Misc

A Beginner’s Guide to Antique Rugs

When shopping for a rug, many homeowners want to incorporate a bit of history into their choice. This leads them to a popular category: antique rugs. However, as with any other home décor option, there are different types of antique rugs, and the more you know, the more informed you can be when you make a purchase. Let’s take a closer look at the different types of antique rugs and cover a few important definitions you’ll need to know as a buyer. 

Defining an Antique Rug 

Before we cover the different types of antique rugs, we first need to clarify the  terminology. An antique is typically defined as an object that is at least 100 years old. Within the world of rugs, we would also add that they should be hand-woven using proven and age-old techniques that set them apart from anything a machine would mass-produce. 

Vintage vs. Antique 

Some antique stores sell vinyl records, furniture, and other items that are, indeed, old. However, an object must be 100 years old or older to be defined as antique. Rugs are no exception to this rule.

Vintage items are at least 20 years old, but less than 100. This means most items in your average antique store are technically vintage. As such, while a vintage rug may be hand-woven and fairly old, it is still too young to count as an antique.

Handmade Antique Rugs 

Within rug-weaving, there are two types of weaving techniques: hand-knotted and hand-tufted. The difference is subtle, but important.

A hand-knotted rug is made by tying tens of thousands of intricate knots in the desired pattern on a loom. Because this type of rug is made exclusively with threads and hands, it has no backing and shows the same pattern on both sides.

A hand-tufted rug is made by stretching canvas or some other material across a frame and using a handheld tool to inject colored fibers into the canvas. This type of rug takes less time and skill to make than a hand-knotted rug, and only one side of it displays the pattern.

Cropped Antique Rugs 

One of the myths of antique rugs is that you cannot clean them without causing damage. However, this couldn’t be further from the truth. In addition to physically removing the dirt from the rug’s fabrics using careful cleaning techniques, some antique rugs have been cropped or shaved.

If a rug has been cropped, that means the first layer of the pile (the soft, decorative side of the rug) has been carefully removed. By doing so, the dirty threads on top are cleared away to reveal the cleaner, more vibrantly colored threads beneath. It must be noted that shaving the pile makes the rug slightly thinner. This is why sellers of antique rugs consider cropped antique rugs to be a different category than antique rugs that were cleaned in other ways.

Regional Variations 

Antique rugs often come from specific regions in the world’s “Rug Belt”. The Rug Belt begins in Morocco, extends across North Africa and the Middle East, and reaches into Central Asia and Northern India.

Most people have heard of Persian rugs, which hail from modern-day Iran or historical Persia. Oriental rugs come from a wider area that ranges from Northern Africa to Northern India. Finally, Turkish rugs are produced within the historic Ottoman Empire, including what we currently know as modern-day Turkey.

Find the Perfect Antique Rug at Rug Source!

As you’re doing research and considering the different types of antique rugs, we welcome you to shop through our ever-growing inventory and use our blog to help you make informed decisions about your purchase.

We carry all the rug variations discussed in today’s blog, plus many more. Additionally, we only sell rugs that pass a vigorous quality inspection, and we store our antiques as carefully as possible to preserve their condition.

Call 980-819-7373 or contact us online to tell us what you’re looking for!