The Best Rug Grippers

Buying Guide for Rug Grippers

Why buy rug grippers?

Rugs, carpets, and mats are household staple items, but they can’t serve their intended purpose if they’re constantly moving around, sliding across the floor, and bunching up. Worse, a too-slippery rug can become a hazard—if it slides out from under your feet when you step on it, you and your loved ones risk falling and injuries. Rug grippers were explicitly designed to address this issue. Available in many different sizes and types, all rug grippers are adhesives or pads that prevent your rugs, carpets, and mats from slipping and sliding across your floors. This not only reduces the risk of someone slipping and falling, but these hold your rug in place when you’re vacuuming or moving furniture. This, in turn, also prevents rugs from becoming bunched up and messy-looking when someone steps on them or walks across them, leading to an overall cleaner look. Since rug grippers of all types are fixed on the underside of rugs and mats, they won’t ruin or disrupt their aesthetic appearance.

What should you look for in rug grippers?

• Adhesive vs. Pad: A rug gripper adhesive will mostly come in tape form, like double-sided scotch tape but stronger and stickier, though there are some more sticker-like versions as well. A rug gripper pad is a sheet of material (such as rubber or felt) that slots between your rug and the floor. Rug gripper tape or adhesive is easy to install and remove as needed, and if it comes in a roll of tape, it’s very easy to cut into the size and shape you need for your rug. Some are reusable, so they won’t lose their stickiness if you move the rug they’re attached to. Rug gripper pads have the added benefit of reducing sounds and often add a little extra cushioning. They’re great for table runners, too, since they won’t damage the flooring or surface underneath.
• Shape: The shape of your rug gripper will depend on the shape of your rug, especially if you opt for a pad version. Some rug grippers are compatible with most rug shapes, while others are more specific. A round or circular, or egg-shaped rug isn’t compatible with a triangular, sharp-edged rug gripper meant to fit in the corners of a square or rectangular rug, for instance. Some pads and most tapes can be trimmed to fit the shape of your rug, but not all. The shape you need will also depend on if you plan to put your rug gripper at the center of your rug or mat, at the corners, or around the edges.
• Size: If you opt for a rug gripper pad, you’ll want to measure the rug you want. They should be smaller than your rug rather than its exact size, so the edges won’t peek out, but not so small that they’re ineffective. Ideally, they’ll be about an inch less than your rug on all four sides. If you opt for adhesive tape, check how many inches or feet are provided in each roll to ensure you’ll have enough to adequately cover the bottom of your rug as desired, especially if you have more than one rug or mat that needs a gripper.

Are rug grippers suitable for all types of flooring?

Most rug grippers are only compatible with one or a few types of flooring. Rug gripper pads are a little more versatile, depending on the material they’re made of. Rug pads can be constructed out of rubber, felt, a rubber-felt blend, memory foam, or PVC. You’ll want to avoid rubber or rubber blend rug pad if you have a vinyl finish on your floor, and PVC pads only work on hardwood, laminate, or vinyl floors. Also, note that memory foam is meant for cushioning rather than providing antislip properties, so it should only be paired with bigger rugs or carpets that don’t slide around very much. Felt is also better for floor protection and soundproofing than antislip protection and is best for scratchy rug types, such as jute.

Our Picks for the Best Rug Grippers

Pros: These sticker-like rubber rug grippers have a strong adhesive on both sides of the grip to keep your rugs and runners firmly in place on pretty much any hard flooring surface. The included directions even note which side is meant to fix the rug and which side to the floor for a more effective stick and grip. They’re reusable and should maintain their stickiness even if you move the rug they’re attached to more than once. If they ever get dirty, a quick wash with warm water will do the trick and reactivate the adhesive. The long, thin shape will fit most rugs, even circular ones.  They’re available in packs of nine, 17, or 25, should you need grippers for more than one rug.

Cons: While these rug grippers are ideally suited for most hard flooring surfaces, they aren’t nearly as effective on carpet flooring. These come with the risk of leaving some residue if you ever move your rug.

Bottom Line: Versatile and reusable, these adhesive rug grippers’ shape and double-sided stickiness ensure they’re nice and secure for most rug shapes and flooring types. You’ll be amazed at how much staying and sticking power they have, even after several uses.

