How To Pick The Right Rug For Your Kitchen

But more than just looking good, an area rug in your kitchen can be a great way to add functionality and safety to one of the most important rooms of your home. Read on for tips on how to pick the best rug for your kitchen. 

Durability 

One of the primary motivators for putting a rug in your kitchen is to make it more comfortable. But nearly any rug material will add comfort to your kitchen floor, so it’s important to make sure your kitchen rug is also durable. 

The first thing to consider when evaluating your kitchen rug’s durability is how well it stands up to getting wet. Most natural fiber rugs are quite resilient to occasional splashes of water, so they will be right at home as kitchen rugs. But if your kitchen does not have good ventilation and tends to become humid easily, avoid natural fiber rugs and instead opt for an indoor/outdoor rug. 

The second consideration for rug durability relates to your kitchen rug’s tolerance for getting wet: how easy is it to clean your kitchen rug? Sisal rugs, for example, are extremely durable, but cleaning them can be a delicate procedure. And, while wool may be a great choice for comfort, wool rugs require a spot clean if something is spilled on them. If you plan on doing a lot of spilling or don’t have the patience to spot clean, polysilk rugs and polypropylene rugs are the easiest to clean. 

Finally, consider how much foot traffic your rug will have to endure. A runner along the center of a galley kitchen will see a lot of foot traffic, so you can’t go wrong with a highly durable sisal rug or polypropylene rug for your kitchen. On the other hand, a rug placed under a moveable island will probably be looked at more than it’s walked on, so a soft wool rug is a great option. 

Non-slip

Kitchen floors are often the slickest floors in the house. Adding a rug to your kitchen can be a great way to keep a sure footing as you move around while making dinner—if done properly. 

In any room, one of the biggest rug hazards is slipping. This goes double for rugs in the kitchen. A rug in your kitchen has the potential to act like a ski, easily gliding over the smooth kitchen floor. Even when walking carefully with both feet on the rug, there is potential for slipping and sliding around on your kitchen rug. 

To make sure your kitchen rug stays put, be sure to put a rug pad under it. A rug pad adds extra grip, which will help prevent slips. It is also helpful for making sure your kitchen rug stays exactly where you want it. 

Get the right size

The rules for living room sizes don’t apply to kitchen rugs! While it’s a good idea to make sure you leave a few inches between the kitchen rug and the wall, less emphasis needs to be placed on making the kitchen feel larger. The main aesthetic consideration for kitchen rug size is to have the border of the rug an equal distance from the wall along any side that comes up against a wall. If the rug is more than 18” from the wall or another rug on one side, this even spacing rule doesn’t come into play. 

Another spacing concern has to do with safety. Even the most flame resistant rugs are a potential fire hazard. Because of this, it’s always a good idea to leave plenty of space between your kitchen rug and your stove, refrigerator, and any other appliance that emits heat. While the risks are minimal, allowing 6” of space will add some additional peace of mind. 

The best rugs for any kitchen

Making sure you have the right size rug for your kitchen is no concern at all. Our custom rugs can be ordered in any shape and size. Whether your kitchen is a rectangle, a square, an octagon, or something even more exotic, our custom rugs will fit right in. Get started by exploring our wide selection of custom rugs today.