As time passes, we notice that more and more supposedly-discrete concepts are actually not that rigid and quite relative by nature. You probably think of rugs as a binary handmade/machine-made subject. But, there is another yet undiscovered type of rug that stands between these two: Hand-tufted. In this article, we will take you through the pros and cons and then give the tips you should know about hand-tufted rugs.

What Are The Hand-tufted Rugs?

Hand-tufting is a recent method that bridges between hand-knotted and machine-made rugs. Unlike machine-made rugs that are made by an automated looming machine, an authentic weaver takes care of the hand-tufted rugs’ production process. The difference between them and hand-knotted rugs is that in the latter, the whole process is done by hand, taking months or even years to finish. But in the former, the weaver uses a tufting-gun device to produce the rug, and it takes just a few days. 

The production process of a hand-tufted rug starts by stenciling a design on an expanded frame. Then, the tufting gun shoots the yarns into the fabric to pass through horizontally. At the end of the process, a strong latex layer strengthens and fasten the loops’ back.

What Are The Differences Between Hand-knotted, Machine-made, and Hand-tufted Rugs?

The difference lies between Quality, Durability, and above all, value. Hand-knotted rugs are the highest in all mentioned categories. Hand-tufted rugs are somewhere in between the machine-made and the hand-knotted ones.

• Quality: Hand-tufted rugs are mostly made of the same materials as hand-knotted such as wool and cotton. But machine-made rugs are constructed with chemical-based materials such as polyester and viscose. That gives a higher quality to these rugs compared to machine-made ones but is still incomparable with the hand-knotted rugs.

• Durability: Hand-knotted rugs, with the potential of lasting for 200 years, stand out when it’s to durability. On the other hand, machine-made and hand-tufted rugs similarly have roughly 20 years of useful life.

• Value: Hand-knotted rugs are specific as they’re one-of-a-kind pieces of art. This uniqueness and artistry bring a massive amount of investment and collective value for them. On the contrary, machine-made and hand-tufted rugs are produced quite quickly and easily. Also, the market considers them mass-produced elements that do not have considerable value.

• Production process: It’s significantly more time-consuming to produce a hand-knotted rug than the other two, taking months and sometimes years to complete. In contrast, machine-made rugs take just a few hours from scratch to the end, and hand-tufted rugs need just a few days.

• Look: Coming out of entirely different processes, these three types have different looks. The hand-knotted rug has a thin, soft, and delicate texture with full-detailed and elaborate patterns. Machine-made rugs have far lower quality and precision in detail, and the patterns look quite pixel-like. Hand-tufted rugs fall somewhere in between; they look better than the machine-made but still not good as the hand-knotted rug.

What Are The Advantages of Hand-tufted Rugs?

• Affordability: These rugs are way more affordable, making them ideal low-budget decor items. 
• Plush look: Hand-tufted rugs come with a pleasing plush feel due to their thickness. That makes them a perfect choice for bedrooms to welcome your feet when you step out of bed in the morning.
• Hand-knotted look: Hand-tufted rugs have a good hand-knotted look. So they’re an affordable choice for those admiring hand-knotted rugs.

What Are The Disadvantages of The Hand-tufted Rugs?

• Low value: These rugs are not one-of-a-kind. That’s why they do not have much value in comparison with hand-knotted rugs.
• The Latex: The hand-tufted rug’s quality is so dependent on the latex used to secure its back of the pile. If the latex is low-quality, the rug will start to unravel soon.
• Smell: Hand-tufted rugs might have a chemical-based smell because of the latex backing.

Where To Use The Hand-tufted Rug

Like hand-knotted rugs, You’d better not place them in places with high foot traffic. That’s because their delicate material gets worn out by the constant pressure of the people stepping on it.

The Fluffy and warm vibe that hand-tufted rugs add to space is perfect for your bedroom and bathroom. However, there is no strict rule for decorating, and you can add them anywhere you want in your home.

Tips on How To Maintain A Hand-tufted Rug

• Keep them away from constant foot traffic; otherwise, they won’t last for more than 3-5 years.
• Vacuum your rug every week. The dirt, dust, and food spills might get stuck in the rug’s depth and provide a perfect environment for bugs, mold, and mildew to grow.
• Rotate the rug every six months to balance up the amount of sunlight exposure and foot traffic the rug receives on each of its sides.
• The latex backing of a hand-tufted rug is so sensitive to water. So, keep any source of moisture as away as possible.
• Do not shake or beat on the rug’s back like hand-knotted rugs. In case of stain incidents, scrub to remove the stain bulk and keep vacuuming to remove the remaining.
• Use rug padding to protect the rug from excess pressure coming from the furniture feet or foot traffic.

How To Clean Hand-tufted Rugs

Cleaning these rugs is quite sensitive. The temperature and pH level of the water, the detergent, cleaning method, and drying are trickier than what you might think. So it’s highly recommended to have your hand-tufted rugs cleaned by a well-experienced Rug Expert.

A proper Rug Cleaning Expert begins the job by inspecting the rug thoroughly to determine the rug’s material and specifications. Then, they choose a cleaning method customized for that specific rug. That requires comprehensive knowledge and expertise with rugs.

Khazai Rug Cleaning relies on five generations of fine experience with rugs to guarantee restoration of any damaged and dirty rug. Our Rug Experts have been born and raised around this industry. Almost nobody is as profoundly familiar with rugs as they do. We have taken a 100% green approach towards our cleaning process, using all organic detergents to protect you, your rugs, and the environment we all live in.

We also have gathered the most exquisite hand-tufted rugs in Louisville, KY that hand-picked from all over the world!