DIY Nonslip Rugs

Accidental falls are the number one cause of death and injury in the home. To reduce the chance of falling, make sure all rugs on a hard surface are nonslip.

While you could use double stick carpet tape or a nonslip rug pad to keep them from sliding, a simpler solution is to apply a bead of 100% silicone caulking to the bottom of the rug.

Run the caulking around the edges of the bottom of the rug as well as every 3” or so in the center.

Next, use a putty knife to flatten out the bead of caulking. This will prevent the caulking from being too thick, and allow it to adhere well to the rug.

Let the caulking dry overnight until it has cured before putting the rug in place on the floor. The rubbery texture of the silicone caulking will keep the rug from sliding when you step on it.

28 COMMENTS

  1. I love this tip. I had thought about it but went looking for a second opinion. Usually ideas I get about home improvements can be dispelled pretty quickly with a quick Google search! My question is that if I intend to use this on area rugs in my kitchen, hallway, etc; what is the best way to clean the rugs? I usually machine wash – could I still do this in cold and then let them air dry?
    Thanks for the help,
    Jeanie

  2. Hi Jeanie, Glad you liked the nonslip rug tip. This idea works on small area rugs and doormats, but is not intended for use on large rugs or long runners. I don’t think the silicone would prevent you from washing the rug, but it might lose its grip and start to peel off. Sorry I couldn’t be of more help, but thanks for writing and good luck.–Joe T.

  3. I’m seriously considering this idea, however, I have also read some scary comments from other web sites about using this method, like how the silicone can damage your floor, depending on what kind of floor or finish you have. I am also sad to hear that you cannot use it on larger area rugs as they are a problem for me as well. I’m not super worried about that though, my question is, will this method work when your rug is on carpet?

    Thanks for the awesome tips,
    Rosie

  4. Going to try this with a crocheted rug. I’m also wondering about laundering the rug — will the caulk wash off or -worse – peel off and leave the interior of the washer all gunky??

  6. Can I glue an area rug to carpet? The carpet is very old and stained, but we can’t afford to replace it yet. We’ve tried gripping tape made for rug to carpet adhesion, didn’t work. We’ve tried nails, but even 3 inch ones work themselves loose and up. I want to try glue. I know we could never salvage the carpet and that’s OK. I’m also willing to lose the area rugs too when new carpet is installed. Is glue doable? And if so, what kind?

    • Idk if you’ve tried a strong masking tape, if u have try it again and rub the tape for about 20 seconds cus that suckers not coming loose when u do. And will be hard getting off but it’ll come off

      • Thanks for sharing your thoughts with the Today’s Homeowner community!
        TH community members helping other TH community members — we love it. 🙂

  7. I tried using this technique on some old rugs in my kitchen and found a potentially hazardous side effect. Even after allowing the silicone to dry completely, it still left some sort of residue on the old vinyl flooring under the rugs.

    The result was that when the rugs were moved, the floor under the rugs was slick as ice! My barefoot wife came into the kitchen, hit one of the “slick spots”, and her feet went right out from under her. Luckily the only injury was a bruised hip.

    Don’t use this technique on vinyl flooring…

  8. Would this method still allow the rug to be machine washed? I have an area rug that I would like to make non-slip, but it still has to be able to go into my washing machine and my dryer…..

  9. (Disclaimer: Speaking not as a professional, but just from personal experience):

    I don’t think there is any problem with using this method for larger area rugs (as long as you’re just wanting to make them more grippy) — it’s just probably recommended for small rugs since usually those are the ones which need it most. Hopefully my theory on that is correct since I’m planning to use this method for our large living room area rug. I also am planning to use silicone caulk on the bottom of three glass bowls we use as pet food dishes. (I don’t expect the silicone caulk will stay adhered to the glass forever, but hoping it will at least make the glass bowls less prone to skidding across the kitchen floor at high speed whenever someone accidentally knocks into one.) 🙂

    I have tried this method before, about a year ago on two small bathroom rugs — it worked great (we have vinyl faux tile flooring in the bathroom and have not noticed any damage or residue, but perhaps we just got lucky). And I have not had any problem washing the rugs on COLD water, hanging or laying flat to dry. (Not sure what would happen using hot water and tumble dryer — haven’t tried it, and no plans to do so! Sounds risky.)

