I continually have clients asking me about buying clear plastic runners to put on top of their carpet to protect it from traffic, soil and spills. So I thought I would write a few lines about it. Using plastic runners in your high traffic areas sounds like a logical way to protect your carpet investment... but more often then not, they can cause more damage than they prevent.
On my web site and in my blogs, I have spoken to the problems that can be presented when you use area rugs with a solid latex or rubber backing. I have also written an article about the damage that can occur to carpet and pad from the use of solid plastic, vinyl or rubber office chair mats. However, I neglected to mention that the same problems can occur with the use of plastic runners on carpet (or rugs) when your home is built on a concrete slab foundation. If you will reference my article 'Avoiding Rug Damage in the Home Office' you will be able to understand the type of problems that can occur when you cover any flooring product with a solid plastic, vinyl or rubber, whether it is a mat, runner or rug. Since most of the information can be found in the article link above, I will keep this post short. Here is a short summary:
If your house has a concrete slab foundation (and sometimes wood sub-floors can be affected)
* Any Flooring product, or any product designed to protect your flooring needs to be able to "Breathe" (allow moisture and gases that are in your sub-flooring (concrete or wood) to pass through harmlessly and dissipate).
* Never use Plastic Runners. They will damage your flooring. If you feel that you must use plastic runners, you will cut your chances of damage by fifty percent if you use a runner that is ventilated. (See Vent-A-Mat at www.TheMatStore.com) These runners have small holes every inch or so to allow water vapor and gases to pass through and more safely dissipate into the air, which means less chance for damage to your flooring. Ventilated plastic runners will decrease chances of damage, but they are not a perfect solution.
* The best product for protecting your flooring investment is rug runners. But be sure to buy the type that "breathe". A Rug Runner is simply a long, narrow rug. It can have a woven backing or a standard heat-set (action type) backing. As long as you choose one WITHOUT a SOLID Layer of PLASTIC, VINYL OR RUBBER on the back, it will never cause damage to your expensive Carpet (or other floorings). Long, narrow Area Rugs work great as runners. Any area rug that is longer than it is wide can be used, and wool is the best type of fiber, but nylon will also do nicely. Or you can buy runners by the lineal foot (running foot). But be aware that most runners that are sold this way are designed to be fastened to stairways and steps, these will tend to wrinkle and bunch if used over wall-to-wall carpet.
Charles Beason
