Carpets and rugs can make any home cozy and inviting. They are durable and often treated with stain, static, and soil resistant treatments that increase their value. In fact, carpets and rugs are one of the most affordable and economical choices when you compare the prices per-square-foot to hardwood floors and tiles.

The variety of patterns, styles, colors, and materials to choose from makes them the perfect fit for every home and every occasion. Carpeting also warms up a home in the winter and protects objects from shattering if they fall. In addition to these wonderful attributes, carpets and rugs absorb noise and create a non-slip walking surface to prevent injuries.

Great Household Placement Options

When it comes to placement options, rugs have to provide enough coverage to be functional. In a living room environment, this usually means that the living room rugs should cover the floor, at least as a centerpiece, so that the furniture legs are just outside of reach. In other arrangements, you may want to put only the front legs of each piece of furniture surrounding the center coffee table on the carpet for uniformity. The final placement alternative is to place all four legs of the furniture on the rug.

In a dining room, the rug should always be large enough to allow diners plenty of room when they pull out their chairs. The additional wear on the rug from pulling chairs back and forth over the edges will severely shorten the lifespans. Finally, when it comes to bedroom rugs, you need coverage on the sides of the bed where you will exit. These arrangements do not have to reach under the bed or underneath the bedside tables.

Buying Rugs Online

Buying rugs online can save you money and provide a broader spectrum of choices. However, there are some issues with online buying that can make it frustrating for first-time shoppers. First off, when you shop online, the photos may not present a full picture. The look and the feel of rugs are difficult to judge when simply looking at photos. Measuring mistakes are common and can be expensive to remedy because the cost of returns is often high. Always be sure to consider where your real borders are when it comes to placement limits instead of measuring wall to wall.

In addition, you want to consider the material content. Area rugs made out of Jute may be workable for an outdoor porch or patio but are probably too coarse for indoors. And while synthetic materials may be inexpensive and cozy, they can have odors left over from the manufacturing process. You can’t go wrong with classics like cotton or wool because they offer softness, warmth, and are far more durable than silk rugs.

Finding Discount Rugs

The online marketplace is expanding the opportunities for shoppers to purchase cheap rugs in varieties that they'd never find locally. You can shop on websites like Etsy, Amazon, Ebay, Overstock, and West Elm. In addition to these online websites, you also have places like Home Depot, Target, Wayfair, and liquidation stores like Ollie's that carry blue-light specials on rugs and carpets.

You always have the option of calling your local carpet stores. They may have volume-discount prices on popular types of commercial or even plush carpeting that they sell a lot. You can even find deals in flea markets, goodwill stores, auctions, and even on the local curbsides. In fact, there are still people like Amish groups who hand make rugs. You may also find them in other types of organic shops and places where other types of handmade artisanal goods are sold.