Why Do Rugs Need Bindings?
Why Do Rugs Need Bindings?
When considering a rug, you probably focus on the type of fiber, its color, its texture, and (of course) its price. One element you probably don’t spend very much time thinking of is the rug binding. But believe it or not, choosing the right rug binding is one of the most important decisions you’ll make when it comes to your new rug.
Rug binding is an essential part of any rug you’ll place in your space. Not only can the right binding bring out the best in your rug and further enhance your aesthetic choices, but it will also help preserve the longevity of your new purchase and even help make your rug easier and safer to walk on.
There are four big reasons why we recommend our customers consider their rug binding a crucial element of designing their dream rug:
The Four Big Benefits of Rug Binding
It extends the life of your rug
The primary purpose of rug binding is to protect and preserve your rug. For most of us, rugs are a considerable expense. When you invest in a rug for your space, you want it to last and stay looking just like when you bought it for years to come.
Many of Sisal Rugs Direct’s rugs are hand-woven and made to order. This means they consist of natural or synthetic fibers woven together so tightly that they remain in shape even as you walk over them.
When these rugs aren’t bound, however, the ends of these fiber weavings naturally loosen at the edges of the rug. That means as your rug ages and you use it, an unbound rug’s woven fibers will loosen and unravel over time.
Binding a rug involves folding a length of fabric over the edges of the rug and then sewing it through the fibers along the edges. This allows finished rug binding to hold (or “bind”) the woven fibers of your rug together.
When properly held in place by rug binding, the fibers making up your rug are much more resistant to wear and tear. Instead of loosening as you walk over your rug or the fibers naturally age, the weave stays together and your rug stays whole.
It helps preserve the look of your rug
Unbound rugs don’t fall apart all at once. First, they start fraying at the edges. Chances are, you’ve seen plenty of frayed rugs in your life: the center of the rug preserves its original shape and style, but the edges look torn up, worn out, and loose.
It’s not a good look. The last thing you want is for your beautiful new rug to become an eyesore. By keeping your rug’s edges protected and held together, rug bindings do an excellent job of preventing rug fraying. This will help keep your rug looking as good as the day you got it for much longer.
It makes rugs safer to walk on
Frayed and loose rugs aren’t just ugly, either. They can be downright dangerous. When a rug gets too loose or frayed, the fibers might slip, slide, or come apart underfoot. A rug that you put down to help make a space safer to walk through could instead pose a risk all its own.
By keeping your rug tightly woven together, a strong rug binding will prevent loose or frayed threads from tripping you up as you use your rug. Rug bindings also help make your rug more visible by clearly defining its edges. Overall, binding a rug is an important way to ensure it remains safe to use for years to come.
It really ties the room together
All of these practical and safety-related concerns are well and good, but there’s a much simpler reason you should want a rug binding: they just look great!
Rug bindings provide an aesthetically pleasing, sharper definition to any rug they hold together, almost like they’re highlighting what makes the rug so good-looking in the first place. The right rug binding doesn’t just help your rug stay together; it makes your rug look better, too.
Plus, rug bindings also enhance your creative styling options. You can choose from a wide variety of colors and fabrics for your rug binding, from cotton to faux leather, serged edges to extra wide borders, or black to white.
As you customize your dream rug, you can use its binding to either create an eye-catching contrast with the rug and the rest of the room or to compliment the style and color palette you’re already working with. Find the right combination of rug and binding, and you’ll end up with a statement piece even more striking than virtually any rug could be on its own.
Find the Rug Binding That’s Right for You
When you start customizing a rug with Sisal Rugs Direct, the “rug border” section will let you select the rug binding options we recommend for the rug you’ve selected. You can customize your own look for the perfect combination of rug and binding.
We offer a huge variety of colors and styles of rug binding, so you can be sure to find a binding that’s perfect for your home. To get started, browse the Bindings Page to learn more about each style or rug binding, or just find a rug you like and get customizing.
