Hearthrugs for Floors with a Flare
Mixing Fashion with Flare!
There is no better way to mix fashion with 'flare' than decorating with hearthrugs! Although designed primarily to adorn a fireplace, hearthrugs have become a popular flooring accessory for any room. Hearthrugs, small area rugs made from flame-retardant material, are designed to protect your floors and wall-to-wall carpeting from rolling logs, sparks, cinders, and ashes emanating from your fireplace. Today however, modern hearthrugs are making a comeback as a smoking hot addition to any room's décor!
Hearthrugs, traditionally semi-circle or rectangular in shape, are now available in a range of modish designs, shapes and colors. The fact that they are fire and weather resistant make them ideally suited for both indoor and outdoor settings, as they keep your family safe and your feet snug and warm!
Cool Carpets
All hearthrugs must meet CPSC standard FF 1-70 for flammability (also known as the 'pill test'), guaranteeing that these rugs will not support combustion once an ignition source has cooled down or has been removed. This is why hearthrugs may get charred, but they won't burn.
Hearthrug Fibers
The most common fiber used to construct hearthrugs is wool. Wood rugs are naturally fire-proof, and char is easily rubbed off, making your hearthrug easy to clean. Since wool is great fiber to dye, wool hearthrugs are available in a range of colors, from earthy to elegant, to complement any home or office décor.
Synthetic materials such as olefin, polyester, and polypropylene are ideal for hearthrugs. Not only do they prevent flames from fanning, but they are static resistant, moth resistant, and come with firm polyester and jute backings to keep you and your feet from slip-sliding away... Less expensive than wool fibers, polyester and olefin mix fashion with function as their handsome looks are all the rage in the floor fashion industry.
Nylon hearthrugs feature a high melting point, preventing them from burning when fireplace sparks fly, and they offer great protection to your floors. The most exclusive hearthrugs, however, are made from fiberglass, and offer the highest level of fire protection available today. Trimmed with polyester, these great area rugs don't melt, smolder, or stain, and their non-skid vinyl backings are sure to keep you and your rugs on firm ground for years to come!
Rug Buyers Beware
A few words to the wise from rug connoisseurs:
- Not all 'hearthrugs' are fire-proof! Due to their great popularity, many fashionable area rugs today are marketed as hearthrugs simply due to their shape and size. If you are looking for rug that will protect your carpets in the event of a fire, be sure to ask rug suppliers if their hearthrugs are the real deal.
- Watch out for fringes and tassels on hearthrugs which may not be fire resistant, and which may actually pose a fire hazard.