Hand tufted rugs have become increasingly popular in recent years as an affordable and stylish floor covering option. But what exactly are these rugs and how are they made? As a professional custom rugs supplier, I will help you find it out.
What is Hand Tufting?
Hand tufting is a rug making process that falls somewhere between handmade rugs and machine made rugs. It starts with a primary backing material, usually a woven cotton cloth stretched across a frame. The design is then marked out on the backing.
Next, strands of yarn are punched through the backing using a hand-held electric tufting gun. The tufting gun has a head with anywhere from just a few needles for basic designs up to over a thousand needles for intricate patterns. As the artisan guides the tufting gun across the canvas backing, it punches the yarn into place to build up the rug’s pile height.
Once the face yarns are in place, they are often sheared to create a smooth, consistent surface. Then a secondary backing material is applied to the underside using latex based glue to hold everything together. The final steps usually involve adding fringe along the sides or a bound edge for a more finished look.
So in summary:
- A backing fabric is stretched across a frame
- Design is marked on the backing
- Yarn is punched through backing to form pile
- Shearing creates consistent pile height
- Secondary backing glued into place
- Fringe or bound edging added
The entire hand tufting process enables the artisan to work very quickly, completing designs in a fraction of the time it takes to hand knot a rug.
What are Hand Tufted Rugs?
In short, they’re rugs made by hand rapidly “punching” yarn into place through a foundation with an electric tufting gun.
While not 100% handmade like labour intensive hand knotted varieties, hand tufted rugs offer the best of both worlds – artisanal detail with reasonable pricing and quick turnaround times.
Key Differences from Hand Knotted Rugs
While hand tufted rugs involve some manual craftsmanship in their creation, there are a few key differences when compared to traditional hand knotted oriental rugs:
Construction Method
- Hand tufted rugs are made by punching strands of yarn through a backing using a tufting gun. This enables faster production versus individually tying each knot by hand in a hand knotted rug.
Backing Material
- Hand tufted rugs have a primary and secondary backing glued into place. The back of a hand knotted rug is just a mirror image of the front design.
Fringe
- In hand tufted rugs, the fringe is usually sewn or glued into place at the end. But in hand knotted rugs, the fringe is an integral structural component as the ends of the warp threads used to weave the rug.
Affordability
- With significantly less manual labor involved, hand tufted rugs are generally cheaper to produce. So they can provide beautifully designed rugs at more budget friendly price points in many cases.
Longevity
- The individual knots in hand knotted rugs make them the longer wearing choice over the tufted construction that relies on glue to hold everything in place. But hand tufted rugs can still last 10-20 years with proper care.
So those are some of the main factors that set hand tufted rugs apart from the traditional hand knotted variety. Keep reading to learn more about the specific materials, costs, care and decorating considerations when deciding if a hand tufted rug is right for your home.
Typical Materials Used
Since hand tufted rugs require less intricate craftsmanship, artisans have a wider choice of fibers and fabrics to work with. Some of the most common include:
Wool – A versatile natural fiber that provides good durability at an affordable cost. Wool tufted rugs come in a huge range of patterns and pile depths.
Cotton – Made from plant materials, cotton provides both softness underfoot and vibrant, colorfast designs.
Silk – For a touch of luxury, art silk or real silk yarns create a subtle sheen with luxe appeal. Silk tufted rugs do require gentle care however.
Synthetic – Affordable synthetic yarns like polypropylene, nylon or viscose/rayon are sometimes used, especially in low traffic areas. But these won’t be as durable as natural fibers.
The backing materials typically consist of a woven natural fabric like cotton for the primary backing. Then the secondary backing glued into place is usually a sturdy canvas or burlap-type material. And the latex glue provides flexibility without compromising structural stability.
Cost of Hand Tufted Rugs
Since hand tufted rugs require significantly less time, labor and materials to construct, they are substantially more affordable than the often heirloom-quality hand knotted variety. Here are some typical pricing guidelines to give you a better sense of budget:
Small Rugs (3 x 5 ft) – cotton or synthetic blend rugs $150 – $350
Mid Size Rugs (5 x 8 ft) – wool or viscose rugs approx. $700 – $1,500
Large & Oversized Rugs (8 x 11 ft up to 12 x 18 ft) – wool, nylon $1,500 – $4,000+
But the specific pricing can fluctuate up or down from these ranges too based on:
- Fiber materials used
- Density of the weave
- Intricacy of the patterns
- Presence of abrash variations or carved detailing
- Reputability of manufacturer/brand
- Where it’s purchased (home store, rug gallery, online retailer etc)
For line comparable durability, longevity and style, hand tufted rugs typically retail for about 25% to 50% less than a hand knotted alternative. So they deliver excellent decor impact for the investment compared to traditional silk or wool pile carpets.
Decorating With Hand Tufted Rugs
Thanks to faster production times and lower costs, hand tufted rugs give you almost endless creative decorating freedom. Their stylish versatility enables you to use them in just about any room of the home:
Living Rooms – Choose plush, richly-hued tufted wool rugs to create a cozy focal point in your main gathering area. Layer different sizes for visual interest.
Dining Rooms – Protect your floors while setting the scene for entertaining with an ornate pattern like a medallion floral under your table and chairs.
Bedrooms – Express your personal style with colorful or neutrally peaceful designs layered over hardwood or atop wall to wall carpeting.
Kid’s Rooms – Durable cotton or easy-clean synthetic tufted rugs can handle all kinds of playtime activity yet still tie the decor together.
Offices & Studies – Carved tribal patterns or geometric distressed designs work well in creative spaces or gentlemen’s lounge retreats.
Entryways – Beautifully crafted wool runners resist dirt while providing cohesive style right where you walk through the front door every day.
Hand tufted rugs serve triple style duty too. They can shine as a standalone floor focal point, frame and define a seating area when layered atop a larger carpet or hardwood, or even do double duty hung vertically as unique wall art.
Caring for a Tufted Rug
Since hand tufted rugs utilize glue to adhere their backing versus intricate weaving knots, they do require a little different care than traditional wool pile carpets:
Vacuum Regularly – Vacuum high traffic tufted rugs at least once a week to prevent embedded dirt grinding down the fibers over time. Use low suction and avoid agitating the rug backing.
Rotate Occasionally – Every couple months, rotate the rug to evenly distribute wear patterns from footsteps and furniture pressure points. Shake out and flip for even sun fading too.
Clean Spills Quickly – Immediately soak up wet spills by blotting gently with clean towels to prevent liquids from seeping through fibers. Avoid abrasive scrubbing.
Professional Cleaning – Most tufted rugs can be safely commercially cleaned every 2-3 years. But avoid excess moisture that can deteriorate latex backing over time with repeated exposure.
Essentially, as long as you promptly handle spills, vacuum regularly to prevent pile crushing and avoid excess moisture, a quality hand tufted wool or cotton rug can provide 10 to 20 years of stylish performance.
The Bottom Line
If you love beautiful, unique floor coverings but want to stick to a budget, hand tufted rugs make excellent investments. They utilize both machine production and hand craftsmanship to offer the best of both worlds in terms of affordability and aesthetics.
Now that you know all about their versatile styling potential, relatively easy care and value enhancing capabilities, you might just decide a hand tufted wool or artfully designed cotton rug is the perfect choice for your home.