How to Tell If a Throw Rug Is Handmade

Paying extra for a handmade throw rug is okay, as long as the rug is really handmade.

A throw rug can add an enormous amount of character and color to your home. Aside from covering up flaws in your floor or large stains on your area rug, a throw rug can add a splash of festivity, texture and a strong dynamic quality to your home. However, it's important for you to be able to determine whether or not a rug is truly handmade as that will directly affect the price. It's okay to pay more for a handmade rug -- if and only if it is truly made by hand.

Things You'll Need

• Magnifying glass

Instructions

1. Turn the rug over. You should clearly be able to see the design that's at the top of the rug represented at the back. If the design is faint or not visible at all, your rug is not handmade.

2. Run your fingers across the back of the rug. If you can see the design on the front, but there is a faint coating of plastic or white mesh, the rug in question is machine made.

3. Examine the fringe of the rug with a magnifying glass. If you see stitches sewn over the top of the fringe, it's a machine-made rug. On handmade rugs, the fringe is an extension of the rug.

4. Examine the knots and weaves of the rug with a magnifying glass. The knots and weaves should appear slightly uneven. Perfectly even knots and weaves is a sign of a machine-made rug.

5. Look at the edges of the rug. if there is a binding applied to the edges after the initial weaving, that's a sign of a machine-made rug.

References

• Area Rugs: Handmade vs. Machine-Made
• Autohome: Area Rugs Tips
• "The Intrepid Art Collector: The Beginner's Guide to Finding, Buying"; Lisa Hunter; 2006