How Do I Know If My Rug Is Handmade?

Have you ever wondered how to tell whether a rug is handmade? It’s actually not as difficult as some may think. For this blog post, we thought we’d share some of the easy tips and tricks that are commonly used.

A quick test to see if a rug is handmade is to turn it upside down and examine the back. If you can’t see the pattern as clearly as on the front-side, the rug more than likely is not handmade. When you turn over a handmade rug to look at the backside, you can clearly see the pattern and knots. In general, when it comes to handmade rugs, the more clearly the design shows on the back, the greater the number of knots per square inch and the better the quality of the rug.

Another test to determine whether a rug is handmade is to run your hands along the back of the rug. A handmade rug will feel soft to the touch, whereas a machine-made rug will have more of a stiff, firm surface. Because handmade rugs are made with wool, which is a natural material, they feel much softer than other rugs. Whereas, machine-made rugs are made with plastic and other synthetic materials and are therefore harder to the touch.

When comparing a handmade rug to other qualities, you should notice that handmade rugs are much more flexible. Machine-made rugs are rigid, which makes them more difficult to bend and fold.

To Summarize:

1. Check the backside of the rug; a handmade rug will have knots

2. The pattern will clearly show on the backside of a handmade rug

3. Handmade rugs are soft and flexible, whereas machine made rugs are more rigid and harder to the touch

Close-up showing the knots on the back-side of a hand-knotted rug