Glossary

Hand-Knotted
A traditional hand-knotted rug is made with wool or silk. They are usually finished with a special luster wash for softness and shine and come with a fringe. Hand-knotted rugs take the longest time to make and therefore the most expensive, but allow for the most flexibility in design and color placement. To construct a hand-knotted rug, the weaver strings cotton threads, called warps, on a frame which becomes the foundation of the rug. The pile yarns, usually wool or silk, are looped around cotton threads one at a time to create a thick pile. Cotton yarns are then woven side to side through the warps to hold them together; the cotton threads are generally tied off into decorative fringes.

Hand-Tufted
A hand-tufted rug can be made with many types of fibers including wool, silk, acrylic or a combination. Hand-tufted rugs are generally less expensive than hand-knotted rugs and offer a tremendous value to the customer. To construct a hand-tufted rug, a cotton canvas is stretched on a frame to form the foundation of the rug. The design is drawn on the canvas in stencil or in outline form. Using a hooking tool, pile yarns are pushed through the foundation, making a loop, which is then cut giving the finished rug a plush or cut pile surface. The back of the foundation is given a latex coating to lock the pile yarns in place. A secondary canvas backing is applied to the rug to give it more stiffness and to cover the latex. In a Hi/Lo hand-tufted rug, the pile of the rug is a combination of cut and loop pile, which is used to create a three-dimensional effect.

Hand-Hooked
Hand-hooked rugs are made exactly the same way as hand-tufted rugs, except that the hand-hooked rug usually has a short, looped pile instead of a thick, cut pile. Also, the backing on a hand-hooked rug is often a light-weight mesh instead of a heavy canvas backing.

Machine-Made
Machine-made rugs can be made of various materials, including heat-set polypropylene, faux silk viscose and wool. Machine-made rugs are woven on power looms, where the pile yarns and the backing yarns are threaded into the machine ahead of time. A computer controls which colors are woven into certain parts of the fabric, creating the original design. Power loom weaving is very fast, but usually only allows for a limited number of colors at a time. Machine-made rugs can run a wide range of pricing from expensive, high-quality weaves to low, promotional rugs. Downeast Rug Company has a wide assortment of machine-made patterns ranging from traditional, contemporaries and transitional designs.

Flat Weave
Similar to hand-knotted rugs, flat-weaves are woven on a foundation typically made up of cotton warps strung on a frame called a loom. Instead of looping around and making a thicker pile, the yarns which form the pile are threaded back and forth, covering all the cotton thread like a blanket or a tapestry, creating a very flat pile. Usually, flat-weaves are the quickest hand-made rugs to produce and therefore, generally the least expensive. Flat-weaves can also be produced on power looms, making the production of these rugs even faster.

Bamboo Rugs
A bamboo rug is constructed of natural bamboo fibers. The bamboo is cut into narrow strands for woven geometric designs or cut into strips to create a hardwood floor effect. Bamboo has the tensile strength of hardwood trees and has a very casual yet elegant look.

Jute Rugs
Jute rugs are woven with natural plant fibers. Originally introduced and used as doormats, jute rugs have become a decorative rug suitable for many other areas of the home. Today, jute rugs are woven in loop or flat constructions, and are then dyed or have printed designs.