Guide · For the trade
Seagrass rugs: what the fiber does, seagrass vs sisal and where to specify it
Seagrass rugs are woven from a water-grown grass whose stalks are naturally waxy, so the fiber sheds spills, will not take a stain and will not take a dye: every seagrass rug is the green-to-khaki color it was harvested in and mellows to a straw tan within a year. That makes seagrass the natural fiber for dining rooms, family rooms and beach houses and the wrong one for a stair or a wet porch, because the same wax makes it slick and the fiber mildews if it stays damp. It comes as 13 ft 2 in (4 meter) broadloom at about 1/4 inch thick and 65 oz per square yard, cut and bound to any size in 3 to 5 weeks.
This guide is for the designer choosing between the three natural fibers and landing on seagrass, or being asked to. It covers what the fiber is, the weaves, seagrass vs sisal in plain numbers, the rooms, sizes and runners, the pad and the care instructions to pass to the client. The natural fiber rugs guide covers the room-by-room comparison of all three; this one goes deeper on seagrass alone.
What a seagrass rug is made of
Seagrass is grown in paddy fields that are flooded with seawater during the season, harvested, dried and spun into a smooth, round, slightly shiny yarn. The wax that protects the plant in salt water stays in the fiber, which is why seagrass is the only natural fiber that resists a wine spill without treatment. The yarn is woven on a loom into a flat, dense mat and backed with natural latex to hold the weave square. New seagrass is green with a faint hay scent; both go in 6 to 12 months. A client who wants a color is a sisal client, not a seagrass one.
The weaves: basketweave, herringbone and check
Because the yarn cannot be colored, the weave is the pattern. Basketweave, a plain over-two-under-two, is the standard and the flattest and the one to cut for a large rug. Herringbone adds a diagonal that reads as a zigzag from across the room and hides footprints best. Check or checkerboard weaves alternate the direction of the yarn in squares of 2 to 6 inches and are the most decorative. Through Interiors the sisal, jute and seagrass filter lists about 120 natural fiber styles from DMI, Stanton, Prestige Mills and Adara, the seagrass lines among them in all three weaves.
Seagrass vs sisal: the numbers
| Property | Seagrass | Sisal | Jute |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stain resistance | High, natural wax | Low, absorbs and spots | Low, browns when wet |
| Takes dye | No | Yes, full color range | Yes |
| Durability in traffic | Good | Best | Poor |
| Surface | Smooth, slightly slick | Coarse, high grip | Soft |
| On a stair | No | Yes, with the right pad | No |
| Thickness and weight | About 1/4 in, 65 oz per sq yd | About 1/4 to 3/8 in | 3/8 to 3/4 in |
| Roll width | 13 ft 2 in | 13 ft 2 in, some 15 ft | 13 ft 2 in |
The short version: sisal for traffic and color, seagrass for spills and a flat natural look, jute for softness under a bed. Where a client wants seagrass on a stair for the look, the answer is a sisal or a wool-sisal in a similar tone; seagrass on a stair is a slip hazard and most installers will say so.
Which rooms get seagrass
Dining rooms first: a seagrass rug under a table takes dropped food and spilled wine better than any other natural fiber and the flat surface lets chairs slide. Family rooms and living rooms, as the base layer under a hand-made rug or on its own with a leather or cotton border. Beach houses and sunrooms, where sand brushes off the smooth yarn. Not kitchens with a sink in the path, not baths, not laundry rooms, not covered porches that take rain and not stairs. Seagrass carpet wall-to-wall is possible in a dry room, direct-glued, but a bound rug is the usual spec.
Sizes, runners and rounds
Seagrass rugs 8x10 and 9x12 are the two sizes clients search for and both are cut from the 13 ft 2 in roll with no seam; so is anything up to 13 feet wide and any length, which is how a 12x18 great-room rug is made. Seagrass runners are cut lengthwise at 27, 32 or 36 inches for halls. Round seagrass rugs are cut to a template and serged, 6 to 12 feet in diameter. Bound edges come as a cotton or linen tape binding in about 30 colors, or a leather border 1 1/2 to 4 inches wide, which is the finish on most of the pieces in our sisal with leather border collection. Lead time is 3 to 5 weeks from the sample sign-off.
Pad and what to tell the installer
Seagrass on a wood or stone floor needs a pad, both for grip and because the latex back will mark a finished floor over time. Specify a 1/4 inch felt-and-rubber pad cut 1 inch inside the rug edge. Tell the installer to let the rug acclimate in the room for 24 hours before it is laid flat and to lay it with the weave square to the longest wall.
Care instructions to pass to the client
Vacuum with suction only, both directions of the weave. Blot spills at once with a dry cloth; most liquids bead on the wax and lift off. Never wet-clean or steam-clean seagrass; water swells the fiber, loosens the latex and invites mildew. A damp cloth on a spot, dried immediately with a fan, is the limit. Rotate the rug quarterly so the green-to-tan change is even.
Questions designers ask
Is seagrass a good material for a rug?
Yes, for a dining room, living room, family room or beach house where spills are likely and the client wants a flat natural look. It is the most stain-resistant natural fiber and the firmest. It is not for stairs, wet rooms or outdoor use and it comes in its own color only.
What is the 70 percent rule for rugs?
The rug covers about 70 percent of the floor area of the room, with 12 to 18 inches of floor showing at the walls. Because seagrass is cut from a 13 ft 2 in roll, the 70 percent size is a custom cut at no extra lead time rather than the nearest standard size.
Seagrass vs sisal: which is more durable?
Sisal. It is the stronger fiber and the one for halls, stairs and wall-to-wall. Seagrass wears well in a living or dining room and resists stains far better, but its smooth yarn is slick on a stair and its latex back dislikes damp.
How is a very dirty seagrass rug cleaned?
Vacuum thoroughly, then dry-clean with a powder or a dry-foam system applied by a rug cleaner, never a wet extraction. A rug that has been soaked and has mildewed is usually a replacement, which is one more reason to keep seagrass out of wet rooms.
Where do designers source seagrass rugs to the trade?
From a showroom that cuts and binds broadloom, so the size and border are yours to specify. Through Interiors, samples ship from the mill within 24 hours to trade accounts and the finished rug ships anywhere in the United States.
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