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Hand-made
carpets are technically very different
from machine-made carpets. As it is
quite relevant from their names,
hand-made carpets are woven by hands
while machine-made carpets undergo
treatments by various machines
Process of
hand-made carpets
Process of
machine-made carpets
Hand-made V/s Machine-made carpets
Carpet is a
textile floor covering that is fixed to
the floor surface and extends wall to
wall. Such a textile floor covering is
manufactured in two ways: hand-made or
machine-made.
One of the most prominent differences
between hand-made and machine-made
carpets is that the former holds a
valuable impression. The other main
difference between these two types of
rugs is the actual manner of
construction. Machine-made rugs consist
of plastic derived fibers being glued
onto a strong plastic base which makes
them initially very durable, but over
time the adhesive degrades and the
fibers detach easily from the base.
It is said that for rooms with modern
designs or active areas with high
traffic or children, machine-made rugs
with contemporary designs are excellent.
On the other hand, there is a common
misconception that hand-made oriental
rugs are delicate and not durable. Their
ornate designs and soft feel often
deceive many.
More clarity on the differences can be
explained in terms of:
Knots used
Sides and Ends sewn
Back of the carpets
Materials used
Touch
Manufacturing process
Knots
Machine-made rugs and carpets are not
woven by hand but are loomed by a
computer generated system or apparatus.
There are no knots in machine-made rugs.
Whereas in a hand-made rug, each knot is
hand knotted and tied. In machine-made
carpets, threads are glued or looped
onto a hot latex (plastic) backing which
cools and hardens. They show a complete
and rigid uniformity in manufacture
which transforms into a static design.
Machine-made rugs generally lack
spontaneity and human touch.
Also read various
hand-knotting styles
Sides and Ends
In a hand-made or hand-knotted rug, the
fringe is part of the rug. The fringe
is not sewn on as an extension, as is
the case in machine-made rugs.
Machine-made rugs always have serged
sides or machine stitching on both sides
of the rug, as opposed to a hand-knotted
which will be irregular and imperfect.
Back
In power loomed or machine-made rugs the
stitching on the back is very
consistent. They have extremely regular
knots and even structure remains
identical in all parts of the carpet. On
the other hand, in hand-knotted rugs the
stitching varies slightly due to
different tensions on the wool as people
hand-tie the knots. Most hand-made rugs
and carpets are covered with a cotton or
canvas backing.
Materials
Acrylics and other chemically processed
materials are usually used to make
machine-made carpets. Hand-knotted rugs
and carpets use pure organic wools.
Touch
You can also differentiate a
machine-made and hand-made rug simply by
touching. If you place one finger on the
front of a machine-made rug and your
thumb on the back and pinch tightly, the
rug will compress greatly and you will
feel a sensation going right through one
side to the other side. On the other
hand, while pinching hand-made rugs you
will feel much more body and substance. |
