Rug Pads (carpet pads)

[James Doran]

Hola GTO List:

We want to buy some rugs from the vendor who come here from SMA. they are nice. However, we need to find standard carpet or rug pads to put under them so they do not slip. the pads also make them softer. I am talking about normal fiber pad, usually a petroleum product. But any thing that will stick to the tile and provide some padding would do.

If anyone knows where these can be found, even if it is all the way to Leon, I would be grateful. We prefer to buy locally in Town for convenience and to give to the local economy.

James[/i]

[DonJuane]

I don't know what you call the stuff, but it looks like a bunch of very small silicon-rubbery balls formed together in a mesh, and it is typically perforated and on a roll that you typically buy to line the bottom of kitchen drawers and cabinets. It is sort of a no-slip material. Well with my kitchen carpet squares, I simply glued some of that to the bottom of rugs. If they are of priceless origin, I would assume you could loosely sew them to the bottom of the rug, tying the thread underneath so you could remove the addition freely if you ever wanted to sell the rug in the future.


OK, I just found some online but they sell at lots of big box stores too:
https://www.amazon.com/Gorilla-Grip-Orig...0895&psc=1

[DonJuane]

Also I would not personally buy anything from San Miguel de Allende due to the high overhead. A good place for rugs is near Oaxaca and can be combined into a very interesting trip. A very rewarding and memorable experience can be found at the place noted in this article:

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/27/t-mag...aving.html

To get to Oaxaca, you can take the Primera Plus or ETN bus from GTO to reach the Mexico Norte bus station. Try to arrive before noon to catch the 1PM ADO bus to Oaxaca so you can see the beautiful scenic drive, which means leaving GTO for Mexico City before 7AM unless you plan to overnight and tour DF which is also highly recommended. Once at the Mexico Norte terminal, take the ADO bus to the Oaxaca, Oaxaca bus terminal via an ADO bus. (Buying tickets in advance to make this tight connection is generally a requirement.) Find a hotel in Oaxaca according to your budget, tour Oaxaca and then find on the edge of town many colectivos (small public vans or taxis with multiple passengers) to take you to Teotitlan. Again, get an early start on your travel day so you won't get stranded in the village for the night. (Note that speaking at least a little Spanish is a good thing here because one of the options to get from Oaxaca to Teotitlan involves riding a city bus along a small road that cuts off from the main to an even smaller one, where you are left by the bus at the edge of the road near open fields a good 13K from civilization. Here you must wait at the T intersection where you are left perhaps alone waiting for a taxi to arrive from Teotitlan which parks at this intersection and waits for 6 passengers to arrive which will all be crammed in the small cab that then drives you to Teotitlan. A very fun and memorable adventure!

Of course you can fly to Oaxaca and hire a tour with a hot-aired Gringo directing the way (spoken from the lips of this hot-aired Gringo) which will meet your needs perhaps at a much higher cost of course, if that is your style. Otherwise, navigating yourself around and experiencing it alone or with a friend or two, perhaps exploring around the village where someone might introduce themselves to you and who wishes to show you their own private collection for sale .... well this is always a more rewarding experience in my book. And if you don't make that rare, chance encounter, one of the many shops on every corner of the village can probably supply you with if not the exact one, a close proximity of what you are looking for. (The disadvantage of traveling with an expert in this field is always the chance of being taken, but that's about the same with your San Miguel dealer. The advantage without traveling with the expert is a more genuine and authentic experience on your own. One or the other would still be a lot more fun than buying something in San Miguel in my opinion.)

[James Doran]

Now that's an answer I can use. Thank you DJ. [/i]

[Colibri]

You can buy carpet/rug pads by the meter at Home Depot in Leon.

[James Doran]

Thanks again. We are planning a trip to Leon next week. Will the Omnibus or other buses let you put a few rolls of pad on board?

James

[DonJuane]

If you can stand and hug it like a mummy and hold onto your wallet at the same time, you'll be set. If it's a whole lot, I'd taxi from the carpet store to the bus station and there will be room under the bus in the luggage assuming it's not longer than 8' .