We are often asked about the differences in the way area rugs are manufactured.
There are basically three kinds of area rugs.
- Hand Knotted Area Rugs
- Machine Made Area Rugs
- Hand Tufted Area Rugs
When looking at a machine made rug you usually can see the white stitching on the back, and the lines are always perfectly straight, because they are mass produced by a machine.
The fluctuation in pricing for a machine made rug is impacted by the type of wool that is used and its density. There are various types of wool from various parts of the world that are used in making a machine made area rugs. There are Indian Wool, Chinese Wool, Belgium Wool, and the finest New Zealand Wool.
The New Zealand wool has long been considered the best wools and will cost a bit more because of their softness and resistance to shedding. A carpet made of New Zealand wool will always have a fen mark on the label. Only carpets that pass more than 20 demanding tests related to fiber content, appearance, retention, color-fastness and appropriate environmental performance carry their name.
New Zealand wool creates the most colorful machine-made rugs in the world. New Zealand wool is the whitest, cleanest, purest wool in the world. This in turn will make the colors appear more rich and vibrant in color. Wool carpets and rugs are fire safe, providing beautiful peace of mind.
Most people don’t realize that wool absorbs contaminants in the air, improving the indoor air quality and helping you breathe easier. For those of us allergy or asthma sufferers, that’s very important! The resiliency of each wool fiber contributes greatly to the superior appearance and retention of wool carpet.
A machine made area rug won’t show traffic patterns near as bad to what nylon or synthetic carpet does. Real wool will make your home more beautiful, and is also biodegradable. You’ll find lots of bargains out there on the lower grades of wool. But Buyer Beware! Make sure you understand that you will get shedding and depending on the density of the pile you will get wear patterns.
A bargain is not always a bargain.
We prefer to sell wool, but we do work with the best companies that offer the best quality nylon rugs too.
Bottom Line: The Rug Goddess and her area rug consultants can help you from making the wrong decision when purchasing a machine made area rug.