Rug Construction
Hand-knotted
Knotted weave refers to the method of weaving used in most rugs. In this technique, the rug is woven by a creation on knots. A short piece of yarn is tied around two neighboring warp strands creating a knot on the surface of the rug. After each row of knots is created, one or more strands of weft are passed through a complete set of warp strands. The weaving process begins at the bottom of the loom and moves upward as the horizontal rows of knots and wefts are added.
Hand-tufted
A hand-tufted rug is created without tying knots into the foundation, but rather by pushing wool or acrylic yarn through a primary backing, called a tuft. Next, using a latex glue to hold the tufts in place, a rugmaker will apply a secondary foundation, or scrim, which is then covered by a third and final cloth backing to protect your floor. The final step involves shearing the tops of the looped tufts to create the pile. The height of the pile is determined by how much yarn is cut off, and how far the initial loop was pushed up.
Flat Weave
Flat weave refers to a technique of weaving where no knots are used in the weave. The warp strands are used as the foundation, and the weft strands are used as part of the foundation and in creating the patterns. The weft strands are simply passed (woven) through the warp strands.
Machine-made
Machine-made rugs are woven on power looms operated either by machine or computer. Once design and colors are determined, a computer card is created which tells the computer which size and color rug it needs to produce. The loom is strung with a warp of jute, or sometimes cotton. The rug is then woven using wool, nylon, polypropylene, olen, or another suitable yarn.