Carpet Materials, Indian Carpet History, Indian Carpet Detial, Carpet Manufacturing process

Jaipur Rugs and Carpets -› Know About Karpet -› Materials

The look, feel, durability and value of a rug have a lot to do with the rug materials used in making it. If you want a rug that meets your needs for now and are not concerned with how long it may last, then any rug will do. However, if many years of use and even an heirloom quality rug are important to you, then certain materials are a much better choice.

Let’s start with an overview of the different types of rug materials commonly used in making rugs. Just as the characteristics will vary between the types of rug materials, so will the cost. In-depth information on various types of materials can be found on their respective pages.

Natural: Animal or plant fibers, including wool, cotton, sisal, jute, seagrass or bamboo.
Synthetic: Man-made material such as viscose, rayon, nylon, acrylic or polypropylene/olefin.

Wool is widely used and it is the main component of higher quality pile area rugs. Most wool comes from sheep, but it can also come from goats, llamas or alpaca. Wool is a resilient material and it has greater durability than synthetic material. Wool absorbs and retains dyes amazingly well. It is naturally resistant to fire, water and stains. Wool area rugs also naturally resist dust mites, which is important to people with allergies, because dust mites can aggravate allergies.

Cotton is a natural fiber that is strong and durable. Area rugs made of cotton can easily absorb and retain a wide variety of dyes, which provides the user with a multitude of color choices. In rug making, cotton is often used in conjunction with wool. Area rugs made with the cotton-wool blend have a nice feel, especially on bare feet. Cotton-wool rugs usually cost less than all-wool rugs, but people should be aware that cotton has a tendency to wear out sooner than wool.

Sisal, extracted from the leaves of the ‘Agave Sisalana’ plant, is the most popular of the plant fibers used for rug making. This plant, sometimes called the American Aloe or Century Plant, is native to Central America, but is now grown all over the world, especially in Java, East Africa and Mexico. Even though sisal is only one of the plant-based rug materials, the name has come to be used generically for all plant-based rug materials. Sisal has long, fine fibers that allow it to be made into smooth textured yarn. Sisal rugs are anti-static, sound absorbing, flame retardant and long lasting, all of which make sisal rugs worthy of your consideration.

Jute, made from stem fiber plants, comes mainly from India and China. Jute is well-suited for making durable yarns and fabrics because of its stability and firmness. Like other plant fibers such as sisal and coir, jute has a nice look when made into rugs, but it can be coarse and also susceptible to stains. This is just one of the reasons that natural and synthetic rug materials might be blended together to make area rugs.