Handmade rugs make attractive additions to homes, but the terms used to describe them can confuse buyers. Hand-knotted rugs are renowned for the time and craftsmanship involved in their creation.
With each knot tied by hand by the weaver, the rugs are as unique as their maker, which increases their value. However, this can put their price point beyond the reach of many rug buyers. Hand-tufted rugs, however, represent an affordable alternative to a hand-knotted option.
What are hand-tufted rugs?
While less expensive than their hand-knotted counterparts, hand-tufted rugs can still be beautiful. They use a distinctive method of rug-making that isn’t as labour intensive, allowing for rugs that are more economical to purchase.
These rugs originate with a canvas stretched over a frame, which acts as the foundation for the rug. Next, a selected design is traced on the canvas. Hand-tufted rugs don’t use traditional knot tying but use a tufting tool instead. The tool is engineered to punch yarn strands into the canvas, creating the rug’s pile. This process requires less skill and is swifter than hand-knotting.
Identifying a tufted rug
Perhaps the simplest way to spot a hand-tufted rug is to examine its backing. While a hand-knotted rug will reveal where yarns were tied, a hand-tufted rug employs a scrim support to hold the yarn in place. While fringes are part of a hand-knotted rug’s construction, hand-tufted rugs have a purely decorative fringe, sewed or glued in place to finish their appearance.
For professional rug cleaning in Essex, contact the Rug Cleaning Studio today.
