Understanding how area rugs and carpets are made may help you better understand how to look for and purchase area rugs and carpets. Knowing how a rug is produced may help you determine if it will last longer or wear better than other choices, as well as its actual worth. Knowing these principles may help you discover the ideal rug while keeping within your budget — and helping you find the perfect rug is our top goal at Remnant King Carpets!
Machine-made carpets are woven on automated weaving looms and are not often thought of as a long-term investment. Their intricate patterns are produced by replacing various colours of yarn throughout the weaving process. This kind of rug has a wider range of options and is renowned for being more adaptable than other carpets. They are not likely to survive as long as other alternatives due to their lower quality, but they are considerably less costly.
Handmade carpets are produced utilising a technique that is both old and distinctive. These hand woven carpets may be customised with one-of-a-kind patterns that combine vibrant colours and imaginative imagery. Many handmade carpets include features and complexities that are unique to the creator’s town, city, or nation. Natural dyes are used to produce their hues, ensuring that they last a long time. While these pricey carpets are undoubtedly an investment, many of them become keepsakes that may be cherished and handed down through the years.
Handmade carpets are produced using the weaving method. The three most common weave types are pile weave, flat weave, and hand-tufted. These rugs are, unsurprisingly, costly because of the time-consuming techniques and high-quality designs.
The most common rugs weaving method is pile weave. The rug is weaved in this manner by manually tying every knot in the rug. Different knots are used by different weaving groups. There may be anywhere from 25 to over 1000 knots per square inch of rug, depending on density and size. A knot takes approximately 10 seconds for the most experienced weavers to tie. Even the most experienced weaver would need approximately 6,480 hours to weave a 9×12 foot rug with a density of 150 knots per square inch. Thankfully, workshops or several weavers weaving at the same time may cut down on this time.
Flatweave is a weaving method that does not utilise any knots. Warp strands are the thicker foundation strands that support the pattern-making weft strands. Because there are no knots in the end result and the rug has a flat look, these carpets are referred to as flat weaves.
Hand-tufted carpets are among the most long-lasting rugs available. They are not only less costly than hand-knotted carpets, but they can also withstand years of foot usage. These rugs’ foundations are made without tying knots, and the pile height is controlled by how much yarn the designers choose to take off. They take less time to make than knotted carpets, but they still need a high degree of skill.
Knots are tied to the rug’s warp strands to make knotted carpets. Asymmetrical and symmetrical knots are the two most common kinds of knots. Turkish and Kurdish tribes have employed the symmetrical knot, also known as the Turkish or Ghiorde knot, throughout Turkey, the Caucasus, and Iran. Iran, India, Turkey, Egypt, and China have all employed the asymmetrical knot, also known as the Persian or Senneh knot. Because the asymmetrical knot is created by wrapping yarn around one warp strand and then going beneath the adjacent warp strand before being brought back to the surface, it has a finer weave. The number of knots per square inch in the imperial system, or per square decimeter in the metric system, is referred to as knot density. One thing to keep in mind is that the greater the number of knots per square inch, the better the rug’s quality and price.
Rug materials like wool, silk, and cotton are dyed to alter their original colour. Natural and synthetic dyes are the two types of dyes that are now available. Natural coloured rugs tend to keep their rich colour for longer than synthetic dyed rugs. Natural dyed carpets, on the other hand, are generally more costly.
Natural dyes, which originate from a range of sources such as plants, animals, and minerals, were the only kind of colours utilised until the late 19th century. Plant dyes may be derived from the plant’s roots, leaves, bark, flowers, or fruit. Natural dyeing is more difficult than synthetic dying, and as a consequence, the finished product is typically more costly. Natural dyes, on the other hand, are generally found to be colorfast, which means they can keep their vibrant and attractive hues for a long time. Rugs of this kind are a great substitute for those who are allergic to the chemicals in synthetic dyes since their colours are made from natural resources.
Manufacturers sought a method to make more carpets with more colours at a cheaper cost to consumers, therefore synthetic dyes were developed in the 19th century. The bulk of carpets on the market now are dyed using synthetic colours. Synthetic dyes have allowed producers to produce a wide range of area rugs in a variety of colour combinations. Because of the wide range of colours available, homeowners may choose trugs that have a strong impact on the atmosphere of every space.