I am looking into the same issue. We have started with a few different procedures at the historic house I work in. No longer do visitors walk on the rugs which are part of the collection - have in the meantime put down rubber backed mats. The front door is not used as entrance for
visitors as we are located in the country - grass comes in on feet and pea gravel from the path scratches the floor. The main set of stairs are not used as the graining on the steps is very fragile so this is an issue that needs to be looked into.  Visitors and workmen must wear
"booties" over their shoes to protect the floors and keep the house cleaner. Staff have soft slippers.
We have the added challenge of furnishings etc. are all original to the family who owned the mansion until 1993 - so the wall to wall installed in the 1970's is an artifact (new mindset for me!).
Marilynn Havelka
Ruthven Park National Historic Site
Cayuga, Ontario
Canada.

Chris Godbold wrote:

> Dear fellow listers,
>
> I work at an 1891 historic house (As I have said previously) and the large
> rugs in the house all extend into the visitor walkways. Someone in the past
> (before I came to work there) put down plastic covers that have little
> cleats on the bottom to protect the rugs from wear and tear. These cleats
> are damaging our wood floors and probably our rugs, too. So I have been
> asked to research alternate means to cover the rugs and protect them from
> the wear and tear of visitor traffic.I understand that it is best to keep
> rugs where they cannot be walked on, but that may not be an option.
> I have looked at the list archives and several conservation websites, but
> didn't find much. So I am asking for your help, observations, experiences,
> etc. Thanks in advance for your help!
>
> Sincerely,
> Chris Godbold
> Assistant Curator
> Heritage Farmstead Museum
> Plano, TX 75075
> [log in to unmask]
> www.heritagefarmstead.org
>
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