Curbside pickup, contactless delivery, and extended returns. Learn more
← Prev   |   Next →

5 Pro Tips to Change How You Shop for Rugs

5 Pro Tips Anyone Buying a Rug Should Consider

 

Friends and family are always asking us what they really need to know when buying rugs, and here, we're sharing our insights with you. Without further ado, the 5 things anyone shopping for a rug should know:

 

#1 The right size rug will make/break your room

Determining the size of rug you need for the effect you want to achieve should be step #1. There’s not an exact science to picking the right size to a room, but there are some specific guidelines you need to follow to get the effect you want. If you want a piece that spices up a corner, but doesn’t take over the room, it needs to be small in relation to other elements. If you want an expansive, light feeling, you need a light-colored rug that sits completely underneath every piece of furniture, ideally with a perimeter of at least 6 inches. For more help on this, check out our Cheat Sheet.

 

#2 Rugs are priced by size

It often seems that rugs are priced as round numbers —$2,000 for a 6x9, for example — but really, the price of a rug is driven by the value per square-foot. This value is determined by the quality of the materials, the complexity of the design, the length of production time, and where the rug is produced — the larger the rug, the more materials, time and effort placed into producing it. Hence, the higher price.

 Why is this important? A lot of times, people start searching for a rug thinking, “I need a living room rug for $XX ” —and if rugs they like are higher than their budget, they start considering smaller rugs to reduce the price. This is not the approach we recommend.

You’re still spending a good amount of money, but not getting the effect you want out of the room. It’s really about getting the right size. If the prices seem out of reach, consider a design that is simpler or a rug that takes less time to produce.

 

#3 Do NOT buy a rug for its future value…

…Buy it for its longevity. Sometimes, people will buy a rug because they believe it is a rare or valuable piece and could be worth more money in the future. A rug is an investment — for your home. It is helpful to think of it as the same kind of investment you make in a fine quality couch or dining table—a good piece saves you from replacing it over and over.

While it is true that there are rugs that will become valuable 10, 20, 30 years down the line, this is difficult to gauge and to assign an actual value, since there are a number of factors that will influence it. Instead, think of it as a purchase that saves you money by lasting a lifetime, keeping you from replacing a deteriorating product frequently.

If you are interested in rugs for their investment quality and antique value, be sure to spend some time researching the rug style and make sure you buy from a trusted seller.

 

#4 Material is really, really important

It’s really easy to disregard the material of a rug since we are all almost always shopping based on look and cost (and hopefully size!). But the material you choose will have a big impact on how the rug holds up over time, and even how it looks in your space.

Natural fibers like wool, cotton, sisal, jute and silk have long lifespans and can be cleaned (sometimes professionally, in the case of bad spills). The better the quality of these materials, the higher the price — but this also correlates to a longer lifespan for the rug. Getting a rug that doesn’t need to be replaced often can save you a lot of money over time.

Synthetic materials like petroleum-based polyester and polypropylene have advanced considerably in their look and texture, but still don’t have the longevity of hand-knotted or hand-woven rugs. They typically last 1-2 years — part of which is due to the material, and part of which is due to the make….

 

#5 Make is really, really important

Make is how the rug was actually produced: Made by hand, such as hand-knotted and hand-woven OR manufactured with modern techniques, like machine-made and hand-tufted.

Hand-made rugs are crafted from techniques that give structural integrity to pieces: Hand-knotted rugs are made from hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of threads knotted to the rug’s cotton or wool foundation. Hand-woven rugs are made by repeatedly passing a warp through the carpet’s weft. These techniques insure that every part of the rug is integral to the rug’s structure, and therefore, less likely to come apart.

More modern techniques are more about assembling pieces quickly than weaving strong, durable rugs. For example, in hand-tufting, a tufting gun is used to shoot fabric “tufts” through a plastic grid. These rugs need to be backed with a polymer or glue to keep the tufts in place. Not only is the wool of lesser quality, the backing material can deteriorate and both the backing and pile will begin to shed. Machine-made rugs are made at incredible speed on a machine similar to a newspaper ream, and usually from polymer-based materials to survive this process. These synthetic materials breakdown as would other petroleum based materials.

