How to judge carpet rug quality

Carpets and rugs have always held a magical appeal for kids since the story of Aladdin was first

told by Scheherazade 1. Oriental carpets from Persia and turkey have inspired art, music and

literature. However, rug making was actually transformed into an art and commercialized when

the nomads from Mongolia and Turkey chose to sell it for their living. Since ages the art has

lived several religious and political upheavals without being tainted. Today the oldest surviving

rug carpet found in the Scythian Tomb of Southern Siberia dates back more than 2000 years 2.

It only states how important rugs have been a part of human households. Even today, rugs are

one of the most prominent things in Australian households, as especially those that have kids.

As already said rugs have been a prominent part of every ancient culture and when compared

each come with their own set of advantages. Persian rugs are popular for their beauty and

embroidery, Turkish rugs for embroidery and material, Cowhide rugs for their durability, wool

rugs for their comfort, jute rugs for their usability, etc. The demands for rugs and carpet runners

have also given rise to several contemporary rug styling and mass manufacturing. The best way

to browse for a product of your expectation is to browse online for rugs. There are several

sellers who keep a wide variety of designs and materials from different parts of the globe.

Availability isn’t an issue whether you are looking for a richly embroidered Persian rug or a

rugged outdoor rug. What matters is the quality of it. There are several ways to gauge the

quality of the rug you are paying for.

Weaving technique: In Australia, there are three main types of rugs sold both online and

offline. Firstly, machine made rugs integrate the advantages of being both pretty and

functional. However, since they are mass produced, the quality doesn’t quite match with

those that have been hand woven (the second category). Machine produced rugs aren’t

work of art and cannot be used in a decor. Just by examining the fringe, you can tell the

difference. Machine made products always come sewn. The third category comprises

the hand-tufted rugs. While every rug is handles by a single rug maker, the tools are

highly mechanised. A machine gun is used to shoot wool into the canvas giving that raw

feel. Obviously, hand tufted rugs don’t have an intrinsic value and are even worse than

complete machine made variants.

Skill of weaver: If you are looking to buy richly crafted rugs, you should be looking out for

the name, location and skill of the weaver. The original weaver community in all parts of

the globe is a dwindling one. It is common that most traditional weavers have invested in

machine technology to make out a living from this art form. However, some ethnic

suppliers still work with the original weavers who have passed on the art form through

generation and still use manual labour completely to produce a rug. Needless to say,

these carpet rugs come at a price.

Knot count / KPI: On the other hand if you are looking for cheap but quality rugs,

machine made products are quite good. However, make sure you have an idea about

knot count, defined as KPI. It is the count of the number of knots present in each sq inch

of the product. The more, the finer it is and the better the product.

Both hall runners and Sisal rugs demand a price depending upon the quality and originality of

the product. Don’t get deceived and do proper research before paying.