Floor coverings are an important part of interior decorating. We typically call floor coverings both carpet and rugs, often using the terms as though they mean the same things. However, there are a few things that you need to know when shopping for types of floor coverings to make sure that you’re using the correct term, and to guarantee that you get the right type of floor covering for your home.
Movability Matters
How easily you can move different types of floor coverings can easily tell you whether you’re searching for a carpet or a rug. Carpets generally stretch from wall to wall, covering the entire floor. You can’t simply lift up a carpet and move it to another room.
That’s because carpets are basically floor coverings that are permanently attached to the floor with glue. Wall to wall carpets are typically pushed under the baseboard of a room to keep the carpet in place. This is one of the primary differences in carpets vs rugs.
Rugs, on the other hand, are easy to move. If you decide that you would prefer your rug in the kitchen, you can move the rug with almost no effort. You can move it from one room to another to cover cold hardwood floors or until you decide where you would like to place your rug.
Rugs Cover Less Floor Space
Rugs are available in various sizes, but generally cover less floor space than carpets. Rugs often only cover a portion of your favorite floor, leaving a generous part of your hardwood floor exposed.
Carpets, on the other hand, cover every inch of floor space in a room. This is why the term carpet is used to describe wall to wall floor coverings.
Rugs Are Often Family Heirlooms
High quality rugs are often worth thousands of dollars and capable of lasting for hundreds of years. Because of this, they are generally passed down from one generation to the next in a family.
Carpets are stationery items, and never considered an heirloom. Instead, a piece of carpet will stay in the house that it is laid in until it is time to rip it up and discard it.
Patterns Available
Rugs offer a wide variety of patterns. Pick a modern pattern to coordinate perfectly with your contemporary decor or opt for a gorgeous rug that uses symbolism to tell a story! As you browse among our rugs, you’ll come across a wide array of styles.
Carpets are sold in plain colors. You won’t find a carpet available with stripes or geometric designs. Instead, you’ll have to pick one color and stick with it.
Carpets Can Handle More Wear And Tear
Another key difference between a carpet and a rug is that carpets are designed to handle more wear and tear. They are durable, have a higher stain resistance, and will not show wear and tear for years to come. Carpets can handle daily vacuuming and cleaning more than once a week.
Rugs usually cannot handle high amounts of traffic as carpets can. Some rugs are best kept out of high traffic areas because they will show wear and tear easily. Certain materials require that rugs be professionally cleaned. Other rugs might not be able to handle water. This is usually because rugs are made of a different material than carpet.
Rugs Are More Expensive Than Carpets
When purchasing a high quality, hand knotted rug, you can expect to pay hundreds or thousands of dollars. This is because artisans spend hours carefully working on a loom to achieve gorgeous, unique patterns.
Carpets are typically machine made. Because of this, they are cheaper than rugs. You can often purchase wall to wall carpet for an entire room at a cheaper cost than purchasing hand-knotted rugs to cover the floor of an entire room.
Although the terms carpet and rug are often used interchangeably, it’s important to know the difference. Most parts of the world use these key differences when advertising products, so understanding the differences between carpets vs rugs can help you find exactly what you’re looking for! Read the rest of our blogs to learn everything that you need to know about buying rugs!