Guide · For the trade
Flatweave rugs: what they are, where they work and how to specify one
A flatweave rug is woven on a loom with no pile: the pattern is the weave itself, warp and weft interlaced, so the rug is 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick, reversible in most constructions, and lighter than a pile rug of the same size by half or more. Dhurries, kilims, soumaks and Swedish rölakan are all flatweaves, and so are the wool and polypropylene flatweave broadlooms the mills cut to any size. They belong under a dining table, in a kitchen, under a low door, on a stair, and layered under a smaller pile rug.
This guide is for the designer or the junior deciding between a flatweave and a pile rug for a room: the construction, flatweave versus pile in numbers, the fibers, the sizes, the pad that stops the edges curling, and what to tell the client. We carry 332 flatweave styles, from hand-woven wool dhurries to machine-woven indoor-outdoor pieces.
What is a flatweave rug?
In a pile rug, yarn is knotted or tufted into a foundation and stands up from it. In a flatweave the weft passes over and under the warp and the weft is what shows: no backing, no latex, no pile to crush. The three families worth knowing by name: the dhurrie, a cotton or wool flatweave from India, usually in stripes and geometrics; the kilim, a wool slit-tapestry weave from Turkey, Iran and the Caucasus, whose diagonals have a stepped edge; and the soumak, a wrapped weave with a braided face and loose yarn ends on the back, the one flatweave that is not reversible. Swedish flatweaves, the rölakan tradition, are double-interlocked wool in soft geometrics, and they are the mid-century pieces the trade reproduces most often.
Machine-made flatweaves run on Wilton and jacquard looms in wool, polypropylene and polyester, in 12 foot and 13 foot 2 inch roll widths, which is what makes custom sizes practical. Prestige Mills alone shows 113 hand-made and 22 machine-made flatweaves in our library; Couristan and Bellbridge are the other two lines we cut most.
Flatweave vs pile rug: the comparison in numbers
| Property | Flatweave | Hand-knotted or tufted pile | What it means for the spec |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thickness | 1/8 to 1/4 in | 3/8 to 3/4 in | Clears doors, chairs slide, reads as part of the floor |
| Weight, 8x10 wool | About 25 to 35 lb | 60 to 90 lb | Flatweaves shift and curl without a pad |
| Reversible | Yes, except soumak | No | Two faces of wear; turn it yearly |
| Hides soil | Only in pattern and heather | Yes, in the pile | Spec a stripe or geometric in a kitchen |
| Underfoot | Firm, cool | Soft, warm | Flat for dining and halls; pile for bedrooms |
| Lead time | Standard sizes from the mill, or 3 to 5 weeks cut from broadloom | Standard sizes from the mill, or 18 to 20 weeks custom hand-knotted | A flatweave is the fast answer to a custom size |
The decision usually turns on two things: whether chairs move on the rug, and whether the client wants to feel it underfoot. Chairs favor flat; bare feet favor pile.
Wool, cotton, jute and polypropylene flatweaves
A wool flatweave rug is the specification for a dining room, a family room or a hall: wool resists crushing, takes deep color, and is naturally flame resistant and self-extinguishing. A cotton flatweave rug, the classic dhurrie, is lighter, flatter and cooler, washable in small sizes, and the right call for a child's room or a beach house; it wears faster at a doorway and stains more readily than wool. Jute and sisal flatweaves, covered in the natural fiber guide, are the stiffest of the group and the most sensitive to water. Polypropylene flatweaves are the outdoor flatweave rug: UV-stable, hoseable, and woven in patterns good enough for a covered porch or a kitchen with a dog.
