A pesky floor mat can not only be a pain to keep in place, but it can disrupt your home decor and the overall space. Plus, it can bunch up and become a dangerous tripping hazard.
Especially when placed on a vinyl floor—the ultimate slippery surface—you may find that removing the mat or rug is just simpler.
However, as difficult as it may seem, it can be an easy fix! Placing non-slip rug strips in several areas of your mat will prevent most traditional house mats from sliding when stepped on.
There are many other ways to keep your mats in place, whether professionally or as a simple DIY.
Read on to see which method best suits your home.
Install non-slip strips/grips
You can find a variety of non-slip grips on the market of varying sizes, placements, and textures.
This is typically the professional, commercial solution to the slippery mat/rug problem. And luckily, this is usually the most effective solution because a non-slip grip will adapt to most rugs and mats.
A non-slip grip is usually a rubbery, silicon-like material that grips both floor and mat.
To install them, just place them on the underside of your mat in the desired formation. Some grips are made to be positioned in the corners of a mat, and some exist in strips.
However, it is possible that the non-slip grips don’t work well on either your specific mat or your type of floor.
Install non-slip underlay
Another great, non-invasive option is a non-slip underlay that is either bought at the correct size or as a long roll that you cut to size yourself.
It’s also relatively inexpensive; prices of carpet padding/non-slip mats remain relatively low.
The installation is simple: once the non-slip underlay is the correct size, place it on the floor where you’ll be putting your mat, and place the mat on top—it’s that simple.
However, as with non-slip grips, non-slip underlay depends a lot on the type of mat/rug you’re using and your floors, but it’s a great option to try out.
Install Velcro Strips
If you’re sure of the placement of your mat in a specific place in your home and don’t mind potentially getting sticky residue on your floor, you can try installing velcro strips.
This will be a surefire way of keeping your mat in place, and for a long time.
Velcro can be found in both pre-cut strips and in long rolls.
To install the velcro strips, cut the velcro to your desired length, measuring it against the size of your mat. You can place the strips on the corners, along the edges, or in horizontal lines.
Then, remove the paper to reveal the sticky side on the softer half of the velcro. This half of the velcro will be stuck to the floor.
Remove the paper of the rougher half of the velcro and stick it in the same formation as the velcro on the floor to the underside of your floor mat.
All done! All that’s left is to stick the two together and let the non-slip magic happen.
The only drawback, as mentioned, is if you ever decide to move your mat. This procedure requires installing one-half of the velcro strip directly onto your floor, so the removal process could get messy.
Using velcro is only recommended if you are certain you’ll be keeping your mat in the same place on the floor for an extended period of time.
Install Double-Sided Tape
Double-sided tape is a similar concept to velcro.
As you may have already guessed, it’s a tape that is sticky on both sides.
There are industrial versions and weaker, craft versions. There even exists a specific double-sided tape for carpet installation—but beware, this stuff will be nearly impossible (or just incredibly time-consuming and sweat-inducing) to remove from your floors.
The installation is similar to that of velcro:
Align the sticky tape in the desired formation on your floor, and place your mat directly on top of it.
Typically, the non-slip tape is a bit less adhesive than velcro, but again, it totally depends on your floors and your personal mat.
Place your Mats Strategically
Place mat under furniture
If some of these options are a bit too invasive, and you’re not certain that you’ll want to keep your mat in the same place for that long, look around the room and see if there’s a way to strategically place it under furniture.
Heavier furniture will obviously be more effective, but a mat will typically stay in place if it’s held down by the foot of a chair, table legs, or a lamp.
You can even try moving the furniture around a bit to see how you can make it work.
And, hey—maybe you’ll like the setup even better!
It’s true that rearranging existing furniture in a room will give it a fresh look that may even be more cohesive than it was before.
Place rug in an area with less traffic
Maybe you’re dead-set on where your furniture is already placed, and it’s the mat itself that needs to be moved.
If it was previously placed in an area with heavy foot passage, no wonder it wouldn’t stay in place!
It could be easier to keep the mat where it is if you place it in a corner, in front of a fireplace, or in an area that people generally don’t go so often.
Be advised placing a beautiful mat in an area you don’t typically go to may make you want to go there more often!
Buy a non-slip mat
If all this seems like too much of a hassle, and you’re not that attached to your current mat—you can always get a new one!
Lots of mats and rugs on the market exist with built-in non-slip technology or are simply just more compatible with one of our above methods.
It’s up to you to decide whether to give your existing mat the boot or try one of our techniques to keep it around.
