EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT ORIENTAL RUGS
Advantages of an Oriental Rug
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Truly a work of art
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Good resale value
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Long Life
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Moves with you if you move
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Still made by hand
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Greatly enhances room & furniture
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Organizes space
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Made with natural fibers
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Non-physical room divider
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Absorbs sounds
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Cushions falls
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Can stay in the family for generations
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Has mystique
How to recognize a machine made oriental design rug
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Machine stitching can always be found along both sides of the rug.
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The stitching is normally is normally dyed to make it less noticeable
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The design is often vague and indistinct
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The back is covered with perfectly straight lines
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The fringe is almost always sewn on and not an extension of the warp.
Cotton vs wool
Although wool is the best material for the rug's pile, it is not a good choice for the foundation (warp & weft). A rug made with wool foundation will not lie flat and will be crooked (especially after washing). Only the nomadic tribes still use wool for foundations, mainly because they do not own land nor stay in one place long enough to grow cotton. Cotton makes the best foundation. Silk makes a good warp thread if extreme thinness is desired.
A wool foundation can be recognized by it's fringe which is darker and thicker than a cotton fringe (warp).
Advantages of a cotton foundation
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It is stronger
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It is thinner
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Less stretching
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It shrinks evenly
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The rug will keep it's shape
DYES
Today's synthetic (chrome) dyes are excellent and are not to be confused with the earlier disastrous synthetic (aniline) dyes of the past.
FOUR TYPES OF RUG DYES
NATURAL
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Oldest
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Color change
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Fewer colors
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Inconsistent
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Hard on wool
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Duller
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Fades in light
ANILINE
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Corrosive
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Colors Faded
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Colors ran
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Ruined many
fine rugs
ACID
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Cheap
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Colors Run
CHROME (We use this)
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Resists acids, alkalis, washing & light
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Won't harm wool
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Over 600 colors
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Colors are fast
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Won't run nor streak