I know nothing about Brazilian cherry. We put oak in about a year a go and we have 2 area rugs. The one in the prep area of the kitchen is an inexpensive 8x10 from Bed Bath and Beyond. It has a rubber backing. So far so good. It was chosen for it's ability to camouflage tomato sauce and catch drips of both fat from the stove and water from the sink and dishwasher. When it starts to disintegrate it will be replaced by another one. No problems so far and I look under it occasionally. In the sunroom we have a wool rug. The floor is doing fine with it too. I hope to keep it longer than the kitchen one as it is more expensive and more of a decorative item. The only things I know about rugs are that if they are very small you better either have a rubber backing or a non slip mat under it or someone is going to get hurt on it. Secondly if you have a new light wood like cherry the part you cover will stay light while the rest of the floor colors naturally with age. If you then remove that rug the floor areas won't match in color. Same if you cover it with anything as the exposure to light colors it. I wouldn't stress too much. Wood is very durable and a natural flooring material, just remember it's a floor not a coffee table.

Before you buy, check out Rug Pad USA. I have numerous rugs with pads from various sources, but after ordering from them I will never buy anywhere else. Their website helps you pick out the correct rug pad for your floor and rug. Prices are some of the best out there and the rug pads I ordered are wonderful (don't slip, well-made, long wearing) - the Superior-Lock 1/8â³ felt and rubber pad that is best for my flatweave and wood or travertine floor combo. Here is a link that might be useful: Rug Pad USA

FYI, I found a solution to the same kind of prob as the original poster. A cheap woven rug made of synthetic materials had "etched" it's pattern onto my floors (which were red oak with a satin water-based polyurethane finish. And BTW, I did NOT put the rug down until several years after the floor was finished). Tried rubbing alcohol first, but it seemed to actually sort of "melt" the finish a little, and even though it helped a little, it seemed way too dangerous to use, I mean it seemed like it would just remove the poly finish if I rubbed too hard. So simply I tried LIGHTLY rubbing with "0000" steel wool (WITHOUT using any alcohol or mineral spirits or anything) then lightly buffing by hand, and it worked like a charm! Hope this helps.

Thanks to both of you for the help. I've taken a look at the linked website for pads and will investigate further. And, I've been doing some research on pads for hand knotted carpets. Apparently using a pad of some sort will prolong the life of the carpet because the pad absorbs some of the shock/friction from people walking on the rug. Yet, I also know that where these rugs are made there really is no such thing as a rug pad. On Amazon I did find a pad that gets high reviews for use as a pad for hand made rugs that are placed on hardwood floors. Durahold Plus Felt and Rubber Pad for Hard Floors.