Rugs keep your toes warm and prevent you from slipping on slick tiles, and some serve a more special purpose — such as stopping grass and leaves in the door or protecting flooring beneath them, especially in high traffic areas or around fireplaces. Hearthrugs are specially designed rugs that help prevent fires and other damage by protecting the wood flooring or carpeting beneath them from prying fireplace embers.

Safety First

Before you purchase a hearthrug, look for a guarantee that the carpet is fire-resistant. Although there are health concerns connected with fire retardants, a natural fiber hearthrug is 1 item that makes them vital. Wood-burning fireplaces frequently pop and crackle, throwing little bits of burning embers a few feet out on the floor. While stone and ceramic floors won’t burn, hardwood and carpet floors can catch fire. Hearthrugs can be found in conventional wool Oriental carpet patterns and colors, and you may occasionally see them in solid colors. If you’ve got a traditional decor and cost is not a consideration, then look for wool fiber rugs.

Fiberglass

A modern alternative to a conventional cloth hearthrug is just manufactured with fiberglass. Flying embers that territory on a fiberglass rug will burn out harmlessly. Also, you do not need to worry about toxic fire retardants because fiberglass rugs aren’t treated with chemicals. Because they are vinyl backed, fiberglass hearth rugs wo not slip or slip on a hardwood floor. These rugs are currently only available in solid neutral colors, which would match a modern decor.

Nylon and Olefin

If you’re looking for more interesting patterns to spice up your decor while guarding your flooring, then consider nylon. Nylon hearthrugs will not burn, but the fibers are going to melt when struck by a hot ember. Hearthrugs produced of olefin, another artificial fiber, will char whether a burning log rolls them, but they wo not burnoff. Both nylon and olefin rugs are more affordable than the more expensive wool or fiberglass hearthrugs. You can see them in a range of patterns and colors for every decor design, from animal prints to sports-team themes.

Shape

Hearth rugs come in three basic shapes — rectangular, half round and oval. Rectangular fireplace rugs sit flat against the right edge of your hearth and therefore are usually 22 inches deep. Half-round fireplace rugs, which appear like half of a circle, also sit flat against the hearth and therefore are normally 26 inches deep in the center. Oval fireplace rugs are frequently braided and could suit a country-style decor. You can occasionally find nylon rugs cut to appear like an animal pelt.

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