There are different types and styles of rugs and these can vary considerably. Flatweave rugs are produced by interweaving individual warps and wefts strands creating both the structure and design at the same time while pile rugs are generally any rug that are produced by tying or knotting small ribbons of coloured yarn around the wrap to create the design.

Rugs can be found with a multitude of different designs and colours catering for every taste and price bracket below are a few designs that I find pleasing,

Many Oriental rugs consiste primarily of wool pile, but increasingly many are made from cotton, using the 'warp and weft' technique. This involves creating knots which creates the 'pile' of the rug; The weft are the threads that run over and under the warp. The warp consisting of strings between rows of knots to strengthen the rug longitudinally.

This foundation can be weakened or even rotted if the rug is kept in damp conditions or wet frequently by spillages and dried incorrectly. In domestic settings, the problem is often caused by people placing potted plants on rugs. Many planters have holes in the bottom that allow excess water to drain out. If these planters are kept on or near a rug (a surprisingly common scenario) the leaking water can cause massive damage to the rug. Within a few short weeks the foundation can become so weak that you can tear chunks from the affected area.

The best counter for this is to prevent the damage in the first place by taking a few simple steps. If you use planters near a rug, placing them on a raised support will let you see under the pot and allows for ventilation. Once you've watered your plant, a simple visual check to be sure the rug under it is completely dry will suffice.

Commonly, rugs are used in a basement setting. Obviously, such environments are prone to flooding and the potential for damage is obvious. If your rug is subject to flooding you must remove it quickly, clean it, and allow it to dry completely. Less obviously noticeable is when your rug is placed on a mildy damp floor - cement floorings being particularly susceptible to such dampness. Even though might not even notice the dampness by touch, a small amount of moisture wll be enough for micro organisms to grow in the fibres of the rug. This can ruin the structural integrity of the rug.

A rug damaged in this way will often feel stiff. If you attempt to roll the rug, you may even hear the fibres as they snap, making a distinctive crackline noise. As with all forms of water damage, preventation is the best cure. Either do not place your rug in an environment where it is likely to be exposed to damp conditions, or lay it over a polythene sheet to minimise the exposure of the fabric to the effects of water.

We all buy rugs at sometime and choose them by either design or by the cost or price, there are so many to choose from that it can be overwhelming when looking for a quality rug. We have to ask ourselves do we go for a fashionable design that is relevant today and fits with the trend that is current or take that personal choice that never really matches anything else in the home, but we can take a safer path and with a choice that of a traditional oriental rug that apart from the colours the designs seem timeless and will fit well in any type of surroundings and colour scemes. Whatever the decision there are rugs for everyones individual tastes and ideas of acceptable design.

The basic constituents of all textiles are warps and wefts, in some rugs they provide the structure or foundation of that rug and in others they provide the structure and design. Warps are the strands of yarn that are secured to a loom and run lengthways top to bottom (fringes), the wefts are strands of yarn that run widthways (selvedges). Fringes are the ends of the rugs that extend beyond the main body of the rug and selvedges are the outer edges or sides of the rug. Fringes secure the rug along its length and selvedges secure it across its width, fringes are usually finished in a decorative way to enhance the overall design and look of the rug. There are different type of fringes used in the rug making process, net are a tied design with interlocking weave to form a net, tied are when two or more warps are pressed against the final weft finishing in a knot and repeated across the rug and loop fringes are when one warp is looped over and under two adjacent warps forming the loop.