Carpets and textile products are one of the most important equipments in the lives of people, especially Iranians, because by buying them, we feel more relaxed and comfortable in our homes. Among the types of carpets, the most popular and unique carpets are hand-woven carpets. There is always a close competition between hand-woven and machine-woven carpets, each of which has its own characteristics and disadvantages.
Due to the fact that these days the price of carpets has increased and it is not possible to buy them every year, we should be more careful when buying carpets. We all know that Iranian carpets and Iranian art are famous in the world and its high price has made it have new competitors in the world markets. Sometimes the beauty of Iranian handwoven carpet is so great that it is also used for carpet and wall decoration.
Ordinary people who do not have experience in distinguishing machine-made carpets from hand-woven carpets can hardly understand the difference between the two. The hand-woven carpet, which is woven by the art of human hands, has a global value and is recognized as an exquisite work of art all over the world. Persian hand-woven carpet is a precious work of art that is woven with organic materials, such as soft wool and dyed with completely vegetable dyes.
In this article, we want to examine some major differences between hand-woven carpets and machine-made carpets. But before that, it is better to check each of the characteristics of hand-woven carpets and the characteristics of machine-made carpets.
What are the characteristics of handmade carpet?
The word “carpet” is an Arabic word that has a broad meaning and refers to things like carpets, so a hand-woven carpet is said to be a rug that is woven by hand from warp and weft. This type of carpet has very eye-catching designs that have many fans all over the world.
One of the most important characteristics of hand-woven carpets is its ancient history, and according to international carpet experts, Iranian hand-woven carpets are known as the most beautiful types of carpets in the world. Carpet experts believe that the beginning of the flourishing of the art of carpet weaving in Iran dates back to the 16th and 17th centuries. In the following, we will discuss some features of handwoven carpets.
A hand-woven carpet is said to be an underlay that is woven by hand from warp and weft.
- One of the most important features of hand-woven carpet is its brightness and effect from near and far.
- Hand-woven carpets have a higher artistic value than machine-made carpets.
- Hand-woven carpet piles are shiny and flexible, and if these piles are rough, it will be difficult to clean this type of carpet.
- Another feature of the hand-woven carpet is that there is a difference of a few centimeters in the dimensions of the carpet and in its upper and lower parts, which is one of the characteristics of a hand-woven carpet.
- One of the most important features of the hand-woven carpet is its life and durability, which, compared to all types of floor coverings, has several times the life and ability to clean.
- The hand-woven carpet is the only floor covering whose beauty multiplies with walking, light and washing, and never loses its attractiveness.
- Another feature of hand-woven carpet is that it is cold in summer and warm in winter, while machine-made carpet does not have this feature due to the fact that it has plastic materials.
What are the disadvantages of handmade carpets?
Along with the advantages of a hand-woven carpet, this carpet has the disadvantages that we mention below.
- One of the main disadvantages of hand-woven carpet is its high price, which of course is a natural thing, and if you look around the world, you will realize that a device or art that is the work of human hands must be paid a high price to buy it.
- Due to the fact that natural fibers are used in hand-woven carpets, which are also dyed with natural colors, they are likely to be colored during washing and rinsing, and it is very difficult to wash them.
- One of the other disadvantages of hand-woven carpet is that due to the fibers used in it, it has a very high weight and it becomes a little difficult to move it.
- There is also human error in the designs and patterns of hand-woven carpets. For example, the asymmetry of the right and left figures, etc.
One of the other disadvantages of hand-woven carpet is that due to the fibers used in it, it has a very high weight and it becomes a little difficult to move it.
What is the feature of machine carpet?
Machine-made carpet is also an artificial type of carpet that, unlike hand-woven carpet, is woven using industrial tools and machines, and due to the high speed of its production and the cheapness of raw materials, it is cheaper than hand-woven carpet. has it.
Also, it is easier to make a machine-made carpet and you can use all kinds of artistic and personal images on it. In the following, we mention some features of machine carpet.
- The life of a machine-made carpet, unlike a hand-woven carpet, is influenced by various factors, the first factor being the material used in its warp and weft. Among the types of machine carpet wefts, acrylic and wool fibers have the most and most durable types of wefts and they can even be kept for up to 30 years.
- Another feature of the machine carpet is that it is produced in various designs, some of which are dense and some are simple and woven with traditional or modern designs.
- The dyeing of machine carpets is more limited compared to hand-woven carpets, and the number of colors used in different combs is 8, 10, and 12 colors.
