Rug Tips and Facts

Choosing the right rug for an area requires planning. Home, work, play or a retreat area should make a statement. If you are working with an empty area, build from the foundation up. Choose the flooring first, then the paint, furnishing, fabrics and accessories around the floor.

  • Imagine the total look of the room or space you are creating
  • What will the area be used for?
  • A sitting area could have a lighter, more fragile pattern
  • Lighter rugs will increase the perceived size of the room
  • Darker rugs will create a warmer, intimate decorum
  • Color, style & texture of the rug will set the "personality" of the room
  • Consider the existing floor & size of the area when determining the size of rug. Do you want to downplay the existing floor? If so, get a larger rug with an overall pattern. If you want to show off the existing floor, get a smaller rug in a solid or tone on tone pattern
  • Always remember, having the perfect rug is as important as protecting it, be sure to have a Spartan Area Rug Pad underneath for added protection.

Rugs are a functional part of any room. They have many tasks. Protecting or hiding flaws to the existing floor, warming up the floor, creating a look, and building a decorative foundation are a few of a rug's functions. The choices are virtually endless when it comes to selection.

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Spartan Underlay - Rug Pad

A rug pad is not just for keeping your rug in place! Area rugs wear out first on the bottom of the rug - not the top. The pad is an important aspect in prolonging the life of your rug. The pad helps to cushion the rug from the existing floor underneath and absorb the weight of traffic. It also helps keep the rug from wearing down. Choose the correct pad to keep the rug from slipping. Determine whether the rug will be on top of carpet or on a hard surface floor.

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Benefits of Area Rugs

Beauty: Area rugs can set the character, mood or period of a space and provide the means to personalize an environment. For example, Contemporary area rugs are an excellent method to incorporate an artistic fl air into a home, and are a good technique to simply add color to a room. Contemporary area rugs come in a variety of styles, including traditional patterns that have roots in Oriental, Persian and Native American designs.

Comfort: Area rugs provide comfort and warmth in addition to beauty. Consider area rugs when designing a space around children or seniors. Area rugs are a perfect way to soften hard surfaces and make a living space more comfortable on the ears as well as the feet.

Safety: When used with an underlay or rug pad, area rugs provide a stable and non-skid surface to help prevent slips and falls and protect against impact. Area rugs can minimize injuries from falls to children, seniors and other family members.

Sound Reduction: Hard surfaces within a space reverberate noise, especially in open areas like a family room or offi ce. Area rugs help absorb and reduce noise. Traffi c noise between house fl oors can also be reduced with area rugs. When used beneath tables and chairs, area rugs provide protection for your fl ooring. When your dining room chairs are being pushed in and out on a regular basis, it can cause wear and tear to your hard surface flooring. An area rug is the best protection.

Durability: Area rug durability is generally determined by the material, construction, and amount of traffi c in a space. By carefully considering where the area rug will be placed and how it will be used, you can anticipate its longevity. The chart below helps demonstrate the life expectancy for an area rug of various constructions, placed in different spaces.

L = Low Traffic (bedroom, bathroom, formal areas, etc.)
M = Medium Traffic (dining room, offi ce, etc.)
H = High Traffic (hallways, family room, entry, etc.)
Remember that the type of material used in area rug construction will also affect its longevity (eg: a power loomed area rug of tufted wool will last longer than a hand-made hooked area rug in a medium traffi c area). The most important thing to remember though, is any rug's life-span will be greatly increased by using a Spartan Area Rug Pad for additional protection.

Area Rug Type 5-15 Years 12-20 Years 20 or more Years
Hand-knotted H H H/M
Machine-made H H/M M/L
Hand-tufted H M L
Hand-hooked M L L
Braided M L L
Flat Weave M L L

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Area Rug Construction

There is a variety of area rugs constructed from different materials and patterns. Your area rug should perform well in addition to looking great. To find the best area rug within your budget, consider the right combination of density, twist, and fiber.

Density: Refers to the tightness of the tufts, or knots. The denser the weave, the increased longevity of the rug.

Twist: Refers to the amount of yarn spirals. A yarn twist that is tighter provides added durability.

Fiber: Area rugs may be from a variety of synthetic or natural materials, which will help determine performance and appearance. Natural fibers provide soft, low luster colors and long-term performance. Synthetic fibers provide brilliant colors, softness, easy maintenance and value.Area rugs may be power loomed, hand-hooked, hand-tufted, hand-knotted or a flat weave.

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Hand-Made Area Rugs

In addition to traditional hand-made area rugs, Asia and other countries also produce many hand-made contemporary area rugs. There are different types of hand-made area rugs: knotted, tufted, hooked, looped and flat weave. Rug construction alone does not dictate area rug quality. Factors such as density, material and weave should also be considered when selecting an area rug.

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Hand-Knotted Area Rugs

Hand knotted area rugs are woven by hand; and depending on size, construction and density, one area rug could take a year or more to complete. Hand-knotted area rugs are secured to the foundation by knotting, versus gluing, producing exceptional density and quality.

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Hand-Hooked Area Rugs

Using a pattern and a hooking device, yarn is punched through a canvas cloth creating a looped pile. The yarns are then glued in place in lieu of knotting, and a cloth is attached to the back for added protection.


Hand-Tufted Area Rugs

Hand-tufted area rugs are usually created by punching yarn in a cloth that is attached to a frame, and then gluing the backs with latex after hooking the yarn. The surface loop pile is then sheared to produce a flat surface. This process creates an area rug that is very plush and generally reasonable priced.

