Rug guide · 03

Construction

How a rug is made shapes how it looks, how it wears and how long it lasts. Three methods cover most handmade rugs.

Interactive

Inside the three constructions

Each knot is tied by hand around a pair of warps; wefts lock every row. The pile is part of the foundation — there is no glued backing.

Comparison of constructions
	Hand-knotted	Hand-tufted	Flat-woven
Surface	Cut pile from individual knots	Cut or looped pile	No pile
Back	Design visible on the back	Cloth backing	Often the same as the front
Fringe	Formed from the warps	Usually sewn on	From the warps, where present
Life	Most durable; can be repaired	Good; backing ages with time	Durable; easy to clean

01
Hand-knotted
Individual knots are tied by hand around pairs of warps and locked in place by wefts, row by row. The pile is part of the foundation, with no glued backing. Hand-knotted rugs are the most durable and can be cleaned and repaired over a long life.
02
Hand-tufted
Yarn is punched through a stretched cloth with a hand-held tool, then secured with an adhesive and a backing cloth. Tufting suits bold, graphic designs and sculpted surfaces at a more accessible level.
03
Flat-woven
Pattern and structure are made together by interlacing wefts through warps, with no pile. The dhurrie is India's best-known flatweave. Flatweaves are light, often reversible and easy to clean.
04
How to tell them apart
- Turn it over: a hand-knotted rug shows its design on the back.
- Check the fringe: on a hand-knotted rug it is formed from the warps; on tufted rugs it is usually sewn on.
- Ask: a good seller will tell you plainly how a rug was made.