The Pros and Cons of Silk Persian Rugs
Silk rugs are among most beautiful and collectible of rugs. They can be a good choice to make, provided they do not have to bear heavy foot traffic, and you have the budget to buy one of them. They can transform just about any room. Here are some of the advantages and disadvantages of silk pieces.
Pros
- Appearance
Silk Persian rugs are among the most beautiful works of art. Much of the reason for this has to do with the fiber itself. Silk really is one of the strongest of fibers. And it is this strength that allows weavers to make such intricate designs, with knot counts that can be three to four times as high as those of other rugs.
And, again, because of the strength of the fiber, these rugs are generally thinner than other rugs, more flexible, and more colorful. They are the most valued of all carpets.
Tree of Life Persian Qum silk rug.
Another quality of this fiber is the way it reflects light, a property that gives it a real luster or sheen. It is a great reflector, so much so, in fact, that as you walk around a rug made of this material, it can look lighter or darker in spots, depending on how the fibers lie.
- Craftsmanship
Because there are many more knots per square inch, and the patterns and designs on silk pieces are much more intricate, they require more skilled weavers working together to make one.
- Durability
Because silk fiber is so strong, these works of art do not usually lose their shape, as sometimes happens with wool rugs. They also do not disintegrate with age as a cotton rug may (cotton is used for the foundation of wool rugs), and so these rugs last much longer than other types.
Cons
- Expense
Because of the time and work involved and the quality of the material, silk rugs can be three to four times the price of other Persian pieces. Some of the most expensive rugs sold at public auctions have been made of this fiber.
- Cleaning
As you can imagine, these valuable rugs need to be cleaned carefully – only by a professional who really knows what he or she is doing. They are not the easiest to clean. In fact, experts recommend that you establish a maintenance schedule for the rug as soon as you buy it.
- Fraud
You have to be careful when buying silk pieces. Some unscrupulous dealers, mostly overseas, will pass off artificial viscose rugs as the real thing. So, do your research, and make sure you are working with a reputable dealer when buying your rug. In fact, some experts discourage people from buying rugs outside the country.
These knockoffs are made with synthetic fibers, such as rayon. They have a feel that is similar to silk, but often when cleaning these rugs, their colors run profusely.
If you have silk rug and need it cleaned, contact the cleaning professionals at Persian Rug Cleaner of Dallas. Give us a call at 972-447-9600 for an appointment.
Image by Treasure Gallery Inc (Treasure Gallery Inc) [CC BY-SA 3.0 or GFDL], via Wikimedia Commons
