{"id":285,"date":"2019-11-13T14:14:57","date_gmt":"2019-11-13T19:14:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rugs.com\/blog\/?p=285"},"modified":"2019-11-20T13:32:17","modified_gmt":"2019-11-20T18:32:17","slug":"how-to-tell-a-handmade-rug-from-a-machine-made-rug","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rugs.com\/blog\/how-to-tell-a-handmade-rug-from-a-machine-made-rug\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Tell a Handmade Rug from a Machine-Made Rug"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In the world of rugs, there are two main types of rug<\/a>: handmade rugs and machine-made rugs. Machine-made rugs represent the vast majority of rugs sold today and are a great choice for most consumers. However, machine-made rugs will rarely approach the quality and durability found in handmade Persian and Oriental rugs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because handmade rugs tend to be more expensive than their\nmachine-made counterparts, you\u2019ll want to know if your new rug is authentic. In\nthis article, we\u2019ll introduce some basic terms when it comes to handmade rug\nconstruction and how to tell them apart from machine-made rugs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Handmade Rug Lingo<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When you enter the world of fine handmade rugs, it can feel\nlike you\u2019re learning a new language. Don\u2019t let this deter you, though! The\nterms you need to know aren\u2019t as complicated as they seem, and once you can\ntalk the talk, you\u2019ll find it much easier to communicate what you are looking\nfor and make the right decision when it comes to your rug.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Warp, weft, and pile<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

All rugs are made with at least three different yarns or fibers, named based on how they are used in the rug. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The \u201cwarp\u201d of the rug is the (usually cotton) foundational fibers that run its length. The \u201cweft\u201d are the foundational fibers that run the rug\u2019s width. Pile yarns are typically dyed wool or silk and are knotted into the warp of the rug forming the rug\u2019s design and texture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hand-knotted rugs vs. hand-tufted rugs<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

All \u201ctrue\u201d Oriental rugs are hand knotted. In this intricate\nand labor-intensive process, the warp is stretched vertically across a wooden\nloom. Line-by-line, artisans will individually knot the pile onto the warp,\nweave in the weft, and tightly pack the yarns together with a heavy comb.\nThrough this process, the weavers make the foundation of the rug as they go,\nand the pile becomes an important part of the rug\u2019s overall construction. The\nresult is an extremely durable, yet still soft and flexible work of art.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By contrast, hand-tufted rugs begin with a stiff foundation\nusually made of jute or canvas. Workers then punch the pile of the rug through\nthis foundation using an air-powered \u201ctufting gun,\u201d usually while following a\npattern that has been traced or printed onto the material. The pile is then\nsheared and held in place with glue and a backing material like latex. This\nprocess requires much less skill than hand knotting, so hand-tufted rugs can be\nmade far more quickly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

SHOP HAND-KNOTTED RUGS<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Handwoven rugs and kilims<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s a third type of handmade rug that doesn\u2019t have a pile at all: handwoven rugs. This style of rug goes by many names including soumak, dhurrie and most commonly, the Turkish word \u201ckilim.\u201d Unlike other types of rug, handwoven rugs and kilims have no knots and no tufts. Instead, colorful weft yarns are woven through the warp to form the pattern of the rug. The result is a light, durable and often reversible floor covering. Traditionally, kilims are tribal rugs, and as such tend to have more \u201cedgy\u201d geometric patterns rather than the elaborate and intricate floral patterns and medallions common on \u201ccity\u201d rugs including most pile rugs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SHOP KILIM RUGS<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Persian rugs vs. Oriental rugs<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPersian\u201d is an often-misapplied label. In truth, Persian\nrugs are specifically hand-knotted rugs made in Iran. The techniques used in\nPersian rugs date back thousands of years to the ancient Persian empire and are\nused to make intricate patterns with unparalleled precision and detail. The\nunmatched quality of Persian rugs along with their relative rarity in the US\nthanks to trade sanctions makes them highly prized by collectors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOriental\u201d, on the other hand, is an umbrella term that can\napply to rugs made in a wide range of countries, from Egypt and Turkey to\nPakistan, China, India, and, yes, Iran. This means that while all Persian rugs\nare Oriental, not all Oriental rugs are Persian. Moroccan rugs are also sometimes\nconsidered Oriental but are distinct enough that many people consider them a\nseparate category.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Historically, Persian rugs have been top dogs in terms of\nquality, but their increasing rarity has encouraged weavers from outside Iran\nto adopt Persian designs and techniques. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

