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The 6 Best Carpet Tapes
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Carpet tape is one of those often-overlooked but invaluable resources for any interior space with floor coverings. The best carpet tape is the right size for your job, adheres to your particular surface, and has the right level of permanence for your project.
The first consideration when shopping for carpet tape is the type of floor covering you're working with. If you are securing vast swathes of carpet or a large area rug to the floor, traditional carpet tape rolls will provide a firm grip. For bigger carpeting projects, you may want to look for an extra-wide tape to ensure generous coverage. An alternative to tape rolls is adhesive corner strips, which are a convenient and quick option for anchoring small area rugs or mats to a floor.
Carpet tape only works when it's designed for your particular flooring material. Most options are compatible with a variety of surfaces, including hardwood, tile, vinyl, concrete. There are also tapes made to stick to the top of your carpeting — these can be particularly useful during DIY projects like painting, when you need to protect your floor covering with drop cloths or groundsheets. If you have outdoor rugs or mats that will be exposed to the elements, such as ones on a deck or patio, choose a carpet tape that's approved for outdoor use.
Removal instructions are another important factor. Some carpet tapes are advertised as permanent while others are designed to be easy to remove. Stickier tapes may require a sharp blade to carefully scrape away adhesives, while others call for the help of a hairdryer to melt and loosen any excess glue. There are also tapes that can be easily peeled back and washed for future use. Choose a tape that strikes the right balance of efficacy and effort for you.
If you’re ready to install carpet, rugs, or mats with ease, these are the best carpet tapes on Amazon right now.
1A Fan-Favorite Carpet Tape With More Than 30,000 Five-Star Amazon Ratings
It’s no surprise that this double-sided carpet tape has earned more than 30,000 five-star ratings on Amazon. It adheres to a wide variety of flooring materials and can even be used to bond fabrics together. The top, or carpet-facing, side of the tape comes wrapped in paper to minimize mistakes or messes — simply stick the exposed side of the tape to your floor, then peel back the paper just before laying down your carpet or rug. The tape can be rolled off the floor by hand, but a hairdryer can hasten the process, according to the brand.
Keep in mind that some reviewers recommended exercising caution with this product, as the adhesive is “super duper sticky” and may leave a residue if it’s removed incorrectly. However, others say the trade-off is a strong grip that can’t be deterred by rambunctious pets, vacuuming, and constant foot traffic.
One reviewer wrote: “I have runner rugs on carpet, have tried heavy duty Velcro and other things to keep them from sliding around. Up until now nothing kept them in place for more than a few hours. I've had this on there for about a week and it hasn't slipped at all.”
Size: 2 inches by 10 yards | Compatible surfaces: tile, vinyl, concrete, wood, cement, carpet surfaces
2An Extra-Wide Roll Of Carpet Tape That’s Perfect For Big Projects
At double the width of its competitors, this 4-inch-wide roll of tape boasts extra generous coverage to help keep your carpet in place. The tape comes with a paper backing to avoid a sticky mess during application, and the silicone formula in the adhesive leaves no-to-minimal residue when it’s removed from the floors, according to the brand. Multiple Amazon reviewers noted that this tape was especially effective at securing carpet tread on stairs.
One reviewer wrote: “Good product! Was [my] first time using this carpet tape to set up a carpet on our stairs for our dogs so they would not slip anymore. Tape works great, easy to use. Just be careful once you take the back side off it is so sticky that a mistake will cost you. I accidentally folded one part of the rug and tape got stuck together so hard, had to re do it! But clearly showed me that product work! [...] Would buy again.”
Size: 4 inches by 30 yards | Compatible surfaces: tile, vinyl, concrete, wood, cement, carpet surfaces
3A Permanent Carpet Tape That Can Be Used Indoors Or Outdoors
To secure rugs with an industrial-strength grip, this indoor and outdoor carpet tape by Duck is the adhesive you need. The durable, double-sided tape creates a permanent bond between carpets and floors, and the fiberglass construction makes it resistant to mold and mildew. Although it’s designed for any smooth or rough surface, its best indoor applications are for spaces with high humidity levels, such as bathrooms and basements.
One reviewer wrote: “I purchased this Duck indoor/outdoor tape specifically for the ‘outdoor’ part and it works like a charm. I couldn't be happier with it. Wind, rain, shine, hurricane or 80 lb. dog running in and out, that rug's not budging.”
