Is this where you plan to keep it, on the hardwood, at the door? If so, I don't think it is going to work. I have a similar rug that is several years old and I place it on my Oriental rug in the same room (by my bed). If I laid it on the hardwood floor without anything to pad it sotaspeak, it would look like yours.

I think it would look nice over your existing rug. I cannot see all the room so I am not exactly sure where I would place it but somewhere about midway, I would think.

Thanks, Patricia, but I bought it specifically to use at the door. Maybe a couple of inches more into the room. I just walked in, threw it on the floor, and tried to smooth it out with my feet (it is surprisingly very soft). Perhaps it needs a pad under it?

Yes, you can try a pad under it. That's what I did with mine years ago. You know things come and go in style. I placed the pad on the floor, laid my skin atop that, and pinned it in place here and there and cut the pad about an inch smaller all the way around. You could make a template which might be easier. I just tend to take shortcuts and that was for me, just get it done. But you can do a template of craft paper and use that as your pattern for cutting.

I had it in storage for a number of years after I quit using it and got it out of storage recently and it was wrinkled (like yours), so I just laid it atop my rug in bedroom by the bed. I had planned to use it at the dresser, but too much trouble to cut another pad and I have inadvertently thrown mine out or misplaced it somehow, but you can do that and see how it works. Make it a pretty good pad, like that felt padding for carpet, not just that holy stuff that is everywhere in the big box stores. It is soft and you will need to keep it brushed and care for it. It's a sweet rug.

This post was edited by patricia43 on Sat, Aug 2, 14 at 12:59

Thanks. The felt type padding is all I use.

I've tried to call the manufacturer of this rug to ask about getting the wrinkles out, but, of course, they are closed on Saturday.

Since you've had one before, what happens if someone accidentally spills something on it? Is it as simple as just blotting it up? What if it is something like coffee with cream - not water or white wine?

I could have answered but I would not be as concise as this. Mine was not used in an area where there would be red wine spills or spaghetti sauce (LOL) but was used in area where men walked (why do men have dirty shoes just from walking in the door?) and the cat vomited. When cat vomited, I blotted very carefully and let it dry and then shook it off. That was the only thing I had an issue with but I am giving you this which will be most helfpful *source is Architectural Digest.

Cowhide rugs wear like, well, cowhide.
Kleinberg purchased the rug through Beauvais in New York. The company, a purveyor of antique and custom carpets for more than 20 years, knows a thing or two about care and cleaning. Representative Steven Haproff says he has sold cowhide rugs for just about every space possible, including entrance halls, libraries, family rooms, and dining rooms. In fact, he thinks high-traffic, high-risk rooms are perfect for cowhide. âÂÂThey are so easy to live with; cowhide is naturally extremely stain-resistant.âÂÂ
Think about it: Stains on cows are rare, maybe even nonexistent, but then again, cows donâÂÂt spill red wine or eat spaghetti marinara. âÂÂThe rugs are really easy to clean,â assures Haproff. âÂÂBlot a spill with a dry cloth or paper towel. If it doesnâÂÂt come right up, you can move on to a wet cloth. You know, shush it a little.â Still no luck? A small amount of gentle shampoo applied with a moist cloth should do the trick.
But what if youâÂÂre not a witness to the mishap? Perhaps a pet or a child or a cowardly guest has an accident and slinks away without a peep? âÂÂIf the dog or cat throws up, itâÂÂs best to let it dry and then brush it off,â Haproff says. Otherwise, just pick up a wet cloth and get to work��"and steer clear of strong, chemical cleaners.

I have had my cowhide rug for about 11 years. It has never been laid out on anything but hardwood. It gets folded up from time to time and stored away. There is a crease down the middle from when I got it, but the wrinkles from when I fold it up come out in a couple of days.

I've spilled everything on it, and it's fine.

I would say your will probably always have a slight fold line down the middle, but the rest will smooth out.

If you all will not laugh, I will tell you how I got the wrinkles out of mine many years ago when I got it. I had my husband hold it down on one side and I two-face taped it to the pad and stretched it as I went, therefore, removing the wrinkles (really I think as times goes on and as it was walked on they might have gone away but after a few days, I was tired of it and that is what I did). Do they still make that double-sided (two-faced) tape? I bet they do. It comes off easily. I know that for sure because I have lost my pad that was taped to it. I suppose wherever the pad is there is the tape as well.

Yes, they still make double sided tape. I asked DH to pick up some since I had run out. He brought back something called "Rhino Tape." I think its original purpose was to tape rhinos onto the top of Land Rovers. That stuff is STRONG! Although this cowhide rug isn't flimsy, Rhino Tape is too tough for it. (For some reason, I think it is part of the Gorilla Glue family. If it isn't, it ought to be. Same DNA!)

Do y'all think I ought to try steaming it?

I steamed mine with a handheld steamer. Worked nicely.

I don't know if this rug will stay or not. We had guests last night and they didn't want to step on the rug as they walked in the door. That was awkward. We don't remove our shoes when we enter the house and don't expect our guests to either (I joke that DH puts on his shoes to go to the bathroom during the night.), so people will have to be comfortable walking on it. Plus, it doesn't have the oomph I imagined. It just kinda lays there.

I don't know how practical it is there. Ours is on a wall in the Cowboy Chic den. It's a beautiful hide!