I just refinished an oak bedroom floor with Basic Emulsion + Streetshoe. It's been a couple of weeks since the final coat and I want to put a 7x9 area rug on the floor.
What's the prevailing wisdom regarding pad or no pad underneath. If a pad is recommended, what's the best type?

Thanks in advance.

A pad helps the rug last longer. It keeps the fibers from being pinched and also feels more luxurious.
I like to use the poly-urethane pad that comes with wall to wall carpet. Besides getting it free when we refinish floors after removing a clean wall to wall, it recycles the pad instead of throwing it out. This type pad will not bleed plasticizer
which is like a slow drying oil that will soak into some finishes and darken them
which can come from latex pads.
The thin checkerboard strand type of pad will help keep the rugs in place and offer some padding, too.