While I do recommend using a rug pad, I also would advise to be careful, cheap rug pads can actually sometimes do more harm than good. For hardwood floors, your best bet would be to get a rug pad made from natural rubber, just try and avoid plastic pads at all cost, they can end up staining your floors over time.

And I would caution against anything using rubber - natural rubber is known as latex. Even latex backed rug pads have some form of "plasticizer" in them. And the plasticizers are the things that cause the staining.

The polypropylene "indoor outdoor" rug is an interesting choice. It will have a very rough texture which could possibly damage the finish simply by rubbing back and forth like sand paper.

And then you run the risk of using a "bad" rug pad underneath it that could stain the hardwood (permanently) to an ugly "nicotine stain".

Personally I would skip the rug all together. The hardwoods should hold up just fine on their own.

Is there a reason why you feel you need to use an indoor-outdoor rug in a space you do not live in?

You want to make sure the rug pad states it is safe for hardwood flooring. These pads are breathable and will not adhere to your wood floor over the years. Other pads..especially the cheap ones, will adhere to your wood floor and damage the surface.

Thanks for the input. We just want some protection for hardwoods and a little barefoot cushion. We're moving a sectional to this Great Room for use over the next 1-1/2 years while we're living there on a part time basis. Then we'll get new furnishings for several rooms. This is a very neutral indoor/outdoor rug that we plan to move to a three-season porch. It was a good deal now. We had a 5x8'colorful rug over beige carpet in the room where this sectional gas has been and thought it too small in this space. Is a polymer polyester mesh pad considered rubber and potentially adhering to floor? While it is synthetic, I don't read that as rubber.

The problem is we can't see what pad you are considering. I always suggest purchasing a pad that CLEARLY STATES "Safe for Hardwood Floors". If it doesn't SAY IT, then it doesn't MEAN it.

If you have a link to the rug pad you want to use, please load it. We can have a look at the link to check for the wording "Safe for Hardwood Floors".

If in doubt, visit www.rugpadusa.com They may be expensive but they are worth every penny when it comes to hardwood floor protection.

Personally, I would not wish to use an indoor-outdoor rug over hardwood, but it is a personal choice and it has already been purchased. You now need to remedy the situation by finding the appropriate rug pad to protect the hardwood from the area rug.

Suggestion: "Safe For Hardwood Floors" is the bare minimum you can use.