Silk rugs are beautiful, luxurious, and a work of art. But buying them can be a problem, especially if you’re a newbie and have never bought handmade rugs before. This buying guide is going to be the solution to all of your problems.
Silk Rugs Buying Tips
The Knot Count
Silk rugs are handmade and they get their strength and durability from the knots in the strands. These knots are what also distinguish a real rug from a fake one. Silk rugs are usually very tightly knotted because the silk strands can be very buttery and slippery, so the rug relies on the tension of the knots to stay intact and not unravel.
The easiest way to identify a handmade silk rug is to look at the knot per square inch. There should be 150 to 250 knots in one square inch space of the rug. This shows that the rug is legit and that it’s also silk. The higher the knot count is, the more durable and expensive the rug will be.
Why? Because think about it. If there are more than 200 knots in a square inch of a rug, how many knots will be there in the entire rug? And how much time of the worker would it take to weave the rug? It’s a labor-intensive job. Sometimes, a rug weaver has to spend months to create a single rug.
Look At The Back Of The Rug
Silk rugs are the same from the front and the back and there is no weird or hard backing or canvas on the rug. If there is, then you want to refrain from buying the rug because it’s probably a fake.
One major thing that you need to look out for when buying a silk rug is the fact whether it’s fake or not. So, always check the back of the rug and put your mind at ease.
If you can, also check the weight of the rug. Silk is a pretty soft and delicate material and rugs made out of it aren’t very heavy at all as compared to a woolen rug, which can be very weighty. So, if the rug is lightweight and there’s no plastic canvas on the back of it, then you’re good to go.
Go To An Authentic Dealer
If you’re someone who hasn’t bought a rug before in your life whether it’s a silk rug or not, then you need to figure out the best places where you can find the best rugs with the most variety.
You want to go to an authentic silk rug dealer because that’s the best place to get the rug that you’re looking for. These retailers have the variety, the colors, and everything else you can imagine when it comes to silk rugs and the best part is that you won’t get scammed.
Online stores and sellers are not recommended unless someone told you about them because there is a huge gray area and you don’t want to spend your money on scams. It’s a good idea to be safe and go for dealers that have great reviews from customers. You will get what you’re looking for and you’ll get it at the best possible price if you look in the right direction.
The Pattern Of Choice
Keeping the décor of your room in mind, there is also the consideration of the pattern you want to go for. There is a plethora of designs and patterns to choose from when buying rugs made of any material.
Persian and oriental silk rugs are popular. They are known for their special geometric and abstract designs that not only look traditional, but alluring at the same time.
You can’t go wrong with a silk rug as it’s one of the most contemporary rugs that people are going crazy over even though many designs of silk rugs are traditional, but they fit well with any décor. You can only understand the hype of silk rugs until you get one for yourself.
Keep The Size In Mind
When buying a silk rug, besides looking for the obvious like authenticity and the knot count, the size is also an important factor to keep in mind. You want to get a rug that fits perfectly in the space where you want to put it. So, whip out your measuring tape and jot down the dimensions of the available space you have because the last thing you want is to get a rug that’s not going to fit in your space and it would be a huge bummer. So, knowing the dimensions of the rug is extremely crucial.
Also, keep in mind that silk rugs are usually available in the area rug variety and they are seldom available in the floor-covering length, so if that’s what you want, then you probably have to look elsewhere because silk rugs are only available in certain sizes.
The Color Scheme
The color of the rug is also important to factor in because you want everything in your space to coordinate with the rug. Although you can play with bolder color choices and go for something that’s prominent and screams “trendy”, if you’re thinking about long-term results, then you might want to opt for something that’s a bit more muted and neutral in color. These colors are classic and they’re going to complement the rest of your décor really well.
Something along the tones of light browns, grays, taupe, darker browns, black, beige, off-white, and other corresponding colors will be the best choices to go for. No matter what your interior looks like, these colors will go perfectly with everything and they will also add that element of warmth and coziness to the room. Your room will look beautiful with a silk rug and it will complete the space in more ways than one.
Look For That Lustrous Shine
Silk rugs are known for their beautiful and lustrous sheen. It’s not blinding by any means, but it’s a bit more shimmery than woolen rugs and it adds that element of opulence to the rug.
When you shine a light against the surface of the silk rug, you will see the sheen come through and it’s very pleasant to look at. It is also a trademark for silk rugs. So, if you don’t see the shine on the rug surface, then there’s something fishy about the rug and you need to stay away from it as it could be a scam.
The Budget
You want to figure out the budget for the rug you’re going to buy. The budget is also another important thing to allocate because it will filter out a lot of options for you. You don’t want to keep your budget too high or too low. You want to stay in the middle lane and keep a reasonable amount of money allocated for a silk rug. It’s going to be a bit more on the expensive side because silk rugs are an item of splurge, but they are worth the investment.
Conclusion
Silk rugs are easy to spot and the best part about this guide is that it will also help you to buy authentic silk rugs Virginia every single time.
