How To Identify A Handmade Wool Area Rug.
There are a few basics you should know about handmade rugs. Once you understand how to identify what makes a rug valuable, you’ll have a greater chance at purchasing a better rug.
Rug fibers usually consist of wool in most mid to upper end rugs. High-end rugs may also have silk. Synthetic fibers such as acrylic, polyester, nylon, and olefin (polypropylene) can be found in more economical rugs. Cotton, sea grass, and sisal rugs are often moderate priced. Your most stain resistant rugs will contain synthetic fibers, but won’t feel as soft and luxurious. All other natural fibers are susceptible to staining if spots aren’t cleaned immediately.
What do you look for in a rug? Quality of wool, type of dye, and knots. Simply because a rug is expensive, doesn’t mean it has good dyes or is constructed well. Make sure you know what it is and shop around first.
The quality of a wool fiber depends largely on the type of dye used. Fine wool is vegetable dyed with fruits, roots, and plants. Cheaper wools and nylons can be dyed with synthetic dyes. A rug should always be tested for colorfastness by taking a damp white cloth and gently rubbing it into the fiber. If any color transfers on the cloth, the dyes are unstable. Also look closely at the fiber to check the integrity. Make sure it isn’t unraveling. Very fine wool fibers can often look as soft as silk even to an experienced rug professional.
The construction is also a key factor. To determine if the rug is handmade, turn it upside down and look at the back. If you cannot see the pattern as clearly as on the face, it is not handmade. If it passes this first test, look at the fringe. The fringe should be an extension of the yarn inside the rug and should not look like it was sewed on separately. Many claim to be hand stitched, but are stitched by hand with a machine. You can expect to pay at least $500 for a small handmade 3×4 hand made rug.
BEWARE of rugs with cloth backings. These rugs have something to hide. The cloth is covering either flaws in a handmade rug or even worse, glue that is holding the backing together. Glued backings have a tendency to get torn when it is moved or cleaned. Also the cloth backing may become loose with a professional cleaning due to cleaning solutions coming in contact with the glue holding the cloth backing to the back of the rug. Rugs with cloth backings are NOT handmade.
If you are looking for an alternative to a handmade, you might look at a Karastan. These wool rugs closely resemble hand made rugs, are cheaper in price, and rarely have the problems associated with cheaper wool rugs. If you aren’t ready to invest several thousand dollars in a rug, these will be your best bet.
Ask the right questions. Educate yourself. Good luck in finding your perfect rug.
Oriental Rug Salon is a division of Tru-Clean Carpet & Tile Care. We are a professional Oriental, wool and silk area rug cleaning and repair facility located in Cape Coral, FL. We are a Certified Partner with the prestigious Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) and the international Carpet & Rug Institute. It’s also comforting to know we are A+ rated by the Better Business Bureau and Angie’s List and all of our technicians are certified by the world’s most respected certification body for textile professionals.
If you ever have any questions about your Oriental, wool or silk area rug please do not hesitate to give us a call at any time. We clean all types or area rugs including wool, silk, cotton, animal hide and synthetic. We are specialists in pet urine and odor removal and are proud to be the “cleaner of choice” to many of our areas leading Oriental rug shops, interior designers, insurance companies, realtors and flooring contractors.
For more information please give Oriental Rug Salon a call any time at 239-206-1935 or visit us online at www.OrientalRugSalon.com
We offer Oriental, wool and silk area rug cleaning throughout the cities of Cape Coral, Naples, Bonita Springs, Estero, Fort Myers, Sanibel, Punta Gorda, Lehigh Acres, North Fort Myers, Fort Myers Beach and Buckingham Florida.
We offer Oriental rug cleaning, pet urine and stain removal, wool area rug cleaning, odor control, insect control, silk area rug cleaning , synthetic area rug cleaning and allergen free cleaning.
