I've never heard of yellowing on a tile floor due to rubber backed rugs. It's typically a problem with vinyl flooring. I've had various rubber backed rugs in front of our shower, with tile flooring, for over 15 years. I've never had a problem with the rubber sticking to the floor. I prefer the rubber backing on the bathroom tile so the rug doesn't slip while stepping out of the shower.

Hey, now wait a minute. Yellowing from rubber backed rugs? You may have solved a mystery for me! I have inexpensive rubber backed rugs in my bathroom,including one in front of the toilet. One day I noticed yellowed/light rusty colored spots when I lifted the rug. Got ticked off but things like this are always happening in my old house with well water, so thought it was water that never got wiped up off my VCT blue/white checkboard floor.

The spots will NOT clean up, altho I took drastic action and used a Mr. Clean Eraser that seemed to lighten it. There are similar small spots and smudges in other areas - right where the other rugs lay. I'll be darned, I wonder if the rugs are indeed the problem?

I would get a piece of good quality rug pad sold to go under non rubberized rugs and cut it to fit...either under the rubberized one (since they are easier to wash) or a non rubberized one. You might look at things like the Waterhog. I think they have a better quality backing than the cheap kinds. Also, I think if you don't dry the cheaper ones in the dryer, but hang to dry, it prevents the decomposition of that latex type rubber.

I've never heard of the problem, and in my many years of using latex/rubber backed rugs I've never had them damage tile floors.
There are backings that can damage the finish on hardwood floors but I would doubt they'd have any affect on glazed tile.

The OP needs to tell us more about the tile!

Ceramic and the like...no problem with those rugs.
Vinyl - THERE'S the problem!

Even on vinyl, I have not had this problem, I think it depends on the type of rug backing. We were told when we had engineered hardwood not to use rubber backed rugs or underpads, too. But I have never heard this as an issue for tile, if it's porcelain tile it's pretty impervious to any staining so keep your current rugs and don't worry!

We talked to our rug guy who told us that petroleum based products can turn vinyl yellow and even told us to be sure to use water-based driveway sealer as the petroleum based will get on your shoes and leave yellowed track marks on your vinyl.

I've never heard of the problem with ceramic tile though.

Don't want to highjack this post but am referring to yellow stains. I do not have yellow stains on my ceramic tile floors with rubber backed rugs, but I get yellow spots on the marble top of my bathroom vanity from sitting things in the same spot too long. I make sure that every two weeks or so, I move the lamp and other decorations to a new spot and the yellow spots then disappear. Same with the tub.....keep the shower doors open and let some light into the tub. Something to do with the light and shadow, I guess.

I have had various rubber backed rugs on my ceramic tile for over 20 years now, with zero yellowing.

I must have just read that one post on-line that got it wrong when it said not to use on vinyl or tile. I'm glad to hear from you all saying you've not had problems with it. I guess the rugs are here to stay. Thanks everyone.

No Peabody1 you did not read it wrong! See the state of my tiled floor from this stupid mat! Photo

No peabody1 you did not read it wrong! I have rubber backed rugs in my bathroom & in my ensuite. Never again! They stuck like hell to the porcelain tiles in my bathroom & also to my regular tiles in my ensuite! They made a nasty mess & took ages to scrape off. They were squeaky clean new, so it must be some chemical they are adding to those mats now because this did not happen with my old mats which I had for ages & never gave any trouble!

I lived in an older house with white vinyl floors. I made the mistake of buying rubber backed rugs for the bathroom and they did turn my floors yellow exactly where the rugs laid. Once it turns it is a bugger to clean and after a scrubbing it will always be there.

I swore off rubber backed rugs after that. I now have ceramic tile and I am still afraid to use them for fear I will ruin my floors.

I would try a felt rug pad...

The discoloring only occurs on vinyl for me. It is tough to get off. I have a light colored sheet vinyl in my kitchen. I found something at Costco that I like...it has a soft backing that is not latex that does the job well, but Costco hasn't had it since I bought it last year. On porcelain and wood, the latex does not affect it.

felt rug pads

https://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/Rug-Pads/Felt,/material,/1285/subcat.html

I've never had a problem with tile but I had a vinyl kitchen floor and where a rug sat the floor did yellow under it. I have Amtico vinyl planks now and have never used a rubber backed rug for just this reason.

I've never had any problem with tile but would not use on wood. I moved into a house once where the finish on the wood floor in front of the sink had been damaged by a rug. I currently have some rubber backed rugs on the vinyl flooring in my laundry/back entry but it's not a color that you'd ever notice discoloring plus it will always have some kind of rug there.

I always get the thicker area rug type rugs that have the woven back for places that I don't want rubber backing. I don't care for the thinner rugs with no backing because they don't stay flat and are a tripping hazard. I get a color that doesn't show every little thing and get them professionally cleaned once in a while.

Oh my gosh. I had no idea about this problem and just had Coretec vinyl plank installed. I haven't yet put my anti-fatigue mat back in front of the sink, but now I know to put something else down first. Thank you all so much for helping me avert this mess on my new floor!

Hazel, I saw this post, if you want more info on the type of rugs and pads to us on your Cortec, check out the flooring forum. However, I will tell you now that it will be a very, very lengthy read. But well worth the 2 hours it will eat up of your time. The thread title is " anyone used Cortec" ?

by the way, last summer I had two levels of my house done. Best thing I have ever had!

Thank you for the referral and I'm so glad to hear that you're happy with the flooring. I'm looking forward to finishing the project and enjoying it for years to come!

We have travertine tiles and a rubber backed rug turned them yellow too.

I had a problem from the mats in front of my tub and toilet turning my floor yellow. I will never ever again use a rubber backed mat on vinyl floor again.

A floor guy once told me you can cut small pieces of a holey rubber pad and glue them on to the corners of the non-rubberized backed rug. This will prevent slipping and it will not mark the floor with the yellow stain. I have not tried it Yet but it sounds like a solution to yellow stained floors.

I been using rubber back in my tile entrance an backed door in the tropics. Never heard of such a thing.

It’s probably best to contact your floor manufacturer about this issue. I don’t buy cheap rugs, but have bought nice bath and kitchen rugs with the rubberized backing. I have had staining from them on ceramic tile and porcelain tile. However, I have also had no staining from those type rugs on both ceramic and porcelain tiles…different houses and different areas of the country. I recommend speaking with your installer and/or manufacturer.