When laying an area rug over a hard surface such as hardwood flooring the biggest concern about the rug s movement is that it will slide around.
How to lay an area rug over carpet.
When laying the rug over carpet however the concern is more about the rug wrinkling or rippling which presents a big tripping hazard wrinkling will occur because as one area of the rug is stepped on it will shift assuming it is not properly.
You may be laying down an area rug because you can t stand the color of the existing wall to wall carpet such as in a rental unit but trust us it will look much worse if you just throw down a rug.
The only difference when the rug is going to be used over a carpet is to make sure that the color of the rug complements the color of the carpet.
On a hard floor an untethered rug is more likely to slide or slip but when layering area rugs over carpet the rug is more likely to wrinkle or ripple.
In those cases laying a thick luxurious shag rug can add a softness and elegance to the space.