As many people know there are many different levels of quality and prices for home fashions. And sometimes it can be very confusing as to what the difference is, especially when we now have all these stores that claim to have the same quality for less. So I thought I would give you some tips of things to look for when shopping for area rugs and when and where to splurge.

One of the elements that can really change a room is a great area rug. Rugs can be made of many different fibers and techniques. Area rugs are usually made from wool, silk, rayon, polyester or polypropylene. Wool and silk rugs are your highest quality rugs. The fibers last and when you think about antique rugs these are the fibers that were used. Polyester rugs are used for indoor/outdoor rugs because they are easy to clean and if small enough they can go in a washing machine. Rayon is used as what is called art silk. That means it looks like a silk fiber when used but is much less expensive. The last fiber is polypropylene. This fiber is made from petroleum and you should stay far away from this fiber. It attracts dirt and emits chemicals. Usually these are the least expensive rugs and there is a good reason for that. They do not last and you really do not want them around you or your family.

For construction area rugs can be made in a few different way. There is hand-knotted, hand-tufted, hand-woven, and machine-made. As I am sure you figured out machine-made are the least expensive. These are also usually the rugs containing polypropylene. Hand-knotted area rugs are your most expensive and for good reason. They last forever and have different levels depending on how many knots per square inch there are created when making it. The higher the knot count the higher the quality and price. Hand-tufted area rugs are usually the ones you see with the high piles. These are the ones that when you step on them you get that thick plush feeling. These are going to be moderately priced and will last a long time. Woven rugs consist of your flat weaves and boucles. Flat weaves are extremely popular right now and are very well priced. These are a nice mix of style and price. And when you decide to change your mind in a few years you won’t feel bad about getting rid of the rug.

So if you are looking for something that will last forever and always look good go with a hand-knotted wool or wool and silk area rug. This will be on the high-end of price but will be well worth the splurge. These rugs are also intrinsically stain resistant because they are made from wool. For a rug that is going to last but not break the budget go for the hand-tufted. They look great and will last and since they are made from 100% wool that will also resist stains. Stay away for the machine-made they are not worth your money and will not last. And for that fun not break the bank area rug look for those flat weave and boucles.