Handmade vs. Machine-made Rugs
There is absolutely no doubt that a good handmade rug is generally better quality than a machine made rug in almost everyway but that doesn’t make them the best choice in every situation.
Handmade Rugs
When I talk about handmade rugs, I am talking about a quality hand-woven or hand-knotted rug made by an artisan rug maker who has just spent the better part of a year or two crafting a single rug.
Hand-made rugs require a level of skill that only after years of practice can you hope to achieve and because of this these rugs should be considered more along the lines of art and their price reflects this.
A good quality hand-made rug will last a lifetime and many are handed down from generation to generation and are often a family’s prize possession. Handmade rugs are made from quality natural materials such as wool, silk, or cotton.
The quality of hand-knotted rugs is determined by the size and number of knots and will produce a rug with pile for softness and comfort. Hand-woven rugs do not have pile so are best suited in walkways where they are not normally used to sit on.
As nice as handmade rugs are not everyone can justify spending thousands on something to throw on the ground and this is where machine made rugs step in. They are considerably cheaper and may still last a couple of decades if taken care of.
Machine-made Rugs
Machine-made rugs can be produced in a matter of hours or even less rather than years and can also be reproduced many times. Suited for practically anywhere depending on the actual construction style and material used. Most commonly made from synthetic materials although are often made from wool too.
Although these rugs do not require a high skill level to be crafted generally only people knowledgeable in rugs will be able to determine if it is hand-made or machine-made and so unless you specifically want a rug to hand down or are chasing the uniqueness of a handcrafted work of art then a machine-made rug will most likely satisfy all your needs.
If you have any further questions regarding this or any other rug related topic, contact us!