Polypropylene Rugs vs Woolen Rugs

So here's a question most people are thinking when browsing the Catwalk:
"What's the difference between the cheap rugs and the most expensive rugs?"
It's an important question that should be answered, but we'd love to raise a bit of awareness on this common question. So here it is!

Polypropylene Rugs vs Woollen Rugs

What's the difference between these two rugs?

Polypropylene vs Wool

Polypropylene has had a bit of a bad rap over the past decade due to wearing faster, not being flame resistant, and not as comfortable as wool. However, things have changed in recent times and you'd be surprised at the quality of Polypropylene rugs these days.
That being said, we're not going to go anywhere near saying that they're comparable to woollen rugs as that's simply not the case and probably never will be. We've read plenty of bug buying advice in our time, some of it good like the points listed here, some not so much.

The Rug Culture Marquee is Polypropylene

What this means is that it's suitable for both indoor and outdoor use, it's great for high traffic areas, and it's affordable enough to place in more risky areas such as a designated pet zone or kids zone and protect your floor at the same time. 

You'll be able to clean these pretty easily.

If you think about it that way, $349 is a pretty good investment compared with replacing or fixing your actual floorboards. And hey, the Rug culture range is actually very stylish compared with a lot of other brands using Polypropylene!

They're a great option that doesn't look cheap, and will add some style to your space. Learn more about Polypropylene rugs here.

The Sanderson rug is made from wool

Wool is naturally flame retardant, stain resistant, odour resistant, holds colour amazingly well over time, very durable and should last longer than its Polypropylene counterpart. Wool is also where things start to feel comfortable on your feet (it's not just the look, it's the feel too!). That's just a few features right off the bat that will give you an idea of what you're investing in with a hand tufted woollen rug.

 

You don't place hand-made woollen rugs at the door or in high traffic areas very often. Why? Because these are works of art. Even unconsciously, many people will naturally place these rugs as centrepieces of a space because they can sense that these are special. The truth is that these rugs have been hand made with heart and soul by an individual artist and wiping your feet on them at the front door would almost feel disrespectful. (this would be a great time to start talking about Persian rugs, because the same holds true for them but even more-so. Read the link if you're interested!).

In summary on materials: the quality of 100% woollen hand-made rugs is unparalleled. The construction, the design (and designer), the materials, and quality - you're purchasing a story and a work of art.

With Polypropylene you'll fulfilling a purpose, and it does it very well. They're flexible, and able to complete certain spaces brilliantly well to fill in the gaps when woollen rugs aren't the most viable option.

The Rug Brand

The rug brand does make a difference, just like with any label. It's reputation, the history of the brand, the designers vision come to life on the canvas that is your floor.  Some of our brands have histories spanning back hundreds of years and if you're going to talk about Persian carpets - 1000's of years.

Bluebellgray uses state of the art printing technology to bring the exact hand-painted floral brushstrokes into their rugs giving an extremely unique feel to their creations.

William & co. has a history spanning back to medieval times, with their decoration and design in churches still influencing design well into modern times.

This is just a part of the story I briefly mentioned earlier. Ultimately it's all about what you want, what you want to achieve in your space, and the purpose you have in mind for a rug.

Questions? Comments? Let us know below!