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Primary Tip for Area Rugs: Never buy an Area Rug with a solid Latex or Rubber Backing, Unless it is for outdoor use. Most rugs that have a solid coating of latex or rubber will do long-term damage to the flooring that they cover - (vinyl, linoleum, hardwood) - and can even cause problems with concrete slabs if the soil in your area has alkali. Alkali will leach more quickly through a slab where it is not allowed to "breathe", such as placing a solid piece of latex or rubber (or even plastic), these materials trap moisture, not allowing it to evaporate when it reaches the surface under the rug. (read more about this in the Forum Area or in the Area Rug FAQ) About Flat-Weave Rugs: Flat-Weave rugs are breathable, and are often reversible which is an added bonus, but be sure to buy a flat-weave that has some weight and substance to it, or you may have a tough time getting the rug to stay put. Edge Curling can also be a problem with ligh-weight rugs. A light-weight flat-weave is also a hassle to vacuum with a typical upright vacuum cleaner. Use a suction hose attachment or vacuum to make your life easier. (Our Selection of rugs have a heat-set backing that will not ever damage your existing flooring)
Shopping Tips: (This page will eventually include more shopping tips as I have time to include them or as you send them to me)
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How to Shop for an Area Rug on the Internet
How does one choose the Right Area Rug for the Right Place in your home?
Which Rug Style or Texture is right for me? There are truly thousands of area rugs to choose from when shopping on area rug sites. There are thousands of patterns and colors. How does a person choose from the vast sea of rugs without knowledge of value and choosing from just a small picture on your computer monitor? The first things to consider when purchasing an area rug on the Internet are often the most overlooked. Most people shop according to Design Style and Colors. We need to shop for a rug like we shop for a car. We need to not only consider the beauty and color of a rug but we must always keep in mind the function of the rug that we are shopping for. Just as a two-seated sports-car is not suitable for a family of eight people, not all rugs are created equal. It makes common sense that an eight-person family would need a large SUV or Mini-Van so we must take this same logic and apply it to our purchase of an area rug. The first thing to consider is Application. How many people are going to walk on this rug each day? How many spills and stains are likely to take place in the next few years? How easy will this rug be to maintain? Will it clean easily? How often will I need to vacuum it? Answers to these questions cannot be found with mere appearance and color. We must gain information and get down to the meat of the matter. Today I will not talk about what fiber the rug is made of, although that also fits into the equation, but what I will reference today is the Style or Texture of the rug. Many of us are familiar with carpet terms like Plush, Sculptured and Berber. Well these are carpet textures or styles and the same rules for carpet apply for area rugs. When you shop for an area rug you must shop as if you were shopping for a wall-to-wall carpet if you are to gain the full benefit from that purchase because some rugs are better for outdoor use, some are strictly for indoors. Some hold up well in heavy traffic and some are only good for wall art. Let us now take a look at rugs from a textured point of view. The first Texture to consider is called “Saxony” or “Plush”. This style of rug can be recognized by its look of luxury and sheen as all fiber bundles are the same length. Like This: ||||||. When you walk on it or drag your hand across it you can see a subtle change in the color of the pile. This type of texture also shows vacuum marks. Some people see this as a disadvantage, Yet a Saxony texture is the most luxurious look and feel that you kind find in a rug. Of course these affects are magnified when the rug is one solid color and not as notable when there are many colors. What you want to consider when choosing a Saxony (or Plush) is how tight each bundle of yarn is. The tighter the twist in each bundle the longer the rug will last and the easier to maintain. Loose twisted bundles tend to crush over time and begin to mat together causing the rug to look old and worn out before you have really even enjoyed it. This Texture of rug is best suited to less traveled and more Formal areas where you may entertain guests from time to time but not where the family lives on a day to day basis. Remember, Saxony style and Tight Twists. The second Texture to consider is a “Texture” “Textured” rugs are almost the same as Saxony but some of the fiber bundles have an added bend to the fiber bundles so that there is less chance of matting and it does not show the vacuum marks as much as Saxony. Like This: ||??|??||. This style of carpet has the beauty of Saxony yet it is slightly more functional for your family. Not a high traffic style, but definitely medium and is suitable for less formal or formal settings where there is more traffic and stains. In a solid color it can appear to have two shades of the same color. It can still function as a Formal rug but is friendlier for the family. Remember, Textured and Bends at the top of the bundles. The third type of rug is a loop or Berber style. These come in a variety of loops and loop patterns, which can be nice for differing higher traffic areas, where there are more chances of stains and spills. In a low, tight and even loop pile it looks Like This: nnnnnnn. This Style or Texture of rug is great for high traffic and even outdoor use, depending on the type of fiber it is made of. It can hold up to high traffic and cleans up quite nicely, if you can get past the fact that the more sturdy rugs look kind of industrial. In fact most heavy-duty commercial carpet has this very composition and the down side is this. If you get a snag in one of the loops and the vacuum or the cat gets hold of that snag, it will run like a pair of cheap panty hose leaving a gaping chasm where the line of loops used to be. So if you choose a looped rug choose one with a low, very tight loop pile to minimize your chances of snags. Remember Loop and Low Tight Loops of fiber. The final style of rug I will discuss is the Cut-Pile Berber or Shag. Both of these styles share the same characteristics so I will discuss them as one style. These styles have longer pile bundles that tend to lie over to the side in a willy-nilly kind of way Like This: //\\\//\ (very random). Utilizing a good fiber type like wool, nylon, PET or PTT. These can be great rugs for the family. Since you walk on the sides of the bundles instead of directly on top of the twists they will last a long time even under medium to heavy traffic. The problem with shag is this, when you buy a “cheap” shag rug on the Internet, be wary of the type of fiber it is made of. If it is polyester or olefin it will flatten out and matt badly in your higher traffic areas (like the fuzzy shag bathroom rugs). This style is great as a carpet but somewhat lacking in a rug. It is hard to vacuum without the vacuum grabbing hold and you end up dragging the rug around and fighting it with one foot on the rug to hold it in place while you try to vacuum the rest of the rug. It also can have a tendency to curl at the edges where it can become a trip hazard. Unless you buy a higher end Shag rug made out of good fiber, make sure you buy a large shag rug. At least 8x10 or 10x13 so that you don’t have to continually fight with it to make it behave. Remember Cut-Pile Berber or Shag and long fiber bundles that lie on their sides. Now that you are more acquainted with the “Style” or Texture of Rugs you can make a more informed decision as to which style will work best in your home, office or patio and be more satisfied with a long term approach to buying rugs. It’s not all about pure beauty. Do some study and write down some notes before you make your purchase and you can be much happier with your results. By the way the wool rugs that we provide on our website are Saxony (Plush) style rugs. But since they are quality fiber with good tight twists, and you don’t try to use them outdoors, they are good all around rugs for the average family without breaking your budget. Article By: Charles Beason I am a Flooring Design Consultant & Estimator in Barstow, California. I currently am consulting at Carpets -n- More (see their Ad) as well as operating my web site where I feature a Limited Selection of Fine Wool Area Rugs and American Home Decor Items to complament any home design theme. If you have questions concerning any type of flooring please post them to our Blog forum area at: http://www.rugrunnerbiz.com
Article By: Charles Beason
Charles is a Flooring Design Consultant in the High Desert of Southern California.
Visit his website at http://www.rugrunnerbiz.comHave Questions, Ideas, Tips, etc... Submit them to us for inclusion on our web site. chazbeason@rugrunnerbiz.comThis article is copyright (c) 2007 by Charles Beason, and may be reprinted in it's entirety as long as this byline and copyright statement is included.
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