Hand-tufted rugs

How they are made

A cotton canvas is stretched on a vertical frame, and the design is drawn on it. A worker uses a hand-held tufting gun to punch loops of yarn through the canvas, following the drawing color by color.

When the tufting is done, the back is coated with latex glue to hold the loops in place, and a second cloth backing is glued over it. The loops are then sheared to make a cut pile, or left as loops. A fringe, if there is one, is sewn or glued on at the ends.

Hand-tufted vs hand-knotted

A hand-knotted rug is held together by knots tied around the warp threads. A hand-tufted rug is held together by glue. That one difference explains most of the rest.

A tufted rug can be made in days or weeks, so it costs much less. A knotted rug takes months but can last for generations. As the glue in a tufted rug ages, it can dry out and crumble, and the rug loses tufts and stiffness.

Shedding

Most new tufted rugs shed for the first few months, because loose fibers left from shearing work their way out. Regular vacuuming without a beater bar is the answer.

Shedding that goes on for years, with bald patches, usually means the backing glue is breaking down.

Cleaning a tufted rug

Vacuum it often and blot spills right away. Do not soak a tufted rug or leave it wet. Water can weaken the latex and cause the backing to smell or come loose.

For a deep clean, tell the rug cleaner it is tufted. Many tufted rugs are better cleaned with low-moisture methods than with a full wash.

How to tell them apart

Turn the rug over. A tufted rug has a plain cloth backing, usually canvas, that hides the design. A hand-knotted rug shows the design on the back, knot by knot.

Look at the fringe. On a tufted rug it is sewn or glued on as a separate strip. On a knotted rug it is the end of the warp threads that run through the whole rug.

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