There’s nothing more frustrating than old or dull laminate flooring spoiling the look of an entire room. It can be tempting to rip it out and lay a whole new one but unfortunately, that doesn't come cheap. In fact, replacing an old laminate floor may not even be a possibility if you are renting your property. 

So, what can you do? 

Fortunately, there are ways to cover up unattractive and worn flooring so that it complements the rest of the room. The easiest way to disguise worn laminate flooring is to cover it with a large area rug. 

Area Rugs 

Area rugs come in a wide variety of sizes. So, depending on the dimensions of your room, you’ll be sure to find an option that covers at least the majority of the old, tired laminate. Plus, using strategically placed furniture or paint can help cover up any areas which the rug doesn’t quite cover - more on that later. 

When it comes to choosing your rug, there are many options to pick from. Find the perfect mix of pattern and colour will help you find a rug that seamlessly fits in with the rest of your room. More striking designs can also help draw the eye and can even become a statement piece, helping you elevate a room from average to extraordinary.

There are however some important elements to take into consideration when picking a rug to cover your worn laminate floor:

Rug Types

Rugs are rugs, right? 

Well not really. In fact, there are lots of different factors to consider when purchasing a rug such as:

• Materials (man-made, natural or a blend)

• Size

• Colour

• Design

• Pile depth

• Manufacturing technique

Many of these factors are a personal preference, are linked to cost or offer benefits in terms of longevity and ease of maintenance. However, when it comes to buying a rug to cover your worn laminate floor, there is one factor that is more important than the rest: backing. 

Some rugs will come ready backed with latex or rubber. This is to create a slip-resistant and waterproof shield between the rug and the surface it is laid on. A pre-backed rug can be really helpful in many situations as it makes laying it much easier.

However, pre-backed rugs can have limited breathability, which can be problematic on laminate flooring. 

Latex-backed rugs will often leave behind a sticky residue and pieces of the backing when you go to remove the rug from the area. Rubber-backed rugs can cause discolouring of the laminate surface, which is unsightly and can lead to you losing part of your deposit if you rent your property. 

Have you ever seen a laminate floor with brown/yellow stains? Yep, that’s what a rubber backed rug will do!

So, what is the solution? 

Using Rug Underlay

Using a rug underlay is really important with laminate floors and the benefits are two-fold.

Firstly, you don’t want it to be sliding all over the place or even worse, you don’t want to slip over on it yourself! Secondly, if you do have a rug with a latex or rubber backing as mentioned above, you can still use it to cover your laminate floors as an appropriate underlay will allow air to circulate and breathe. 

IMPORTANT: One thing we also need to mention here is that rug sticky tape is a big no-no! It will leave a sticky residue on the laminate that can be very difficult to remove. 

Our anti-slip rug underlay is suitable to use on both carpeted and smooth floor surfaces such as wood, laminate, vinyl, stone and tiles. The underlay can easily be lifted for maintenance and keeps rugs in place. It will also prolong the life expectancy of your rugs. 

Ideally, you should try to buy rug underlay approximately 10cm shorter than the rug you are purchasing - this is so the underlay is never visible around the edge of your rug. 

Other Tips for Hiding Tired Laminate

Add Paint

Did you know you can actually paint laminate? 

Doing so can add an entirely new lease of life to your floor. However, there are a few challenges associated with doing so. 

Firstly is the fact that painting a laminate floor that is covering a large area can be time-consuming, messy and when you add up all the material costs - rather expensive. 

If not done correctly, the paint can also wear away over time, ultimately this can lead to the floor looking worse than it did in the first place. 

With all this in mind, painting your laminate floor may seem a little too much hassle…

...but wait! There is a reason you should consider painting your laminate floor. 

Imagine this. You have purchased the perfect rug to cover your old, tired floor. You have also put down an underlay to make sure your rug is going to stay safe and secure when in use. But when you sit down to enjoy your marvellous new floor covering, you become very aware of the fact that it doesn’t cover your floor in its entirety - you can still see some of that ropey laminate poking out through the edges.

Of course, it is usually very difficult to find a rug that will fit your room perfectly. This is especially true when your room isn’t a perfect square or rectangle. This is where paint comes in. 

You may choose to paint the floor around the edges of your rug. This can be a great way to ensure that none of that old, ugly laminate is on show. It is also a good opportunity to help your rug look even more stunning.

For example, if you have decided to purchase a luxurious, light coloured rug in white, beige or cream, then painting your visible laminate flooring in a dark colour such as black or dark grey can really make the intricate details of your rug stand out. Of course, this also works the other way around, by painting the visible laminate in a light and bright colour if you have decided to purchase a rug in a dark shade. 

Use Furniture

We mentioned earlier in this article that you can also use furniture to cover tired and worn laminate.

Of course, placing a sofa in the middle of a room to cover your flooring is neither practical nor going to look great. However, when you pair a rug with well-placed furniture you can cover a much greater proportion of your flooring. 

For example, you may pull your rug slightly away from a back wall to cover more of the space near the door. You could then place furniture such as armchairs or a sofa against the back wall to cover the exposed flooring.

Try being creative with your furniture to find what looks and works best for you. 

Rugs: Making Laminate Better

Laminate has become a popular flooring choice due to its affordability and ease, but when it becomes tired-looking there are some really simple ways to give it a new lease of life - rugs, rugs and some more rugs.

Quick Tip: If you have another type of hard flooring in your home, you can style your floor using mosaic like these from Mecartworks! These mosaic styles can really add a new dimension to your home, especially if you are a fan of the traditional look!