- Another feature of the machine carpet is that the length of the machine carpet is longer, the footrest is softer and at the same time it will have a longer life.
- The edge of a machine-made carpet must be made of the same material as the original carpet, and those carpets that have an embroidered edge contrasting with the original color palette of the carpet background will not be of high quality.
What are the disadvantages of machine carpet?
Along with advantages such as cheapness and variety of designs and colors, machine carpet has disadvantages that we will discuss below.
- One of the main disadvantages of machine-made carpet is that this type of carpet has a short lifespan and lives an average of 15 years, and of course, the life of a machine-made carpet depends on its quality and type of use.
- The fibers used in a machine-made carpet can cause allergies for many people, which is less noticeable in quality machine-made carpets.
- Another disadvantage of machine-made carpets is that this carpet loses its credibility and value over time, which is not the case for hand-woven carpets.
- Another negative thing about the machine carpet is that this carpet loses its beauty and charm over time. And in other words, one of the most important disadvantages of machine carpet is that it has an expiration date.
which one is better ? Hand-woven or machine-made carpet?
According to the characteristics that we described above for each of the hand-woven and machine-woven carpets, in this section, we will discuss the general comparison of these two carpets.
- The hand-woven carpet has a very beautiful effect up close and far, while the machine-made carpet only looks good from a distance and does not look good up close.
- As we mentioned, the color of the hand-woven carpet will become more polished with the passage of time, but the machine-made carpet will lose its beauty with the passage of time.
- Hand-woven carpet is warm in winter and cold in summer, while machine-made carpet does not have this feature due to its plastic material.
- If the maintenance of the handwoven carpet is done well and kept clean, it does not cause problems for people’s health, but the machine-made carpet is allergenic and its piles become suspended in the air over time and cause breathing problems.
- Although handwoven carpets are more expensive than machine-made carpets, they do not lose their value over time like machine-made carpets.
- The artificial fibers present in the machine carpets by influencing the absorption process of calcium causes a decrease in bone density and an increase in bone pain, and people with skin allergies should not sleep directly on it due to the severe eczema that this carpet causes. This issue is not visible in the hand-woven carpet.
- In machine-made carpets, the shapes of the design are completely symmetrical with respect to the axes of the carpet, while this happens very little and is seen in very delicate hand-woven carpets.
- In hand-woven carpets, the pattern on the back and on the carpet looks the same, but in machine-made carpets, especially in low-quality types, the details of the designs are not clear and appear matte.
- The hand-woven carpet is mainly woven with wool, while the machine-made carpet is woven with nylon thread and its texture is completely uniform. On the back of the hand-woven carpet, there are white threads that are stretched from one end of the carpet root to the other end of the root, and it is rarely possible that no white thread can be seen in it, while this is not the case in a machine-made carpet.
- In the hand-woven carpet, there are slight changes in the color of the carpet, which creates thick or narrow streaks in the hand-woven works. This color difference does not exist in machine carpet or is rarely seen. When washing a handwoven carpet, this work should be done by a specialist so that the color of this carpet does not fade.
Conclusion :
- There is always a close competition between hand-woven and machine-woven carpets, each of which has its own characteristics and disadvantages.
- A hand-woven carpet is a carpet that is woven by hand from warp and weft.
- One of the most important features of hand-woven carpets is its luster and effect from near and far.
- Handwoven carpets have a higher artistic value than machine-made carpets.
- Another feature of hand-woven carpet is that it is cold in summer and warm in winter, while machine-made carpet does not have this feature due to the fact that it has plastic materials.
- One of the main disadvantages of hand-woven carpet is its high price, which of course is a natural thing.
- There is also human error in the designs and patterns of handwoven carpets.
- The life of a machine-made carpet, unlike a hand-woven carpet, is influenced by various factors, the first factor being the material used in its warp and weft.
- Another feature of the machine carpet is that the length of the machine carpet is longer, the footrest is softer and at the same time it will have a longer life.
- One of the main disadvantages of machine-made carpet is that this type of carpet has a short lifespan and lives on average 15 years.
- The fibers used in a machine-made carpet can cause allergies for many people, which is less noticeable in quality machine-made carpets.
- Another negative thing about the machine carpet is that this carpet loses its beauty and charm over time.
- The hand-woven carpet looks very beautiful up close and far, while the machine-made carpet only looks good from a distance and does not look good up close.
- Although handwoven carpets are more expensive than machine-made carpets, they do not lose their value over time like machine-made carpets.