Rugs

What Machine Woven Means for a Rug

A machine woven rug comes off a power loom in one piece, which keeps a detailed oriental, medallion or plaid pattern sharp from edge to edge. The pile is synthetic, polypropylene on its own or blended with polyester, and the color goes into the fiber before it is spun, so it reaches the core of every strand rather than coating the outside. Polypropylene barely absorbs liquid, so a spill blotted straight away rarely leaves a mark, which is what makes these rugs easy to live with around kids and pets. Weekly vacuuming lifts the grit that would otherwise flatten the pile.

Pile Height Changes Where a Rug Works

Check the pile height on the listing, because small differences in height change where a rug works. A low, dense pile takes furniture weight without crushing, lets a door swing over it and does not trap dirt in a hallway, while a slightly fuller pile feels softer underfoot and shows a chair leg more. Under a dining table the pile has to be low enough for a chair to be pushed back without lifting, which rules out anything deep regardless of how it looks. In a bedroom the reverse applies, since nothing is dragged across it and the first step of the day is the point.

Why a Rug Needs an Underlay

An underlay is treated as optional and rarely is. It stops the rug creeping across a hard floor, which is a safety point on any smooth surface. It also lifts the rug fractionally so that dirt falls through rather than grinding into the fibers, which is what actually extends its life. On a hard floor an underlay is a safety item rather than a comfort one, since a rug that slides underfoot is a trip waiting to happen. Rotating a rug twice a year evens out both sun fading and foot traffic, and it is the cheapest thing that keeps one looking new.

For the front door, the printed felt mats sit in Door Mats, with the rest of the home range nearby.