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Flat Weave Area Rugs

Flat weave area rugs are easier to make and are usually made of wool, cotton, bamboo, or nylon. Because they are looped, flat weave area rugs do not have a pile and are reversible. In this category we offer two wonderful Kilim collections that include throw pillows for added style.

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Power Loomed Area Rugs

These area rugs are made on power looms by hand, machine or computer. The loom is strung with a cotton or jute warp, and then woven using nylon, polypropylene, wool or other material. Computer operated machines produce a number of contemporary and traditional designs in various sizes and colors from a predetermined design. More than 40 shades can be achieved in a single area rug using a crossweaving technique. Power loomed area rugs have become very popular due to the variety of sizes, colors, designs, lower pricing and availability. Power loomed area rugs are woven on Wilton, side-woven Wilton and Gripper Axminster looms.

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Wilton Woven

Wilton looms are situated face-to-face and feature computerized electronic heads. The loom needles loop the yarns in two synthetic backings. Loom size and structure vary based on number of color capacities. Two identical area rugs emerge from the loom in a face-toface position. Once the weaving process is complete and the rug is sheared down the center- revealing two complete pieces.

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Wilton Side Woven

The Wilton side-woven area rugs are woven in a similar fashion, but at a 90 degree angle to the above area rugs. On occasion, cotton backing is used to give these area rugs a softer feel.

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Axminster

Axminster more commonly refers to a type of carpet rather than a type of loom, although the Gripper Axminster loom was created to mass produce carpet in 1927.

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Decorating with Rugs

The area rug pulls all of the design elements of a room together. Here are some hints to pick the right rug for your home:

  1. To place a room-sized rug on a hardwood floor, choose a rug that allows eight inches of wood to be exposed around the rugs perimeter.
  2. For cozy nooks in large rooms, create small sitting areas by gathering furniture around 4' x 6' or 5' x 8' rugs.
  3. For a dining room rug, measure your tabletop. Add four feet to the width and length to find the minimum size of your dining room rug. This extra length and width facilitates pulling chairs out from under the table.
  4. Brighten up small areas, like your foyer, bathroom or kitchen with an accent rug using either a 2' x 3' - 3' x 5' - 4' x 6' - or 6' Round Rug.

Keep your family safe by making sure that rug corners do not extend into high traffic areas and that you always use a Spartan Area Rug Pad for extra protection.

We always recommend using a Spartan Area Rug Pad under all rugs - this will help keep your rug in place and also save the life of your rug - Rugs wear from the bottom, not the top. Since the friction is on the bottom when being walked on, using a rug pad will help keep your rug in good condition and last for many years.

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Decorating with Patterns

Putting pattern in a room adds color, texture and design to your room without being overwhelming. Unlike solid colors, patterns have a "chameleon" effect: they readily blend with other colors in the room. This makes it easy to decorate from the floor up or match patterned carpet to existing upholstery and wall colors.

  • Geometric with Floral
  • Floral patterns provide pleasing contrast with geometric designs
  • Simple style combined complex patterns
  • Large patterns and small patterns couple well

If you are starting your decorating project from scratch, set the tone and design of the room by selecting a patterned carpet. Then find complimenting upholstery and wall colors by following the Opposites Attract guidelines.

If you are redecorating, take a swatch of the most visible pattern in the room to the carpet store. Using only color as a consideration, match the swatch to samples of patterned carpet. To narrow down your alternatives, use the Opposites Attract guidelines to choose the right pattern. Then simply choose your favorite.

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Selecting an Area Rug

A number of considerations surround area rug selection including design, comfort, construction, size, materials and price. We offer a variety of area rugs that provide endless possibilities to fit any decor and personal taste.

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Area Rug Selection Tips

Design: An empty room may be designed around any area rug, just as the right rug can put the final touches on an existing room. When designing a room around an area rug, use the rug colors to decide upon furniture, paint or wallpaper color. A well-chosen area rug can coordinate patterns, furniture, and wall prints to complete a rooms design.

Color: Furniture may be selected around rug colors and design. Area rugs are an effective method to mix patterns that have the same color palette. Deep colored area rugs provide warmth and intimacy, while light colored rugs can open a room and provide a more spacious feeling. When selecting an area rug around existing furniture, bring a swatch of the predominant pattern in the room.

Size: Evaluate the size of the space and the area to cover. Larger area rugs provide comfort and benefit acoustics in a large space. Area rugs also enhance areas in bedrooms, kitchens and other smaller spaces that may require a splash of color or warmth.

Material: There are a variety of area rugs made from synthetic and natural yarns. For more information, see our 'Area Rug Construction' section.

Construction: There are a variety of different types of construction. Once your needs have been determined it is easier to decide what fabrication best fits within your settings. For more information, see our 'Area Rug Construction' section.

Shape: Circular and other uniquely shaped rugs can present a design alternative to rectangular or square shapes.

The Space: The type of light and amount of traffic in a room will affect the choice of area rug material. Some hand-made fibers resist fading better than natural fibers, so consider the amount of direct sunlight an area rug will receive.

Durability: An area rug with the right combination of pile density (closer stitches or tufts) and fiber will resist wear. Area rug pads will reduce wear on the area rug and provide additional noise absorption.

  • Do not extend area rugs into high traffic areas.
  • Divide a large space into more intimate sitting areas by placing furniture around 4' x 6' or 6' x 9' area rugs.
  • Floral patterns can accentuate and blend with more contemporary geometric designs if the color palettes are similar.
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