The back settles most of it. On a hand-knotted rug the pattern shows clearly on the back, the knots are slightly irregular, and the fringe is the ends of the warp threads running through the whole rug. A hand-tufted rug has a cloth or canvas backing glued over the back, and its fringe, if any, is sewn on. A machine-made rug has a very even, grid-like back. Hand-knotted rugs are the ones that can carry real value; tufted and machine-made rugs sell as good used furnishings.
Then origin and age. Persian rugs such as Heriz, Kashan, Tabriz and Sarouk, Caucasian and Turkish village rugs and Chinese Art Deco rugs have collectors, and design, colours and knot density point to where and when a rug was made. We describe origin only as far as the rug itself supports it, and an "antique Persian" label from the family is a starting point, not a listing title.
Condition decides the rest. Wear down to the knots or the foundation, moth damage, holes, colour run, pet stains and dry rot, a brittle cotton foundation that cracks when the rug is folded, all lower the price, and a buyer will find them. We photograph the front, the back, the edges and the fringe, and every flaw goes in the listing.
Good tufted and designer rugs sell too. An 8 by 10 hand-tufted wool rug from Ballard Designs that we sold through our own shop went in seven days, because it was a known retailer's rug, in good condition, in the most popular room size.
Smaller rugs and runners ship rolled. Room-size rugs usually sell to local buyers who collect them, and we measure every rug edge to edge, without the fringe, so the size in the listing is the size on the floor.
Should it be cleaned first?
Only if the cleaning pays for itself. A professional hand wash can lift a good hand-knotted rug, but it costs money, and on a tufted or machine-made rug it rarely comes back in the price. Do not shampoo a valuable rug at home, because some older dyes run. We will tell you at the walkthrough whether a wash is worth it for your rug.
What the family receives.
- ✓A free walkthrough of every rug, front and back
- ✓A written quote before any work starts
- ✓Each rug identified as hand-knotted, hand-tufted or machine-made from its construction
- ✓Measured edge to edge, with front, back, edge and fringe photographs
- ✓Condition described plainly, flaws included
- ✓Runners and small rugs shipped; room-size rugs sold for local collection
- ✓An itemised statement for every rug that sells
Why VaultXL.
Construction first
We read the back of every rug before we name it, so a tufted rug is never sold as hand-knotted, or the other way round.
Origin only as far as the rug shows
Family stories are welcome, but the listing says what the rug itself supports.
Every flaw photographed
Wear, moth, stains and dry rot go in the listing, because a buyer who finds them later asks for a refund.
Measured without the fringe
Rugs are sold by size. We measure edge to edge, so the listing matches the room.
Where we serve.
Charlotte · Myers Park · Eastover · SouthPark · Foxcroft · Dilworth · Elizabeth · Cotswold · Ballantyne · Huntersville · Cornelius · Davidson · Matthews · Mint Hill · Waxhaw · Fort Mill · Rock Hill
Start with a walkthrough.
A free walkthrough in your home, then a written quote before any work starts.
Frequently asked.
Turn it over. If the pattern shows clearly on the back with slightly uneven knots, and the fringe is part of the rug rather than sewn on, it is very likely hand-knotted. A glued cloth backing means hand-tufted; a perfectly even grid means machine-made.
It depends on where and when it was made, its knot density, its colours and above all its condition. Many rugs sold as Persian are good decorative rugs rather than collector pieces. We tell you which yours is after seeing both sides.
It is decay of the cotton foundation, often from damp or a plant pot left on the rug. The rug feels stiff and may crack when folded. It lowers the value sharply, and we check for it before we price.
Often, yes. Worn hand-knotted rugs still have buyers for decorating, and the listing says exactly what the wear is. Badly damaged machine-made rugs usually do not, and we will say so.
Every project is quoted in writing after a free walkthrough: a non-refundable setup fee set in your quote, and 15% of what sells after marketplace fees. You keep 85%.
