The key difference between rug and mat is that the rug is a thick and heavy floor covering that does not extend over the entire floor whereas the mat is a piece of coarse material placed on a floor for people to wipe their feet on.
Rug and mat are two words we often use interchangeably. However, there is a slight difference between rug and mat. Rugs are typically bigger in size than mats. Furthermore, we usually keep mats in front of an entrance to a room, unlike rugs.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is a Rug
3. What is a Mat
4. Similarities Between Rug and Mat
5. Side by Side Comparison – Rug vs Mat in Tabular Form
6. Summary
What is a Rug?
A rug is a thick and heavy floor covering, smaller than a carpet. In other words, it does not extend over the entire floor like a carpet. Since rugs are smaller than carpets and are not attached to the floor, they are movable. Therefore, you can move a rug to different areas of the room, or even to different rooms of the house.
Rugs have different colours, patterns and shapes. Square, rectangular, round or oval is the most common rug shapes. They can also be made from a variety of materials such as wool, nylon, and, polyester. Rugs can add beauty and comfort to a room while giving that space a finishing touch. Moreover, rugs suit any space. In comparison to a carpet, a rug is easy to clean and requires minimal maintenance.
What is a Mat?
The word mat has many meanings; however, it generally refers to a piece of fabric material that is placed on a floor or other flat surface. In this article, we’ll be looking specifically at doormats. A doormat is a piece of coarse material placed on a floor for people to wipe their feet on. A doormat is usually rectangular in shape. They are made from strong and long-lasting materials such as coir, nylon, rubber, palm and cloth. People place them immediately outside or inside the entrance to a room, house or other building. This allows those who enter the room to wipe or scrub the soles of their shoes before entering.
Sometimes, we also call a doormat a welcome mat. This is because a rug’s location at an entrance of a room implies a welcome to the visitors. Some mats also bear some messages, words, or signs indicating greetings.
Furthermore, there are various types of mats. Given below are some of them.
- Table mat – kept on a table to protect the surface of the table from hot dishes
- Bath mat – placed on the floor of a bathroom to provide a warm non-slip surface and to absorb small amounts of floor
- Exercise mat – people perform various exercises on this type of mat
- Car mat – protects the car’s floors
What are the Similarities Between Rug and Mat?
- Rugs and mats are smaller than carpets
- They are not attached to the floor and are movable.
What is the Difference Between Rug and Mat?
Rug is a thick and heavy floor covering that does not extend over the entire floor. Conversely, mat is a piece of coarse material placed on a floor for people to wipe their feet on. Hence, this is the prime difference between rug and mat. ALso, while rugs can have different shapes such as round, oval or rectangular, mats are most often rectangular in shape. Furthermore, their size is a major difference between rug and mat. Although a rug is smaller than a carpet, a mat is even smaller than a rug. Moreover, where we use them creates another difference between rug and mat. Rugs are typically placed under or between furniture, on the floor. But, mats are placed near the entrance to a room or house.
Summary – Rug vs Mat
In brief, the difference between rug and mat depends on their size and purpose. We place mats immediately outside or inside the entrance to a room, house or other building so that people can wipe their foot on them. On the other hand, rugs are larger than mats and are found inside rooms.
Image Courtesy:
1.”sofa-table-window-apartment-architecture-plant-room-rug” (Public Domain) via pixnio
2.”14956105833″ by ▓▒░ TORLEY ░▒▓ (CC BY-SA 2.0) via Flickr