Where a flatweave is the right rug
Under a dining table, first: a flatweave under a 42 by 84 inch table in a 9x12 lets the chairs push back 24 to 36 inches and slide without catching a pile. In a kitchen, a 2.5 by 8 or 3 by 10 flatweave runner along the island takes spills and goes to the cleaner without drama. At a door that swings over the rug, where a pile would jam. On a stair, where a wool flatweave runner reads thin and modern; the wool stair runner guide covers that case. As the under-layer in a layered scheme, a 10x14 wool or jute flatweave with a 6x9 or 8x10 hand-knotted rug on top. It is not the rug for a bedroom where the client wants softness, or a living room in a cold climate; a pile rug does both better.
Sizes: 8x10, 9x12 and custom from flatweave broadloom
Hand-woven flatweaves come in the standard sizes, 5x8, 6x9, 8x10, 9x12 and 10x14, with runners at 2.5 and 3 feet wide; a flatweave wool rug in 8x10 or 9x12 is what we ship most, usually for dining rooms. When the room calls for 12x15, 12x18 or an odd width, a machine-woven flatweave broadloom is cut and serged or bound to size in 3 to 5 weeks, from a 12 foot or 13 foot 2 inch roll, with a seam only beyond that width; the custom size rug guide has the roll math. For a round or a shaped flatweave, a hand-woven custom is the route, and the custom rug guide gives the timeline.
The rug pad for a flatweave rug
This is the detail that separates a flatweave that looks right from one that walks across the room and curls. Specify a thin pad, 1/8 to 1/4 inch, with a natural rubber face: a felt-and-rubber combination at 1/4 inch on wood or stone, or a 1/8 inch solid rubber mesh under a cotton dhurrie where any thickness would show at the edge. Cut the pad 1 inch inside the rug edge all round so the perimeter lies flat on the floor. Never a thick felt or a rebond under a flatweave; the rug sinks and the edges lift. On a stair, a flatweave runner goes over a 1/4 inch felt-and-rubber pad, as the carpet pad for stairs guide describes.
What to tell the client before samples go out
Four things. A flatweave is firm underfoot and feels like a textile, not a cushion; that is the point of it. The corners may lift for the first week and settle with the pad and a little weight. Soil does not hide in a flatweave the way it hides in a pile, so a solid pale wool flatweave in a kitchen is a maintenance commitment and a stripe is not. A hand-woven wool piece sheds for its first two to three months. Samples ship complimentary to trade accounts from the mill within 24 hours, and an 18 inch square tells you nearly everything about the hand and the weave.
Questions designers ask
Are flatweave rugs good for high-traffic rooms?
Wool flatweaves are, and often the best choice: there is no pile to crush, the weave carries the traffic, and most are reversible. Cotton flatweaves wear faster at doorways and belong in lighter rooms. In either fiber, a pattern hides soil that a solid shows.
Why does a flatweave rug curl at the corners, and how is it specified so it does not?
Because the rug is light and has no backing to hold it flat. A thin rubber-faced pad cut 1 inch inside the edge solves it in almost every case; a week under furniture settles a new rug.
What rug pad goes under a flatweave rug?
A 1/8 to 1/4 inch pad with a natural rubber face: felt-and-rubber at 1/4 inch on wood or stone, solid rubber mesh at 1/8 inch under a thin cotton dhurrie. Not rebond, and not a thick felt, both of which let the edges lift.
Can a flatweave rug go under a dining table?
It is the best rug for the job. Size it to the table plus 24 to 36 inches each side, 8x10 for six, 9x12 for eight, and the chairs slide without catching. A patterned wool flatweave takes spills and chair wear better than any pile.
Can a flatweave rug be custom sized?
Yes. A machine-woven flatweave broadloom is cut and bound or serged to size in 3 to 5 weeks. A hand-woven flatweave, including a round or a shaped piece, is made to order through the Design Studio with a rendering and a strike-off.
Is a kilim the same as a flatweave?
A kilim is one kind of flatweave, the slit-tapestry wool weave from Turkey, Iran and the Caucasus. Dhurries, soumaks and rölakan are the other traditional kinds; machine-woven flatweave broadlooms are the modern equivalent.
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