When you are planning on buying a rug to compliment the décor in your home and to help keep the floors warm, there are some things you need to consider. After all, you are going to spend a fair bit of money and you want to be sure that you get a high quality product. You also need to be aware that there are people out there who are selling fake Persian, Turkish, and Oriental handmade rugs and passing them off as the real thing. Here are a few things you should know before you go out and buy a rug:

  1. Where was it Made: Be sure the rug was made in Turkey, Iran, or Central Asia. If it isn’t, then it simply isn’t genuine. This is one time when you do not want made in the USA.
  2. Is it Handmade: You need to be sure that what you are buying is really handmade, especially if you are paying handmade prices. There are people out there who will try to sell you a machine-made rug and tell you it is handmade. You can tell the difference by looking at the back of the rug. If you can clearly see the design, then it is handmade, but if the design is faint or not visible, then it is machine-made.
  3. Quality: Now that you have determined that you are looking at a handmade rug (if it isn’t you would have walked away) you need to know if it is a well made rug. You can tell the quality of the rug by feeling it and looking at it. If the rug feels very dry and the colours are dull, then the rug is probably made from dead wool, which is wool that has been taken from a dead sheep rather than from a living sheep. You want a rug made with live wool. You also need to measure the number of knots the rug has. You can do this by measuring the knots per square inch. This means that you need a ruler and you literally count how many knots are in one inch and then square that number. The higher the number, the higher the quality.
  4. Take a Photo of Your Room: When you go to the rug store to buy a rug and you are certain the rugs are genuine and of good quality, you can easily get swept away by the selection of rugs. Having a photo of your room with you can help you stay focused on the task at hand – buying a rug that works in your room. This way there is less of a chance that you will end up with the wrong rug. If you buy rugs online, then you don’t need to take a photo of your room.
  5. Determine the Size: Before you choose a rug to buy, make sure of the size you want. You can tape fabric on the floor and get a good idea of the size you want before you buy the rug.
  6. Rug on Wood: If your rug will be on a wooden floor, then be sure to leave an eight inch space all the way around the rug.
  7. Padding: When you get padding for under the rug you will prolong the life of your rug.
  8. Dark or Light: Getting a dark or light rug depends on what effect you want in the room. If you want the room to look more spacious, then choose a light coloured rug. If you want a cosier feel, then choose a darker rug.
  9. More than One Rug: When you are buying more than one rug for a room, make one rug larger than the other ones. This is the dominant one and the other rugs can similar in design and colour.
  10. Rug and Curtains: When you choose your rug, consider your curtains and make sure they don’t clash.

These tips will help you pick a Turkish area rug or runner rug that will compliment your room or hallway and give you lasting beauty and warmth for many years to come. Then all you have to do is bring your rug home and enjoy it.

Article originally published at Source by Hakan Guzelgoz