PERSIAN OR MIDDLE EASTERN HANDKNOTTED RUGS

These are the real thing from where the art of rug making began. Forget the borders of countries for now. Thousands of years ago most of the region where the 'best of the best' rugs come from, was largely called Persia.

Now those artisan who weave rugs can come from Pakistan, Afghanistan, Kurdistan, Iran, Iraq, Turkey and to some degree, India, Morrocco, Nepal and whilst not middle eastern, also China.

99% of the time these rugs are made from wool, but then there are hundreds of various qualities of wool. Beyond wool they can be made from silk, or blended with wool and silk. What sets these rugs apart from all others is that the pile (or tufts) of these rugs are tied to the weft or backing by hand in a knot.

With Rugs a millions' buying strength we are able to source many of our imports direct from manufacturers as well as dealing with other importers. At the end of the day our customers pay less for an item at Rugs a million that is in fact the same or better quality, and is often from the same factory as the matching item sold at designer or department stores.

HAND TUFTED RUGS

Hand Tufted Rugs can come from many places around the world, Iran, India, Turkey, Vietnam, Thailand, China, Germany, Indonesia and list goes on.

The difference with these rugs, is that they are not knotted. They are made by hand usually with a hand held and operated tufting gun. A bit like a hand held sewing machine.

These rugs can be made from just about any type of yarn imaginable, Wool, Cotton, Acrylic, Jute, Polyester and so on, as well as blends of any or all of these yarns.

The beauty of these rugs like handknotted rugs is the 'human element'. They are not perfect. They can't be and shouldn't be. That's what makes them special. Each piece is 'one of a kind'

MACHINE MADE RUGS

As the title suggests, whilst machine made rugs are close to perfect, it doesn't mean they lack character, texture colour or quality. As with most wall to wall carpets, machine made rugs are very hard wearing and largely easy to care for and clean. Whilst cleaning will mostly depend on the yarn the rug is made from, most machine made rugs are made from virtually un-stainable new age synthetics. The other benefit that is common with machine made rugs is they usually have a short pile and a dense weave and they tend not to flatten as much as some other rugs.

WHAT ARE THE BEST RUGS

They are all good, but yes some are better than others. These days people buy rugs mostly on the look. If you want shaggy, you just won't get a Persian handknotted one. Some styles come in various construction types and some don't.

Find a rug you like, colour, design, style, size, then ask in store if that style comes in any other construction types. Then decide how long you’ll want to keep that rug.

Even the cheapest rugs will last (not wear away) for up to 10 years. This is different though as to 'how the rug will look' with wear.

WHAT'S THE BEST YARN

Wool, Cotton, Acrylic, Polypropylene? Again they can all be good with the right construction and in the right placement.

Some examples;

Cotton rugs will get dirty but they are great in say bathrooms as they can usually be machine washed and come up looking great time after time.

Wool rugs do absorb liquids but with correct cleaning the dirt will usually come out quite easily. Wool is great because it does wear down but the rug will stay looking good right to the end of it’s life.

Polypropylene (a new age synthetic) is a plastic fibre which is virtually un-stainable. It is antistatic, which means it doesn't fluff or attract dust. Polypropylene will wear extremely well and last for years, but depending on the grade of the polypropylene, it may flatten and not keep its look as long as a wool rug.

These are just a few examples of yarns. As well as these options in 100% usuage, many of the yarns are often blended like good wines to get the best of many benefits.