Online Rug Shopping? Our Three BIG Tips - Plus an Insider Secret!

BY MIKEL HUBBARD

FORMER HGTV PRODUCER | CO-FOUNDER, THE HOST CO |
OWNER, TIMES EIGHT PROPERTY & DESIGN

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We would LOVE to leisurely shop for rugs in our favorite stores, or even better a gorgeous market bazaar. But let’s get real here. Online rugs are less time consuming, less expensive, and they have all sizes in stock.

But the downside? Returning a rug you bought online. Good luck getting it packaged back up and shipped for a reasonable price.

And unfortunately, a cheap-looking rug seems impossible to differentiate from a nice ones online, but you if you follow these tips, you might have better luck!

Is this rug made of plastic? Uh, probably.

CHECK THE BINDING

Binding is the dead giveaway if a rug look cheap. It’s important to find a photo that shows the binding, preferably a close-up. This rug above has a surged edge and that is often gonna make your rug look cheap. Unfortunately is the most popular way low cost rugs are bound.

Here’s a photo of the same rug (a photo you’ll see often that shows pattern and not the binding).

My rule: no close up of the binding, no purchase.

This rug looks really nice… when you can’t see the cheaply bound edges.

WATCH OUT FOR VISCOSE RUGS

They’re a fake silk that looks BEAUTIFUL but spill even a glass of water on them and they’re ruined. So yeah, don’t bother.

Why would you even manufacture a rug you can’t get wet? Oh yeah, greed

FOCUS ON RUGS WITH A MORE MATTE FINISH

A shiny finish looks cheap almost immediately. Here are some great go-to rugs that generally look expensive no matter the price point:

Shag

You should be able to spot a cheap shag online because it’s shiny or looped. Anything that looks like it might double as an 80s bathmat (the kind with the rubber backing), avoid. It shouldn’t look like it was made at the same factory as your grandma’s fluffy toilet seat cover. Flokati rugs are great options here, but anything that sorta hangs over the edge so you don’t see a surged binding is what we’re going for here.

Look at that beautiful, sexy rough edge. That’s what you want, baby.

Tassled

A tassled edge isn’t bound. That’s what key. And can look great (though not so great to vacuum).

No idea why, but tassles just do the trick.

Natural Materials

It’s better to avoid polypropylene rugs because they can be hit or miss. Stick with wool, jute or a more earthy, natural material and the edges will be more natural too. Shiny is your best giveaway that a rug is going look cheap. Opt for any rug with a more matte finish to the material if you’re unsure of which way to go.

Is that your real pile? It is. No synthetics here.

Antique Rugs

Persian, Moroccan or Turkish: you can find these vintage rugs on Etsy and none of them will look cheap because they aren’t. They were handmade. Worried about it holding up? It’s decades old and it hasn’t fallen apart yet. Chances are, it’s gonna last longer than anything you can find on Overstock.com

Back in the day, they hadn’t mastered the art of looking cheap yet.

That’s pretty much it! Stick with these rules and it should whittle down your online rug returns substantially. PS - complain enough to Overstock and they’ll pay the return shipping. Shhh!

Got some great rugs we should check out? Let us know below!