Sometimes, labeling can be confusing, just generally describing a rug as “hand-made” — when really what they mean is “hand-tufted.” If you’re not sure, look at the back of the rug. If the design on the front is not visible on the back, it wasn’t really made by hand.

SO that’s it for now! To learn more or to be alerted when we post additional insights, follow us on Twitter, Facebook or Pinterest.

Erin Eisinger
Erin Eisinger

Author

Floorplan CEO and Co-Founder. Designer. Storyteller. Entrepreneur.


Featured Products

  • AKINA Collection Wool Rug in CHARCOAL / TAUPE Gray Small Hand-Woven Wool Quick View
    AKINA Collection Wool Rug in CHARCOAL / TAUPE from $349 $439
    Choose your size
  • BARKLEY Collection Wool/Viscose Rug in MOCHA Brown Small Hand-Woven Wool/Viscose Quick View
    BARKLEY Collection Wool/Viscose Rug in MOCHA from $429 $539
    Choose your size
  • EDGE Collection Rug in IVORY Ivory Small Hand-Woven Jute/Hemp Quick View
    EDGE Collection Rug in IVORY from $99 $129
    Choose your size
  • OAKWOOD Collection Wool Rug in GRAVEL Gray Small Hand-Woven Wool Quick View
    OAKWOOD Collection Wool Rug in GRAVEL from $179 $229
    Choose your size
  • Omen Collection Wool Rug in Grey Quick View
    Omen Collection Wool Rug in Grey from $349 $439
    Choose your size
  • PROMENADE Collection Rug in BROWN Brown Small Hand-Woven Cowhide Quick View
    PROMENADE Collection Rug in BROWN
    Sold Out
    Choose your size
  • PROMENADE Collection Rug in SADDLE Brown Small Hand-Woven Cowhide Quick View
    PROMENADE Collection Rug in SADDLE
    Sold Out
    Choose your size
  • PROMENADE Collection Rug in MULTI Multi Small Hand-Woven Cowhide Quick View
    PROMENADE Collection Rug in MULTI
    Sold Out
    Choose your size
  • ORIAN SHAG Collection Rug in CHARCOAL Gray Small Hand-Woven Polyester Quick View
    ORIAN SHAG Collection Rug in CHARCOAL
    Sold Out
    Choose your size
  • KALLIOPE Collection Rug in BLUE / MULTI Blue Small Hand-Woven Polyester Quick View
    KALLIOPE Collection Rug in BLUE / MULTI
    Sold Out
    Choose your size
  • KALLIOPE Collection Rug in SAND / RUST Beige Small Hand-Woven Polyester Quick View
    KALLIOPE Collection Rug in SAND / RUST
    Sold Out
    Choose your size
  • PROMENADE Collection Rug in SAND Beige Small Hand-Woven Cowhide Quick View
    PROMENADE Collection Rug in SAND
    Sold Out
    Choose your size
  • AKINA Collection Wool Rug in IVORY / BEIGE Ivory Small Hand-Woven Wool Quick View
    AKINA Collection Wool Rug in IVORY / BEIGE
    Sold Out
    Choose your size
  • SLOANE Collection Rug in SKY Blue Small Hand-Woven Viscose/Acrylic Quick View
    SLOANE Collection Rug in SKY from $659 $829
    Choose your size
  • SLOANE Collection Rug in SMOKE Gray Small Hand-Woven Viscose/Acrylic Quick View
    SLOANE Collection Rug in SMOKE from $659 $829
    Choose your size
  • SLOANE Collection Rug in NATURAL Beige Small Hand-Woven Viscose/Acrylic Quick View
    SLOANE Collection Rug in NATURAL from $659 $829
    Choose your size
  • SLOANE Collection Rug in OATMEAL Beige Small Hand-Woven Viscose/Acrylic Quick View
    SLOANE Collection Rug in OATMEAL from $659 $829