 

Pros: These deceptively strong sticker-like rug grippers are perfect for the corners and sides of rugs with hard-lined edges. They’re straightforward to apply; you must stick the gripper where you want it on your rug, peel off the cover, and put it into place. While an adhesive holds them against the bottom of your rug, the side facing the floor is grooved rather than sticky. These raised grooves will keep your rug firmly to the floor without making it look uneven or conspicuous, yet the lack of adhesive on the floor-down side means they won’t leave any residue behind should you ever move the rug. These rug grippers are available in packs of four, eight, and 16, so you can easily order multiple sets for an extra-large mat or more than one.

Cons: Due to their square shape, these grippers aren’t ideal for round or circular rugs, as they won’t slot right up against the edges without showing. These may be less effective on carpeted floors compared to harder flooring.

Bottom Line: If you’ve had issues with your rugs’ edges or corners bending upward every time you try to vacuum them, these are the rug grippers for you. Small but strong, they’ll keep your rugs’ sides securely in place so they won’t get sucked into and stuck in your vacuum or Roomba.

 

Pros: With these easy-to-apply, peel-and-stick rug grippers (which have color-coded covers to indicate which side should face the rug and which should face the floor), you’ll get excellent bang for your buck. Unlike many rug grippers, you won’t have to measure your rug or mat ahead of time to ensure they’ll fit it properly. They’re designed to fit the corners of all rugs, large and small, as long as your rug has a 90-degree angle corner of some sort. They’re nice and thin to prevent the corners from sticking up or appearing uneven with the rest of the rug, yet incredibly strong. You receive 12 grippers for one low price, enough for up to three rugs.

Cons: If your rug has no sharp corners, these won’t be the rug grippers for you as they’re designed specifically for such areas. They’re also not great for fluffy or carpeted flooring and likely won’t stick to rugs with jute or rubber backing.

Bottom Line: This is another set of rug grippers ideal for keeping your rugs flat against the ground during cleaning and vacuuming. Thanks to their triangular shape, they’re ideal for preventing the corners of even the oldest rugs from slipping or curling upwards.

 

Pros: If you prefer a pad rug gripper as opposed to tape or sticker with an adhesive backing, this model is worth a look. Since its texture and larger surface area rather than adhesive hold it to the rug and the rug to the floor, you’ll never have to worry about it losing its stickiness or leaving residue behind. It’s highly reusable for these same reasons; you can remove and reapply it over and over against it, and it’ll still work. The padded aspect also adds cushioning for extra comfort and prevents scratchy-bottomed rugs from marking up your floors. Perhaps most conveniently, this rug gripper is available in many sizes, 15 in total. It is rectangular, but you can easily use scissors to trim it into another shape to better match and fit your rug. You can also divide it to use between two or more rugs if needed.

Cons: Be sure to air out this rug gripper pad for a few hours before installing it in your home, as it may come with an off-putting chemical smell that you’ll want to get rid of first. Also, note that the types of flooring it’s compatible with are pretty limited; it’s only suitable for hardwood, tile, and linoleum and shouldn’t ever be used on refinished floors.

Bottom Line: If you’re nervous about an adhesive rug gripper damaging your rug or floors or don’t want to risk leaving any sticky residue behind, this pad-like rug gripper is an excellent alternative.

 

Pros: Rug-gripper tape is convenient due to its versatility and compatibility; this particular roll is no exception. No matter your rug’s size or shape, you’ll be able to cut and apply the tape to fit it as needed. You can line just the sides and edges of your rug or mat with this tape, just the center of the rug, or both, or cover the entire bottom—the choice is yours. This rug-gripper tape is also compatible with all floor types, hard or soft, smooth or uneven. It’ll even work on carpeted flooring, unlike many other rug-gripper adhesives. It’s extremely strong and sticky to keep your rugs and mats more securely in place, and several size options are available. If you want a longer roll to cover several rugs or a thicker tape for bulkier mats, this tape has you covered.

Cons: As is often the case with rug gripper tape, the tape isn’t reusable; you’ll have to reapply new tape if you ever want to move the rug or mat it’s holding. The tape’s strength also works against it in this area, as it’s so strong that it’s quite hard to peel off the floor or rug. You’ll have to remove it carefully to avoid damaging your flooring.

Bottom Line: Many prefer using rug gripper tape above other types, especially if they have more than one rug that needs to be secured or a rug with an unusual shape. This is among the best rug gripper tapes you’ll be able to find, strong and suitable for even the most high-traffic areas of your home.

Final Thoughts

No matter what type of flooring you have at home, be it carpeting or hardwood, laminate or bamboo, tile or vinyl, if you have a rug, you’ll likely benefit from buying rug grippers for them. They’re an inexpensive yet hassle-free, effective way to keep your rugs and mats firmly in your living space.