Go into a home store, pretty much any of them, and there’ll be rugs that look like they were made by hand. You read the tags and one says hand-knotted, one says hand-tufted, the next just says handcrafted, and when they’re lying next to each other they really do look kind of the same. Look at the price tag though and it’s a whole different story, and how long they last is too.

So what’s actually different about hand knotted rugs and tufted rugs, and which one is worth your money?

Hand-knotted rugs have been our business since 1924 and we get asked this just about every week, so here it is, explained simply.

How Hand Knotted Rugs Are Made

You need a loom to make one. If you haven’t seen one before, picture a big frame with long threads stretched tight up and down it.

A weaver sitting in front of it takes a little piece of wool or silk, wraps it around the threads, and ties a knot. Then does that one more time. Then again and again, for hours, days, weeks. An average size rug can end up with hundreds of thousands of knots in it, and some even go over a million.

No wonder one rug can take months to finish, sometimes more than a year. When it’s done, the weaving itself is what holds all those knots in place. There’s no glue at all.

How Tufted Rugs Are Made

Tufting is much faster.

Nobody ties any knots. A worker holds a tool called a tufting gun and uses it to shoot loops of yarn into a piece of cloth stretched on a frame. Usually the loops get trimmed afterward so the top of the rug feels soft and flat.

Now here’s the important part. Glue, usually latex, is spread over the back to keep all that yarn in place. Then a second piece of cloth is glued on top so you can’t see any of it.

Because a tufted rug only takes a few days, not months, it’s cheaper. The downside is the rug only holds up for as long as that glue does.

Hand Knotted Rugs vs Tufted Rugs at a Glance

6 Easy Ways to Tell Hand Knotted Rugs From Tufted Rugs

1. Turn It Over

Quickest test there is. Flip a hand knotted rug over and you’ll see the same pattern on the back as on the front, plus rows and rows of tiny knots.

Flip a tufted rug over and there’s just plain cloth, usually white or a light tan, and no pattern.

2. Check the Fringe

The fringe on a hand knotted rug is really just the ends of those long threads it was woven on, which means it’s part of the rug.

With a tufted rug, the fringe is normally a separate strip sewn or glued onto each end. Look closely and you can see where it’s attached.

3. Peek Under the Backing

On a tufted rug, if you gently lift one corner of the cloth on the back, you’ll often see glue and rows of yarn loops underneath. A hand knotted rug doesn’t have a backing to lift at all.

4. Look at the Shedding

Every new wool rug sheds a little at the start. But tufted rugs often keep shedding for months, because loose bits of yarn keep coming out of the glue. Hand knotted rugs stop shedding much sooner.

5. Notice the Smell

A brand new tufted rug can have a chemical smell, and that comes from the glue on the back. A hand knotted wool rug usually just smells like wool.

6. Ask the Price and Where It Was Made

If a weaver spent months making a big rug, it’s never going to be cheap. So if a “hand knotted” rug costs about the same as a tufted one, that’s a sign to ask some questions. A good seller will be happy to tell you how the rug was made and where it came from.

Which One Should You Buy?

Honestly, that depends on what you need the rug for.

A tufted rug can make sense if:

• You want something cheap for a short time, like in a rental or a kid’s bedroom
• You like to change your decor every few years

Hand knotted rugs are the better choice if:

• You want a rug that will still look good decades from now
• It’s going in a busy room, like the living room or hallway
• You’d like to pass it down to your kids one day
• You want a rug that can be cleaned and repaired when needed

Think of it this way. A tufted rug costs less today, but if you have to buy it three or four times, a hand knotted rug can end up costing you less over the years.

Caring for Hand Knotted Rugs

These rugs are strong, but taking a little care of them really pays off:

• Vacuum regularly, go easy, and keep the vacuum off the fringe.
• Spilled something? Blot it up right away, and don’t rub.
• Turn the rug around every 6 to 12 months so one end doesn’t wear out faster than the other.
• Put a good rug pad under it.
• Have it cleaned by a professional every few years.

And when your rug needs a deep clean or a repair, our team offers professional rug cleaning and repair too.

Shop Hand Knotted Rugs at Jacobsen

Every rug at Jacobsen Oriental Rugs is hand knotted wool. We have more than 150 of them, in traditional, modern and transitional styles. Browse our full collection, or if you love classic looks, check out the Oushak, Serapi and Ziegler Mahal designs in our traditional rug collection.

Families have been coming to us for hand knotted rugs for more than 100 years. You can read our story on our About Us page, and we also have a rug FAQs page.

Want to see the difference for yourself? Stop by our Syracuse or Saratoga Springs showroom, or contact us, and we’ll be happy to flip over a few rugs so you can compare.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between hand knotted and tufted rugs?

On a hand knotted rug, a person ties every single knot by hand, which can take months. A tufted rug is made by pushing yarn through cloth with a tool and then gluing the back, which is much quicker. Hand knotted rugs last a lot longer.

How can I tell if a rug is hand knotted?

Turn it over. If you can see the pattern and rows of small knots on the back, and the fringe is part of the rug, it’s hand knotted. A plain cloth on the back means it’s tufted.

Why do tufted rugs shed so much?

Because there are no knots holding the yarn, only glue, and loose bits of yarn keep coming out for a long time.

How long do hand knotted rugs last?

Look after one and you can expect decades out of it, and lots of them get handed down from parents to their kids. With a tufted rug you’re usually looking at a few years.

Are hand knotted rugs worth the money?

We think so, for most homes anyway. You get way more years out of one, it can be cleaned and fixed, and it usually holds its value, so over time it can actually cost you less than buying cheap rugs over and over.