams would come out taking apart the whole rug.
• Repairing the burns:- Burns in the rugs are difficult to mend. All you can do to fix up a burned patch is to cut out the burned area and replace it with another matching piece of rug. This however depends on the availability of the matching rug piece.

Rug buying, installing and maintaining can be easy if you go step by step.