    The only problem we had, and I feel the need to warn folks about this, was that the grippiness of the silicone caulk is like a debris magnet (gross!) — so after the caulk is fully dry, make sure your floor is also nice and clean before placing the rug on the floor.

  10. I STRONGLY advise against using this method of preventing rugs from slipping! I watched this video and used the exact process on 10 area rugs. It worked great for the first few weeks. However, after a few weeks, some of the silicone caulk residue began to rub off and coat the floor with silicone (which is a lubricant and VERY slippery). The rugs started slipping again and even worse, once the rugs are removed, the silicon glaze remains on the floor and is ultra slippery! Worse yet, I cannot get this coating off of the floors. I have tried a few different household cleaners with failed results and the floors are still quite slick. Note that I have the same issue on wood, tile and vinyl floors. I would NOT use this process.

    I have seen people suggest using acrylic caulk instead of silicone, but have not tried it as I now need to replace all my area rugs due to this issue.

    Also, if anyone has any suggestions on how to remove the silicone from the floors without damaging them, I would love to hear it.

  11. To Robin,
    I had to make an area rug non slip in a hurry not to long ago and all I had that would work at the time was my hot glue gun ( I have laminate floors , porcelain tile, and vinyl/linoleum) and a bunch of hot glue sticks The Gorilla Glue brand. So I took a chance and put a good amount on each corner of the rug and quickly pressed to the floor. IT worked like a charm . It doesn’t last forever but I am ok with that since it allows for cleaning under it, moving it , taking it outside to air out etc etc.. It doesn’t come off the rug without a huge amount of effort so I wouldn’t use it on an antique or anything.. But it works for me !!!! Hope this helps !

  12. I did this on three rugs for my kitchen. The first day was great, but the rugs are just as slippery as before and I wasted $5 on the silicone caulk.

  13. Comment to Bruce Kantor, to remove the glue/sticky from the floor I would try W-D 40. I find this takes up a lot of sticky with ease and without damage. Just follow up with a stong soap and water to clean-up the WD-40. Try it in a small corner first or inconspicuous area to make sure it doesn’t remove the shine/wax from you flooring. WD-40 is great for a lot of things.

    • Hi, RV!
      The caulk goes on the bottom of the rug, so rest assured, it won’t affect the rug’s appearance.
      Thanks for watching! 🙂

  15. do you know of any runner carpet that will stic k t o carpet on the floor.
    we have a 6ft runner that sticks to our laminate kitchen floor and will not move with all of us walking daily on it. It is a Mohwawk carpet.

  16. I have an ugly spot in my carpet that I need to hide. Nothing that I used clean it up. Nothing that I put down to hide it would stay in place… UNTIL I dropped a silicone potholder in that spot. Right away I noticed that the potholder stayed in the same place all day with people walking over it. I am thinking that if I had a giant silicone “potholder” that is, say, 2 x 2 ft. it would work like an area rug that does not move. Is there such a thing as a large silicone pad like this? Please do not tell me that I need to spend more time removing the spot. I have been there and done that.

  17. Confused. Do you use silicone adhesive or silicone caulk?? I don’t know, but I believe there is a difference. If there is would it work better with one and not the other?

    • Hi, Ken,
      We used silicone caulk for this project. We don’t want the rug to stick to the wood floor (and potentially damage it); we just want to create a non-slip surface and applying that caulk can get the job done, but results will vary.
      Good luck!

  18. I tried the Silicone caulking and it FOES NOT WORK! It dries to a smooth slippery finish.
    ACRYLIC LATEX caulking, though I am yet to try it, is said to be non slip and the best solution for nonslip rug backing.
    Please confirm this. Thank you.

    • Hi, DenaMaDena. Each home is unique, so no “homehack” will work in 100% of homes.
      That said, we have followed this tip for over 10 years and it has worked every time.
      We haven’t tried acrylic latex caulking, for this purpose, but would love to hear about your results. 🙂

    • We haven’t tried hot glue, but we have tried silicone caulk. Just wait for the caulk to dry — you don’t want the rug to stick to the floor, because that would damage it. You just want a barrier between the rug and the floor.
      Happy home improving! 🙂

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here