SHOP PERSIAN AND ORIENTAL RUGS<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to Tell Your Handmade Rug is Authentic<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Now that you know a little more about how hand-knotted rugs\nare made, let\u2019s dig deeper into how they differ from machine-made rugs and how\nto tell the two apart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Check the back<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The easiest way to tell whether you have a real hand-knotted\nrug is to check the back. As stated above, the pile of hand-knotted rugs is\ntied directly into the warp, whereas machine-made rugs will be pushed through\nand held in place with glue and an additional backing material like what\u2019s\nfound in hand-tufted rugs. The back of a hand-knotted rug should be soft and\nflexible, with clearly visible knots in a pattern that mirrors the front of the\nrug. If some of those knots appear looser than others, that\u2019s a good sign! Even\nthe most skilled artisans won\u2019t be capable of machine-like precision, so some\nunevenness is an indicator that your rug is handmade<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Check the dye<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Genuine Oriental and Persian rugs are made with natural\nvegetable dyes that over the centuries have been found to not run. Checking if\nthe dye is colorfast is a surefire way to tell if your rug is authentic or a\ncheap imitation. An easy way to check is to leave a damp cloth on it overnight.\nIf any dye transfers to the cloth, it is not colorfast and risks running should\nyou ever spill liquid on it in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Check the fringe<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In a real hand-knotted rug, the fringe is made from the\nexcess warp yarns on either end of the rug after it has been cut out of the\nloom. Machine-made rugs will often emulate this look with a fringe that is\neither glued or sewn on after the fact. If your rug has a sewn-on fringe, it is\nnot authentic\u2014the fringe on hand-knotted rugs is always structural.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Check the material<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Authentic Persian and Oriental rugs are always made with\n100% natural fibers. Usually, this means a cotton foundation and pile made from\nwool, silk, or a combination of the two. If your rug contains any synthetic\nmaterials like polyester or polypropylene, it can\u2019t be called a genuine\nOriental rug.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Check the price<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While this won\u2019t be as reliable as checking how the rug is\nbuilt, you should still consider price when searching for a hand-knotted rug.\nThis is especially important when buying online.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For many people, hand-knotted rugs are investment pieces and\nfamily heirlooms. While we won\u2019t say it\u2019s impossible to get a good deal, you\nshould expect to spend a little more on handmade rugs. Making a hand-knotted\nrug is a difficult and time-intensive process. It might take a team of skilled\nweavers a year or more to complete a room-sized rug, assuming they are working\nfull-time. Price tags of several thousand dollars are justified when considering\nthe cost of premium materials and, in the case of Persian Rugs, the price\nincrease that comes with their scarcity. If you find a room-sized rug\npresenting itself as a genuine Persian or Oriental rug for only a few hundred\ndollars, there is a very good chance it is a fake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Buying a Handmade Rug Online<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you choose to buy a hand-knotted rug online, pay close\nattention to the reputation of the site you are buying it from. Take your time,\nread reviews and testimonials, and look for buyer protection services and\nreturn policies. Pay close attention to any photos you find. Your dealer should\nbe able to provide pictures of the rug from multiple angles that clearly show\nthe hallmarks of a handmade rug that were discussed above. If you have any\nquestions or want the additional assurance of a certificate of authenticity,\ndon\u2019t be afraid to call customer service! A reputable dealer will be more than\nwilling to work with you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At Rugs.com, we make sure to check all the boxes, so our customers feel confident in the online rug buying process. With decades of experience working with handmade and machine-made rugs, we strive to help every customer find the perfect rug for every room of their home. Check out our online collection of hand-knotted Persian and Oriental rugs<\/a> to get started today! Or, if you\u2019re not comfortable shopping online and happen to be in the Charlotte, NC area, stop by our Fort Mill showroom and see some of our huge inventory of hand-made rugs yourself!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shop hand-knotted rugs<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In the world of rugs, there are two main types of rug: handmade and machine-made rugs. Machine-made rugs represent the vast majority of rugs sold today and are a great choice for most consumers. However, machine-made rugs will rarely approach the quality and durability found in handmade Persian and Oriental rugs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":287,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-285","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-design","category-weave"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rugs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/285","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rugs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rugs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rugs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rugs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=285"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/rugs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/285\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":345,"href":"https:\/\/rugs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/285\/revisions\/345"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rugs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/287"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rugs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=285"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rugs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=285"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rugs.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=285"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}