How To Tell If A Rug Is Silk Or Wool

Once you understand how to identify what makes a rug valuable you ll have a greater chance at purchasing a better rug.

How to tell if a rug is silk or wool.

Because there are more knots it usually takes three or four times as long to weave a silk rug making a more intricate pattern. Rug fibers usually consist of wool in most mid to upper end rugs. This is where all other rug characteristics derive from. Wool rugs generally have about 100 to 300 knots per square inch.

Once upon a time if you were to purchase an oriental rug it would have been made from wool or wool and silk without a question. A qum silk persian rug. I have several oriental area rugs and would like to know how to tell if they are hand made or machine made this article is intended to help you tell the difference between a handmade or hand knotted rug and a machine made rug. The nature of the silk fiber being a smooth single filament means it does not have pockets to hide soil in it like wool does.

The choice of material is important not only for the look and feel of a carpet but for it s durability and ability to last. A rug is a very common investment. With artificial or synthetic silk it is impossible to experience warmth on rubbing. If you don t know how that is supposed to sound like go figure.

Synthetic fibers such as acrylic polyester nylon and olefin polypropylene can be foundread more. However if you are new to rug buying or want to make a very specialized purchase you should learn how to tell the difference between silk and wool rugs. The idea is to rub the silk with your hands. This will help you when you are in the market to purchase a rug.

Material of silk wool bamboo rugs. A rug made completely of silk on the other hand would generally have about 300 to 600 knots per square inch. This is not as difficult as it might seem. Silk fibers are strong not as strong as wool fibers are in terms of being walked on but i have always had a problem with silk rugs being used on the floor.

With silk textiles sometimes having as many as 1500 knots per square inch truly incredible detail i like to see them mounted on the walls as tapestries rather than having feet shoes. It s just in the nature of the fiber. However there are many fake rugs out there and they re made from synthetic fibers. Rugknots also holds a huge collection of wool and silk rugs.

This means silk rugs and cotton and rayon as well look soiled quicker than wool rugs when exposed to the same amount of foot traffic and dust settling on them. There are a few basics you should know about handmade rugs. Authentic oriental rugs are still made from wool. High end rugs may also have silk.

The more you know about rugsread more. One more thing real silk sounds like walking on fresh snow. The rug s material is its cornerstone. Wool cotton and silk are the three main materials used for producing high quality floor pieces.

In many instances it can be equal parts functional flooring and art. If you feel warmth on rubbing it go buy it.