Tired of cheap flimsy rug pads like you find at the box stores?

Tired of cutting the pad to fit and trying to align it under the rug.

Tired of paying too much for something better?

Rug Dots and Rug Dots Minis are the answer!

Rug Dots
$39
Free Shipping!

Rug Dots Minis
$33
Free Shipping!

Industry Expert Secrets to Finding the Perfect Rug

What About the Rug Fiber?

by Nancy Minter

with contributions from Jim Wood,
30 year expert in the rug industry. President of Scotia Design Group
and former Director of Gulistan Rug & Home

Rugs can be made from dozens of different materials which all have their own unique characteristics and advantages…

We’ll talk about the most commonly used materials. These materials are typically found in machine-made area rugs so that will be the focus. Hand-made rugs are typically made from natural fibers such as wool, leather, bamboo and many other materials.

The most popular materials are probably Wool and Polypropylene (heat-set olefin) since they offer the best combination of luxury and durability.

WOOL – Wool is noted for luxury and softness. Wool has a high build and is available in many choices of colors. It has a natural elasticity stretching 30% to 40% without breaking. It has a natural crimp with millions of coiled molecules. This allows wool rugs to retain their shape; even under heavy foot traffic. Wool also a natural waxy outer membrane that repeals most stains but can still absorb up to one-third it’s weight in moisture reducing static.

Wool has a naturally low PH, resisting mold and mildew in even very humid climates. Wool fibers can withstand high temperatures and tends not to catch fire. Instead, wool tends to smolder slowly instead of bursting into flames. In comparison, man-made fibers will melt and combust.

There are many grades of wool but long staple wool from New Zealand is considered to be most effective for area rugs. Worsted Wool is also popular and involves an extra step in wool processing that combs out shorter fibers resulting in durable and lustrous yarns.

POLYPROPYLENE – Polypropylene is an Olefin fiber made from petroleum products and derived from propylene and ethylene gases. It is strong and colorfast with a soft wool-like feel. Polypropylene is known for its resistance to moisture as well as stains making it “family-friendly”.

Modern day polypropylene yarns are twisted and heat-set for increased durability. Heat-setting is comparable to a curling iron allowing the fiber to bounce back after being walked on. Its fibers have the lowest density of all manufactured fibers giving it a very lightweight quality. Because of this, polypropylene is inexpensive and probably the predominant machine-woven synthetic fabric. But its low density also prevents it from being resilient to long-term wear.

COTTON – Cotton is a natural fiber of great durability, absorbency and strength. Its versatility allows it to be used in several ways. Cotton can be used as a binding thread to help form the backing and fringes found in area rugs. It can also be used as the body or main fabric in some area rugs.

OTHER FIBERS – There are many other fibers used in area rugs; some of which are more popular in carpeting than area rugs. Nylon is the over-whelming choice for wall-to-wall carpeting but is found in many rugs as well. Nylon is a synthetic fiber best known for durability, stain resistance and resilience. It has good dyeing characteristics and can be solution dyed, skein dyed or space dyed.

Polyester is the most widely used fiber in the world found in clothing, carpeting, rugs, draperies and even soda bottles and furniture to name a few. Polyester is noted for its soft, luxurious feel. It has excellent color clarity and retention and it also resistant to water-soluble stains but is not as resilient as nylon.

Rayon or Viscose is one of the oldest manufactured fibers; first produced during the 1880s in France. Spun rayon is very much like silk and was known for many years as artificial silk.

<< Previous Article << Why Should I Care about Rug Construction?

Next Article >> Rug Glossary >>