How to Differentiate Between Machine and Handmade Rugs?

Someone who has not taken the time to compare a handmade rug to a machine made counterpart may find it near impossible to tell if there are any differences. This is why many store owners and even online sellers may pass on machine made floor rugs for handmade ones and demand top dollar for them.

Spotting real hand knotted rugs

The fair majority of these rugs are made from wool, jute, cotton and silk. These are considered the highest quality handmade rugs that money can buy and their prices differ based on material used, patterns, and number of knots. Their biggest selling point is excellent durability which means that they can last for ages if maintained properly. However, many scammers pass poorly made machine made knockoffs as hand knotted rugs. The easiest way to tell the difference is to look closely at the weave. Use a magnifying glass to check the knots. There should be a whole series of knots that make up the design.

Flat weave rugs

These too are handmade rugs but instead of a pile of knots weaved in there will be a weave pattern which is harder to distinguish. If you look closely you should be able to find if the rug has been flat woven. Another way would be turn the carpet upside down and look at the back. This is where the pattern should be easily visible because it's where the stencil is inserted to create the pattern.

The difference between machine and hand knotted rugs

The other way of spotting the difference between machine and hand knotted rugs is to turn the rugs back. The back on most handmade rugs will be uneven while machine made ones are perfectly uniform and may have some machine stitching.

The other thing you should notice in a handmade rug is that the fringe is part of the rug's design and also the foundation of it. Where as in machine made rugs the fringe is usually stuck on or sewn on separately. In knockoffs people use various tricks to disguise the fringe as being a part of the rug but it's still visible to the trained eye.

Hand tufted floor rugs

These rugs are made by hand but it uses a modified regular low powered hand drill which inserts a huge pile of knots into the foundation to create a loop. This loop pile in the rug can either become a cut pile or if not then a hand hooked rug. Some designs may use a combination of cut and pile in order to create a type of 3D effect pattern. This is what makes these rugs so absolutely gorgeous. However, despite their beauty and durability they offer little value to collectors or someone who wants to invest in an original oriental floor rug. But these rugs are great for homeowners on a budget looking for something beautiful and comparatively cheap.

You can tell if a rug is hand tufted by simply looking at the loop pile. These are often uneven loops of varying thickness. Running your hand along the back of the carpet should tell you a lot.

Source by Josef Alex