An authentic oriental rug is a handmade work of art. This exquisite art form dates back to about 3000 B.C. Often called "functional works of art for your floor," the warmth and beauty of oriental rugs brings interest and luxury to any room in the house.

Originally, oriental rugs were hand-knotted with wool and silk fibers. Over time, newer and non-traditional constructions and fibers have been introduced and mixed, resulting in a larger category into which oriental rugs now fall, broadly referred to as area rugs. The variety of qualities proliferating the industry allows for versatility in function and design as trends come and go.

Handmade area rugs now include these popular qualities and constructions:

Hand-Knotted
A traditional hand-knotted rug is made with wool or silk. They are usually finished with a special luster wash for softness and shine and come with a fringe. Hand-knotted rugs take the longest time to make and therefore the most expensive, but allow for the most flexibility in design and color placement. To construct a hand-knotted rug, the weaver strings cotton threads, called warps, on a frame which becomes the foundation of the rug. The pile yarns, usually wool or silk, are looped around cotton threads one at a time to create a thick pile. Cotton yarns are then woven side to side through the warps to hold them together; the cotton threads are generally tied off into decorative fringes.

Hand-Tufted
A hand-tufted rug can be made with many types of fibers including wool, silk, acrylic or a combination. Hand-tufted rugs are generally less expensive than hand-knotted rugs and offer a tremendous value to the customer. To construct a hand-tufted rug, a cotton canvas is stretched on a frame to form the foundation of the rug. The design is drawn on the canvas in stencil or in outline form. Using a hooking tool, pile yarns are pushed through the foundation, making a loop, which is then cut giving the finished rug a plush or cut pile surface. The back of the foundation is given a latex coating to lock the pile yarns in place. A secondary canvas backing is applied to the rug to give it more stiffness and to cover the latex. In a Hi/Lo hand-tufted rug, the pile of the rug is a combination of cut and loop pile, which is used to create a three-dimensional effect.

Hand-Hooked
Hand-hooked rugs are made exactly the same way as hand-tufted rugs, except that the hand-hooked rug usually has a short, looped pile instead of a thick, cut pile. Also, the backing on a hand-hooked rug is often a light-weight mesh instead of a heavy canvas backing.

Machine-Made
Machine-made rugs can be made of various materials, including heat-set polypropylene, faux silk viscose and wool. Machine-made rugs are woven on power looms, where the pile yarns and the backing yarns are threaded into the machine ahead of time. A computer controls which colors are woven into certain parts of the fabric, creating the original design. Power loom weaving is very fast, but usually only allows for a limited number of colors at a time. Machine-made rugs can run a wide range of pricing from expensive, high-quality weaves to low, promotional rugs. KAS has a wide assortment of machine-made patterns ranging from traditional, contemporaries and transitional designs.

Flat Weave
Similar to hand-knotted rugs, flat-weaves are woven on a foundation typically made up of cotton warps strung on a frame called a loom. Instead of looping around and making a thicker pile, the yarns which form the pile are threaded back and forth, covering all the cotton thread like a blanket or a tapestry, creating a very flat pile. Usually, flat-weaves are the quickest hand-made rugs to produce and therefore, generally the least expensive. Flat-weaves can also be produced on power looms, making the production of these rugs even faster.

Bamboo Rugs
A bamboo rug is constructed of natural bamboo fibers. The bamboo is cut into narrow strands for woven geometric designs or cut into strips to create a hardwood floor effect. Bamboo has the tensile strength of hardwood trees and has a very casual yet elegant look.

Jute Rugs
Jute rugs are woven with natural plant fibers. Originally introduced and used as doormats, jute rugs have become a decorative rug suitable for many other areas of the home. Today, jute rugs are woven in loop or flat constructions, and are then dyed or have printed designs.

ABRASH: A multi-tone appearance that can be accomplished through special washed or dyeing of yarn. AGRA: An all-over traditional design.

AUBUSSON: A classic French design consisting of a large scale medallion, a simple field, a floral center motif and an elaborate floral border.

AXMINSTER: A traditional and highly regarded type of weave used in machine-made rugs. The yarn and backing are woven at the same time to product highly patterned designs of many colors.

BAKTIARI: A traditional panel design.

FRISE: Highly twisted yarns used for a more textured effect; generally used in machine-made products.

HEAT-SET POLY: A strong synthetic fiber used in the production of machine-made rugs. The polypropylene fiber is heat-set to prevent premature wear and is known as a 'stain-proof' fiber.

KASHAN: An all-over leaf and trendil design with no central focal point or medallion.

KERMAN: A design with an oval medallion surrounded by an open field.

KNOT COUNT: The number of knots per square inch in each line. The higher the number of knots, the higher the quality of the rug.

MAHAL: An abstract floral design usually seen with stylized flowers. This pattern usually has no medallion. SAROUK: A pattern of independent floral sprays. This design may be used with or without a medallion.