Size: 1.41 inches by 42 feet | Compatible surfaces: tile, vinyl, concrete, wood, cement, carpet
4A Washable & Reusable Carpet Tape That Won’t Damage Hardwood Floors
If you’re in search of a removable option, these strips of adhesive rug tape are a smart alternative to traditional tape rolls. The double-sided stickers attach to the corners of carpets, rugs, and mats, eliminating the need for covering large surface areas with tape. They’re designed to work with a variety of surfaces, including tile floors, laminate, marble, concrete, and rubber. The best part is that they are washable and reusable, meaning they’re gentle enough to use on hardwood floors, according to the brand.
“I checked to see if there would be any sticky residue or fading on my hardwood floors but there wasn’t,” wrote one satisfied Amazon reviewer. “I even moved one of the rugs to a different location in the house using the same grippers and it held the rug in place.”
One reviewer wrote: “I have a super thin rug in my living room that has no backing on the underside. I used these all along the outer edge and corners to hold it down. They work really well and were simple to put on. I've had to peel them up a few times....I always remove the floor side only and leave them stuck on the carpet side. After wiping the floor-side with a wet paper towel and letting them air dry for a few minutes, they stick back down on the hardwood floor like they are brand new. No residue left on the floor and no damage to my floor's finish.”
Size: 1.2 by 6.3 inches | Compatible surfaces: tiles, vinyl, concrete, wood, cement, carpet
5A Removable Indoor/Outdoor Carpet Tape That’s Residue-Free
For an option that will stay put for as long as you want it to (and remove easily when you need it to), The Good Stuff’s double-sided carpet tape is a popular solution. The brand claims it has 33% more gripping power than competing tapes, and it’s designed for both indoor and outdoor use.
A paper backing makes installation a neat process, while removal from any surface — including hardwood — is guaranteed by The Good Stuff to be residue-free. Multiple Amazon reviewers noted that this carpet tape is particularly effective at holding large rugs in place, even in high-traffic areas like kitchens and living rooms.
One reviewer wrote: “Surprised how tough this tape is. We have a tough rug in a very high traffic area of our house which sits on carpet. The rug was always getting dog eared and tripped over so a friend recommended this tape - it really does what it says on the tin. Tough and adhesive as it gets.”
Size: 2 inches by 25 yards | Compatible surfaces: concrete, wood, tile, vinyl, marble, leather
6A Professional-Grade Tape That Also Works For Other Home Projects
This multi-purpose double-sided carpet tape by Sugarman Creations can do more than secure floor coverings to nearly any indoor and outdoor surface. It can also be used to adhere tiles and artificial turf to underlayments, or perform as a heavy-duty craft tape. According to the brand, it’s twice as strong as competing carpet tapes, and a paper backing on the adhesive makes it easy to install.
Note that the bond is quite strong, and removal will require the use of dish soap and warm water, or a specialty product like Goo Gone. However, as one satisfied Amazon reviewer wrote, there is “no doubt it will permanently stay on until removed.”
One reviewer wrote: “Needed to put carpet treads on my stairs so my dog wouldn't slip, and really thought I'd have to also tack down with some sort of staple. Not at all. The product works exactly as described - very strong hold, yet it is possible to pull up to reposition. I'm really impressed.”
Size: 2 inches by 40 yards | Compatible surfaces: vinyl, wood, tile, cement, leather, carpet
7A No-Adhesive Alternative: A Popular Rug Pad With A Nonslip Grip
If you’re still reluctant to introduce adhesive to your hardwood or laminate floors, or you just want to cut down on installation time, consider a double-sided rug pad as an alternative to carpet tape. This popular rug gripper has earned more than 23,000 five-star reviews on Amazon for its ability to keep floor coverings in place. The webbed pad sticks to floors without leaving any residue behind, and it even adds a little cushioning under your rug for extra comfort.
It’s available in a wide range of dimensions, but it can also be cut to size (and it can double as nonslip shelf liners and furniture pads). A number of reviewers reported that these pads also hold up to washing machines for easy cleaning.
One reviewer wrote: “Don't know what we would do without all of our Gorilla Grip Non-Slip Rug pads. We have a young dog with early onset hip dysplasia and so we have covered most all of the tile part of our house with small rugs and runners and they absolutely do not shift when she is walking across them. Great product!”
Available sizes: 2 by 3 feet — 10 by 14 feet (also available in round and square options) | Compatible surfaces: wood, laminate
