Unveiling the Craft: Difference Between Hand-Made and Machine-Made Carpets
Carpets are excellent floor coverings, but nowadays, they are more than just that. Carpets have evolved into art pieces for your home, adding texture and warmth to your living spaces.
People typically struggle to choose between two types of carpets: hand-made and machine-made. To reveal these two crafts, we present a blog post identifying the difference between hand-knotted and machine carpets.
Understand the difference between these two general categories to make the right selection for your floor covering needs.
Major Differences Between Hand-Made and Machine-Made Carpets
For centuries, people have used home carpets to stylistically decorate thHowever, there is still a distinction between hand-made and machine-made carpets. ade and machine-made. Here are some major differences between these two carpet types.
The difference in the manufacturing process
Hand-Made Carpets
Skilled weavers use techniques passed down through generations to weave handmade, also known as hand-knotted, carpets.
Precision ties each knot in the carpet onto a horizontal or vertical loom. This creates a carpet tapestry of intricate designs in striking colors.
Make sure you know how to calculate the carpet area perfectly, because the handmade process takes weeks to months and sometimes years to create a single piece.
Machine-made carpets
Automated looms with a pre-planned computer system produce these carpets in bulk. Workers feed yarn into the loom, weaving a programmed pattern much faster than a hand-knotting technique. This method is cost-effective because it requires less labor and produces mass quantities.
The Difference in Look & Feel
The appearance of a carpet and the underfoot feel when walking over it are what distinguish it from machine-made and hand-made.
Hand-made Carpets
Generally, natural fibers like cotton, wool, and silk are the only materials used to make handmade carpets. All these fibers have natural fire resistance and high durability against wear & tear, and they are super comfortable to walk on.
Handmade silk carpets have a natural sheen for a luxurious look, and handmade cotton carpets are breathable.
Machine-made Carpets
Machine-made carpets can be made from various materials, mostly synthetic materials, such as polypropylene, polyester, and nylon.
These materials are highly stain-resistant and super affordable, but they look and feel better underfoot than hand-made carpets.
The Difference Between Craftsmanship
How these two carpets differ is their craftsmanship.
Handmade Carpets
Handmade carpets have always been in demand because of the quality craftsmanship that goes into their design and patterns.
They often feature unique and asymmetrical designs. A simple change in the knot size and the right color placement by a skilled artisan makes a carpet unique and expensive.
With their respective weaving techniques, artists incorporate cultural elements into the designs of their homeland.
Machine-made carpets
Despite their stunning designs and patterns, these carpets still offer uniform designs with symmetrical patterns, making them an excellent choice for stairs.
This similarity in design is due to a single pattern and design fed to a computer weaving program. Some machine-made carpet manufacturers try to mimic the hand-made techniques, but there is still a lack of variation and depth in the hand-knotted carpets.
The difference between value and quality
There is a lot of difference between the value of handmade and machine-made carpets.
Handmade carpets
These carpets are more than just floor coverings; they are a financial investment of sorts. Handmade carpets with unique designs, patterns, regions of origin, and rarity can be expensive. Still, their worth is more than just money, so pick the right style of luxurious carpets.
They are built to last for many generations and will be family heirlooms. The tight knots and use of high-quality materials give them years-long durability.
Machine-Made Carpets
These carpets are highly affordable, and while they can last for many years, their level might not be the same as hand-knotted carpets. The quality depends upon the quality of materials and the manufacturing process.
Additional Differences Between Hand-Made and Machine-Made Carpets
These additional differences distinguish these two carpet types.
Fringes: Fringe is an extension of the carpet’s foundation. The hand-knotted carpet will not have a fringe sewn onto it. Machine-made carpets only sew this fringe to the foundation.
Selvage: The process of turning the outer edges of a carpet’s long side by wrapping them over one another and sewing them shut is known as selvage. different regions have different ways of finishing this edge, which aids in the easy differentiation of hand-made carpets. . This selvage is machine-made and has a precise, uniform finish.
Backside: Machine-made carpets feature uniform threading of white lines, known as Wrap Thread, in perfect alignment on the backside. If you need the best carpets for basements or underground areas, these threads should not be in alignment, and the knot density should also be inconsistent in the carpet.
Factors to Consider When Choosing Between Hand-Made and Machine-Made Carpets
When deciding between hand-made and machine-made carpets, consider the following factors:
Consider your budget well before a purchase. Handmade carpets are highly sought after and thus cost a bit more. For a limited budget, machine-made carpets are great, and they also have some good options.
If you wish for a cultural impact in your home decor and value uniqueness, hand-made carpets are perfect. Most interior decors can complement the wide range of designs offered by machine-made carpets.
If your household has high foot traffic, machine-made carpets feature many benefits of carpet padding, including high stain resistance, which are better practical choices. Handmade carpets require special maintenance and care.
Our Final Say
Going shopping for carpets in Dubai is an enjoyable experience. You need to understand the differences between these two major classifications, hand-made and machine-made, beforehand.
With a basic understanding, visit our Royal Infinity and explore different styles in different materials. Make the selection based on your personal aesthetic view, but don’t be afraid to get advice from a carpet expert.