I've decided I want a runner in my upstairs hall which leads to our bedrooms and main bathroom. I purchased two rugs from Rona for the LR I'll show in more detail another time, but here's a peek. Today I play with the hall! 
I am interested in keeping the cost of the hall runner down to $100 or less, and it's been hard to find a rug in a design/pattern I like in a medium-dark grey. Matching the new LR rugs would be nice, but I found it was not doable. The hall needs coverage for 12-15 feet. I wanted something 'cushy', but I've moved on because that was hard. I turned to Ikea and thought I'd try something 'flatwoven'. I like the ANDRUP striped one (24.99) very much as it's quite neutral, and the livelier green works since one bedroom has walls in a similar green colour. I also brought home some SIGNE (3.99) cotton rugs in winter white with black stripes. Anyway, here is the Martha Stewart inspiration picture that got me thinking of considering using smaller rugs together, separately or joined. I think it looks really nice in the picture, but my hall is minimum width and obviously not as grand. (needs paint and baseboards!) I might be joining these smaller rugs to make my own custom long runner. This of course depends on the mood of my sewing machine and whether or not the needles for denim can handle the rug weight. (I'm thinking it's doable)
I started with the Ikea SIGNE. It's a little 'skimpy', weight-wise, but the bigger problem is that the sizing is not so uniform. This means that although joining them up with a sewing machine may work, but I'd have to compare widths in the store and buy one more for the length I need. It's not bad..........a good look for summer perhaps.
I'm liking the heavier ANDRUP a lot more. Here it is how the 3 I brough home look with space between vs. joined:
I still have issues with variation in width, and if I joined them I think I should get one more rug to make 4 so the runner would end just before the turn downstairs. What do you think? What would you do, join them or keep them spaced/separate? I'm having a hard time deciding. The only thing I know for sure is that the nonslip pads beneath are a must. It's SLIP CITY as is without them!
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I have a big box, but in the top left corner is the little box with the red X; using XP SP2 and IE8.
Or just forget sewing them and get some carpet tape (I think most hardware places carry it). That stuff is very strong. You have to watch that stuff because it's double sided. My mom used it in one house to hold the edge of her rug down and it pulled the finish right off the wood but if you only use the one sticky side it would work to hold two edges together. The only thing I would look at before trying it is whether it can removed easily so you can wash the carpets when you want.
Nope still no photo....but I imagine everything will be up and running soon as the tech team are working on this problem.
I think once all the wrinkles are ironed out, this site will be just fine.We should be good for our Christmas posts.
The underlay mats will say they are safe for wood if they are. If they don't say so, don't put them on wood. You can get the safe ones at places like Home Depot or Rona and don't worry too much about size if the standards are different from whatever you decide to do, just get a big one and cut off what you need so you have exactly the size you want.
At first I couldn't see the photos either, I switched from Safari to Firefox and they are visible now.
Dawn. I like the joined ANDRUP rugs, and would add a 4th. I also think your walls would look great if you painted them one of the colours from the rug, like the green, to add more contrast. Add picture frames in a dark frame on the walls and it would look perfect.
At first I couldn't see the photos either, I switched from Safari to Firefox and they are visible now.
Dawn. I like the joined ANDRUP rugs, and would add a 4th. I also think your walls would look great if you painted them one of the colours from the rug, like the green, to add more contrast. Add picture frames in a dark frame on the walls and it would look perfect.
Maybe I'll get another to make a total of 4 and keep the bill until I've tried 3 spaced. I have to go back anyway to get rug pads to keep them in place. There appears to be at least 2 types of 'underlay' pad products at Ikea, and I'll have to check them out. (one lists latex and polyester content, and I don't know about that one unless the latex side goes against the rug? Thought latex pads damaged wood floors?)
DH isn't fond of the spaced ones because he thinks it's a trip hazard. We'll see how it goes!
I like them separate. If you do join them I think you are right about getting another to add to them.
Hi sweetpea3. Thanks for looking. (lonely here, lol)
Do you see a box with a red X inside? Just wondering-I saw that on another post. I had a chance to check the board on dh's computer, when I made him look at my post. The pictures in my post showed up on his computer fine, but things looked different on my picture practice post in the Tech forum, which I opened first by mistake. There, pearlgirl's post with a picture of autumn leaves posted BETWEEN my posts, yet on my computer her post shows after all of mine. I haven't figured that out.
I have an idea. I'll post a SMALLER picture to see if you can't see that one either, in case it's due to the large size of the pictures I posted:
Hi Dawn;For some reason the pictures are blank??I don't know if it's just my computer or is it the site?