    Choose your size
  • SLOANE Collection Rug in MIST Beige Small Hand-Woven Viscose/Acrylic Quick View
    SLOANE Collection Rug in MIST from $659 $829
    Choose your size
  • ROMAN Collection Rug in IVORY / BLACK Ivory Accent Hand-Woven Viscose/Acrylic Quick View
    ROMAN Collection Rug in IVORY / BLACK from $239 $299
    Choose your size
  • ROMAN Collection Rug in IVORY / PEBBLE Ivory Accent Hand-Woven Viscose/Acrylic Quick View
    ROMAN Collection Rug in IVORY / PEBBLE from $239 $299
    Choose your size
  • ROMAN Collection Rug in NATURAL / CHARCOAL Beige Accent Hand-Woven Viscose/Acrylic Quick View
    ROMAN Collection Rug in NATURAL / CHARCOAL from $239 $299
    Choose your size
  • ROMAN Collection Rug in IVORY / GRANITE Ivory Accent Hand-Woven Viscose/Acrylic Quick View
    ROMAN Collection Rug in IVORY / GRANITE from $239 $299
    Choose your size
  • ROMAN Collection Rug in NATURAL / BARK Beige Accent Hand-Woven Viscose/Acrylic Quick View
    ROMAN Collection Rug in NATURAL / BARK from $239 $299
    Choose your size
  • REY Collection Rug in IVORY / CHARCOAL Ivory Accent Hand-Woven Polyester Quick View
    REY Collection Rug in IVORY / CHARCOAL
    Sold Out
    Choose your size
  • REY Collection Rug in SPA / NATURAL Blue Accent Hand-Woven Polyester Quick View
    REY Collection Rug in SPA / NATURAL from $139 $169
    Choose your size
  • REY Collection Rug in DENIM / NATURAL Blue Accent Hand-Woven Polyester Quick View
    REY Collection Rug in DENIM / NATURAL from $139 $169
    Choose your size
  • REY Collection Rug in SILVER / GREY Gray Accent Hand-Woven Polyester Quick View
    REY Collection Rug in SILVER / GREY from $139 $169
    Choose your size
  • REY Collection Rug in CAMEL / BLACK Beige Accent Hand-Woven Polyester Quick View
    REY Collection Rug in CAMEL / BLACK
    Sold Out
    Choose your size
  • QUARRY Collection Wool Rug in STONE Gray Accent Hand-Woven Wool Quick View
    QUARRY Collection Wool Rug in STONE from $159 $199
    Choose your size
  • QUARRY Collection Wool Rug in IVORY Ivory Accent Hand-Woven Wool Quick View
    QUARRY Collection Wool Rug in IVORY from $159 $199
    Choose your size
  • QUARRY Collection Wool Rug in OATMEAL Beige Accent Hand-Woven Wool Quick View
    QUARRY Collection Wool Rug in OATMEAL from $159 $199
    Choose your size
  • PROMENADE Collection Rug in SILVER Gray Small Hand-Woven Cowhide Quick View
    PROMENADE Collection Rug in SILVER from $619 $779
    Choose your size
  • PROMENADE Collection Rug in IVORY Ivory Small Hand-Woven Cowhide Quick View
    PROMENADE Collection Rug in IVORY from $619 $779
    Choose your size
  • PROMENADE Collection Rug in CHARCOAL Gray Small Hand-Woven Cowhide Quick View
    PROMENADE Collection Rug in CHARCOAL from $619 $779
    Choose your size
  • PROMENADE Collection Rug in GREY Gray Small Hand-Woven Cowhide Quick View
    PROMENADE Collection Rug in GREY from $619 $779
    Choose your size
  • PROMENADE Collection Rug in IVORY / GREY Ivory Small Hand-Woven Cowhide Quick View
    PROMENADE Collection Rug in IVORY / GREY from $619 $779
    Choose your size