SAVONNERIE: A classic French design that is more elaborate than an Aubusson.

SOUMAK: A technique of progressive weft weaving, which is the horizontal threads that run the width of the rug inserted between all the rows of knots.

WASHES: Specific washing techniques, including antique, herbal, tea-stain and chemical, that give unique colorations, textures and shine to area rugs.

WILTON: A type of weaving loom used in producing machine-made rugs. The loom uses pattern cards which automatically regulates the feeding of five or six different colored yarns.

WORSTED: Yarns which go through extra combing steps to remove the shorter fibers.

Rug Care & Maintenance

Rug-Specific Care

HAND-KNOTTED: Vacuum on a regular basis with the pile level set on high. Be careful not to let the vacuum 'eat' the fringes.

TUFTED: Vacuum on a regular basis with the pile level set on high.

HOOKED: Vacuum regularly with an upholstery attachment. DO NOT use a rotary vacuum with a beater bar. If long ends appear above the top edge of the rug, DO NOT pull them. This is not a defect and is called 'sprouting'. It is a common occurrence with hand-hooked rugs. Use scissors to carefully cut the sprouted ends to be even with the rest of the rug.

BAMBOO: Blot spills immediately. Wipe with a damp cloth. Do not saturate with water as it may damage the backing.

JUTE & SISAL: For indoor use only. Keep away from excessive moisture. Blot spills immediately using a clean towel until most of the moisture is absorbed. Do not steam clean or use any method of cleaning that involved water saturation. Professional cleaning only.

Stain/Damage Cleaning

FLOOD DAMAGE: First blot excess water. Lay flat and then dry by air using a fan or low temperature hair dryer. Vacuum. Professionally clean good quality rugs.

SPILLS: First blot excess liquid. Clean with a white cloth using a dry cleaning fluid or a simple solution of 1 Tsp. mild detergent such as Woolite, 1 Tsp. white vinegar and 1 Quart warm water. Extract excess liquid with a wet/dry vacuum.

STAINS: Since different stains require different cleaning treatments, it is important to identify the cause and nature of the stain. Below is a list of common stains and how they are best removed. Always test your cleaning solution on a portion of the rug not seen.

Recommended Stain-Specific Cleaning Treatment

We recommend only the use of Woolite as a mild detergent for the cleaning of all rugs. The cleaning process should involve applying the Woolite with a soft bristle brush, rinsing lightly with water (not saturated), extracting with a vacuum, and the rug should then be dried by air or a low-temperature hair dryer.

Acid-based Mild detergent & white vinegar

Alcohol Mild detergent & white vinegar or Dry cleaning fluid

Bleach Mild detergent & white vinegar

Blood Mild detergent & white vinegar, or Starch paste

Butter Dry cleaning fluid

Charcoal Vacuum and then warm water and mild detergent

Chewing Gum Mild detergent & white vinegar, or Dry cleaning fluid

Chocolate Mild detergent & white vinegar, or Dry cleaning fluid

Coffee Glycerine, or Dry cleaning fluid and then warm water and mild detergent

Cosmetics Mild detergent & white vinegar, or Dry cleaning fluid

Crayon Mild detergent & white vinegar, or Dry cleaning fluid, or scrape and vacuum

Furniture polish Mild detergent & white vinegar, or Dry cleaning fluid

Glue Alcohol

Grass Methylated spirits, or Turpentine

Gravy Mild detergent & white vinegar, or Dry cleaning fluid

Grease Dry cleaning fluid, or scrape and vacuum

Ice cream Mild detergent & white vinegar, or Dry cleaning fluid

Ink Turpentine, or Dry cleaning fluid then warm water and detergent

Medicine (liquid) Call a professional rug cleaner.

Metal polish Mild detergent & white vinegar, or Dry cleaning fluid

Mildew Call a professional rug cleaner.

Milk Mild detergent & white vinegar, or Dry cleaning fluid

Mud Mild detergent & white vinegar

Mustard Mild detergent & white vinegar

Nail polish Nail polish remover (non-acetone)

Oils or oily spills Dry cleaning fluid

Paint Mild detergent & white vinegar, or Dry cleaning fluid

Perfume Mild detergent & white vinegar, or Dry cleaning fluid

Permanent marker/ink Call a professional rug cleaner.

Salad dressing Mild detergent & white vinegar, or Dry cleaning fluid

Sauces Mild detergent & white vinegar, or Dry cleaning fluid

Shoe polish Mild detergent & white vinegar, or Dry cleaning fluid, or scrape and vacuum

Soot Vacuum, and then Dry cleaning fluid

Tea Mild detergent & white vinegar

Urine (pet) Call a professional rug cleaner.

Vomit Mild detergent & white vinegar, or Dry cleaning fluid

Wax Cleaning fluid, or scrape and vacuum

Wine Mild detergent & white vinegar, or Dry cleaning fluid