Carpets are excellent floor coverings, but nowadays, they are more than just that. They have become sort of art pieces for your home that offer their texture and warmth to the living spaces.
The decision to buy a carpet is usually torn between two choices: hand-made and machine-made carpets. To unveil these two crafts, we bring to you this blog post identifying the difference between hand-knoted and machine carpets.
Understand the difference between these two general categories to make the right selection for your floor covering needs.
Major Differences Between Hand-Made And Machine-Made Carpets
Home Carpets have been used for centuries to stylize the interior decor. Still, no carpet is equal and there nowadays this difference is classified as hand-made and machine-made. Here are some major differences between these two carpet types.
The Difference In Manufacturing process
Hand-Made Carpets
Handmade also called hand-knotted carpets are ones that skilled weavers weave with techniques that have been passed to them through generations.
Each knot in the carpet is tied with precision onto either a horizontal or vertical loom. This creates a carpet tapestry of intricate designs in striking colors.
Make sure you know how to calculate the carpet area perfectly because the handmade process takes weeks to months and sometimes years to create a single piece.
Machine Made Carpets
These carpets are made in bulk on automated looms with a pre-planned computer system. Workers feed yarn to the loom and a programmed pattern is woven much faster than a hand-knotting technique. This method is cost-effective as it requires less labor and offers mass production.
The Difference In Look & Feel
The appearance of a carpet and the underfoot feel when walking over it is what differentiates a carpet from machine-made & hand-made.
Hand-made Carpets
In general, handmade carpets are made only with natural fibers such as cotton, wool, and silk. All these fibers have natural fire resistance, and high durability against wear & tear, and they are super comfortable to walk on.
Handmade silk carpets have a natural sheen for a luxurious look and handmade cotton carpets are breathable.
Machine-made Carpets
Machine-made rugs and carpets can be made from various materials, mostly synthetic materials, such as polypropylene, polyester, and nylon.
These materials are highly stain-resistant and super affordable, but they look and feel better underfoot than hand-made carpets.
The Difference Of Craftsmanship
The craftsmanship of these two carpet types is what makes them different from each other.
Handmade Carpets
Handmade carpets are and always have been in demand because of the quality craftsmanship that goes into their design & patterns.
They often feature unique and asymmetrical designs. A simple change in the knot size and the right color placement by a skilled artisan makes a carpet unique and expensive.
Artisans add the cultural elements into these designs of their homeland with their respective weaving techniques.
Machine Made Carpets
Although these carpets have stunning designs and patterns, they still offer uniform designs with symmetrical patterns, which is good to use as the best carpet for stairs.
This similarity in design is due to a single pattern and design fed to a computer weaving program. Some machine-made carpet manufacturers try to mimic the hand-made techniques; there still is a lack of variation and depth found in the hand-knotted carpets.
The Difference In Value & Quality
There is a lot of difference between the value of handmade & machine-made carpets.
Handmade carpets
These carpets are more than just floor coverings; they are a financial investment of sorts. Handmade carpets with special designs, patterns, area of origin, and rarity can be expensive. Still, their worth is more than just money, so pick the right style of luxurious carpets.
They are built to last for many generations and be family heirlooms. The tight knots and use of high-quality materials give them years-long durability.
Machine-Made Carpets
These carpets are highly affordable and while they can last for many years, their level might not be the same as hand-knotted carpets. The quality depends upon the quality of materials & the manufacturing process.
Additional Differences Between Hand-made & Machine-made Carpets
These are some of the additional differences that differentiate these two carpet types from each other.
- Fringes: Fringe is an extension of the carpet’s foundation. The hand-knotted carpet will not have a fringe sewn onto the carpet. This fringe is only sewn to the foundation in machine-made ones.
- Selvage: When you turn the outer edges of the carpet’s long side by wrapping them over each other and sewn shut, it is called selvage. Different regions have different ways to finish this edge; helping easy differentiation of the hand-made carpets. For machine-made, this selvage features a precise uniform finish.
- Backside: The backside of machine-made carpets will have uniform threading of white lines (Wrap Thread) in a perfect alignment. If you need the best carpets for basements or underground areas, these threads should not be in alignment and the knot density should also be inconsistent in the carpet.
Factors To Consider When Choosing Between Hand-Made & Machine-Made Carpets
Below are some factors to consider when deciding between a hand-made and a machine-made carpet.
- Consider your budget well before a purchase. Handmade carpets are highly sought after and thus cost a bit more. For a limited budget, machine-made carpets are great and they also have some good options.
- If you wish for a cultural impact in your home decor and value uniqueness, hand-made carpets are perfect. Machine-made carpets offer a wide range of designs that can be fitted for most interior decors.
- If your household has high foot traffic, machine-made carpets feature many benefits of carpet padding, including high stain resistance are better practical choices. handmade carpets require special maintenance and care.
Our Final Say
Going shopping for a carpet is an enjoyable experience. You need to understand the differences between these two major classifications; hand-made & machine-made beforehand.
With a basic understanding, visit our Carpet Store in Dubai and explore different styles in different materials. Make the selection based on your personal aesthetic view but don’t be afraid to get advice from a carpet expert.
