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Industry Expert Secrets to Finding the Perfect Rug

Why Should I Care about Rug Construction?

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

Machine-made wiltons, machine-made axminsters, hand-knotted, hand-tufted, hand-hooked, braided, flat woven… there are nearly as many construction techniques as designs. Find out why construction may be the most important decision in your rug selection…

The construction of the rug says as much about the rug as the design you choose. While it may be difficult for the layman to discern the types of machine-made rugs, you can certainly discern the hand-mades. However, you will learn that construction of machine-made rugs will influence your price, available colors and details such as the pile and fringe. Hand-mades can be very expensive but some are very reasonably priced. Hand-made area rugs are available in many different styles so you should learn about how they are made to determine what is best for you.

Your area rug should perform well in addition to looking great. To find the best area rug within your budget, consider the right combination of density, twist and fiber. Density refers to the tightness of the tufts, or knots. The denser the weave, the better the area rug will wear. Twist refers to the amount of yarn spirals. A yarn twist that is tighter provides added durability. Fiber for area rugs may be from a variety of synthetic or natural materials, which will help determine performance and appearance. The next article in this series (What about the Fiber?) will talk about the choices in materials in detail.

                    

MACHINE-MADE

Machine-made area rugs are made on power looms by hand, machine or computer. They provide the consumer with a high quality product with more variety of sizes, colors and designs at a lower price than hand-made rugs. Many high quality machine-made rugs incorporate the Wilton method of construction. This includes the Face-to-Face Wilton and Side-Woven Wilton methods.

The Face-to-Face Wilton method is used for the majority of rugs made and offers two distinct advantages; efficiency and quality. Wilton Looms are situated facing each other and actually weave two identical area rugs which are cut in half.

Side-Woven Wilton means the rugs are woven from side to side instead of top to bottom. This allows many more colors to be included into the rug and provides a softer, denser pile. An added benefit is that side-weaving allows for the fringe to be incorporated into the rug instead of added on in the end. The backing material used to hold the pile fiber in place is known as the “weft”. The weft of a side-woven rug forms the fringe so the fringe is woven in the rug as part of the process.

Axminster is yet another machine-made process and more commonly refers to a type of carpet rather than a type of loom, although the Gripper Axminster loom was created to mass produce carpet in 1927.

HAND-MADE

There are several different types of hand-made area rugs: knotted, tufted, hooked, braided and flat weave. Rug quality is not determined by rug construction alone. There are other factors such as density, material and weave.

Hand-Knotted refers to the craftsman tying (knots) pile yarns around woven backing fibers. The face of the rug is then sheered to a uniform pile height. The cost of a hand-knotted rug is determined by the number of knots per square foot; the higher the number of knots per foot, the more the rug will cost. These rugs are made from natural fibers and take much more time to produce which also adds to its value.  See the great illustration below on "Anatomy of a Hand-Knotted Rug" as an example of the process to produce your rug.

Hand-Tufted refers to the craftsman using a hand held tool called a tufting gun to shoot pile yarn through a primary backing called a scrim. This process creates a looped pile. This is called a hand-hooked rug when left intact. When these loops are sheered for a cut pile look it is called hand-tufted. These rugs are also made with natural fibers and take more time to produce than machine-made rugs but are generally less expensive and easier to make than hand-knotted area rugs.

Hand-Hooked refers to the craftsman using a pattern and a hooking device to punch yarn through a canvas cloth creating a looped pile. The yarns are then glued in place in lieu of knotting, and a cloth is attached to the back.

Braided area rugs are constructed from braids of fabric or yarn which are coiled and sewn together. In the tradition of early America from which braided area rugs were created, these area rugs may be woven with many different materials but typically use wool, cotton or nylon.

Flat Woven (or Flat Weave) area rugs are less expensive and easier to make than other hand-made rugs but are similar to hand knotted rugs. Flat Weave rugs are usually made of wool, cotton, bamboo, or nylon. Flat weave rugs are woven on a foundation made up of cotton warps (rope) strung on a loom. Instead of looping wool around the warps and creating a thick wool pile, the yarns are threaded back and forth covering all the cotton thread like a blanket or tapestry. This weaving process creates a very flat pile and makes the rug reversible.

                   Anatomy of a Hand-Knotted Rug

1. WARP - The parallel threads running through the entire length of the rug onto which the knots are tied.
   
2. WEFT - The threads running across the width of the rug inserted between all the rows of knots. These threads pass through alternate warp threads. Their job is to secure the knots in parallel lines and to strengthen the fabric.
3. KNOT - The term used for a strand of wool yarn which is looped around two adjacent warp threads and then cut to form the pile (surface of carpet).
4. OVERCASTING - A simple wrapping of dyed yarn along the entire length of both sides of a handmade rug. 
5. FRINGE - The visible continuation of the warp threads at both ends of the carpet. 
6. KILIM - The pileless web of warp and weft between the rug's pile and the knotted fringe.  This is also the name for a rug without pile.

          Source: About Oriental Rug Contruction presented by Nejad Rugs

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