  • PRIYA Collection Wool/Viscose Rug in Bone / Bluestone Beige Accent Hand-Woven Wool/Viscose Quick View
    PRIYA Collection Wool/Viscose Rug in Bone / Bluestone from $119 $149
    Choose your size
  • PRIYA Collection Wool/Viscose Rug in Brick / Navy Red Accent Hand-Woven Wool/Viscose Quick View
    PRIYA Collection Wool/Viscose Rug in Brick / Navy from $119 $149
    Choose your size
  • PRIYA Collection Wool/Viscose Rug in Denim / Rust Blue Accent Hand-Woven Wool/Viscose Quick View
    PRIYA Collection Wool/Viscose Rug in Denim / Rust from $119 $149
    Choose your size
  • PRIYA Collection Wool/Viscose Rug in Natural / Blue Beige Accent Hand-Woven Wool/Viscose Quick View
    PRIYA Collection Wool/Viscose Rug in Natural / Blue from $119 $149
    Choose your size
  • PRIYA Collection Wool/Viscose Rug in Olive / Graphite Green Accent Hand-Woven Wool/Viscose Quick View
    PRIYA Collection Wool/Viscose Rug in Olive / Graphite from $119 $149
    Choose your size
  • PRIYA Collection Wool/Viscose Rug in Ivory / Grey Ivory Accent Hand-Woven Wool/Viscose Quick View
    PRIYA Collection Wool/Viscose Rug in Ivory / Grey from $119 $149
    Choose your size
  • PRIYA Collection Wool/Viscose Rug in Navy / Ivory Blue Accent Hand-Woven Wool/Viscose Quick View
    PRIYA Collection Wool/Viscose Rug in Navy / Ivory from $119 $149
    Choose your size
  • PRIYA Collection Wool/Viscose Rug in Ocean / Ivory Blue Accent Hand-Woven Wool/Viscose Quick View
    PRIYA Collection Wool/Viscose Rug in Ocean / Ivory from $119 $149
    Choose your size
  • PLAYA Collection Rug in BLACK / NATURAL Black Accent Hand-Woven Viscose Quick View
    PLAYA Collection Rug in BLACK / NATURAL from $139 $179
    Choose your size
  • PLAYA Collection Rug in NAVY / IVORY Blue Accent Hand-Woven Viscose Quick View
    PLAYA Collection Rug in NAVY / IVORY from $139 $179
    Choose your size
  • PLAYA Collection Rug in AQUA / NATURAL Blue Accent Hand-Woven Viscose Quick View
    PLAYA Collection Rug in AQUA / NATURAL from $139 $179
    Choose your size
  • PLAYA Collection Rug in LT GREY / IVORY Gray Accent Hand-Woven Viscose Quick View
    PLAYA Collection Rug in LT GREY / IVORY from $139 $179
    Choose your size
  • OWEN Collection Rug in FOG / GRAPHITE Beige Runner Hand-Woven Jute/Wool Quick View
    OWEN Collection Rug in FOG / GRAPHITE from $479 $599
    Choose your size
  • OWEN Collection Rug in INDIGO / SAGE Blue Runner Hand-Woven Jute/Wool Quick View
    OWEN Collection Rug in INDIGO / SAGE from $479 $599
    Choose your size
Products
About Floorplan

Floorplan is an agile rug company dedicated to improving the experience of finding and buying great rugs — online, pop-up, at select local shops, and direct to designers and retailers.

We’re based in Los Angeles

Contact Us

General / Orders
ask@floorplanrugs.com

Retailers / Designers
pros@floorplanrugs.com

Media
media@floorplanrugs.com

Phone
(844) FPRUG LA
9am-6pm PST

 

 

Floorplan Bulletin

Sign up for Floorplan Bulletin for discount coupons, advanced sales and a first look at new collections!

© 2023 Floorplan Rugs | Privacy Policy | Refund Policy | Terms Of Service | Shipping Policy

PayPal Visa Mastercard American Express Discover