Leather area rugs compared to loom knot areas

• leather area rugs are very expensive, while loom knotted ones are much more affordable. I have been searching used leather area rugs for months. The prices were from $30 all the way up to $300! Yikes!

I finally found a leather rug at a thrift store for only $9 and it was in very good condition. Can you imagine how hard this would be to find? Most people make new leather or loom knot rugs nowadays because leather is not made very often anymore and most old leather items end up being destroyed by insects, moisture, exposure to sunlight, etc... Leather also has some other issues. First of all it comes from dead leather; leather that has been preserved because leather is a skin and needs to be treated with chemicals and other substances in order for it not to decompose. Tanners also use heavy metals like chromium, copper, etc., during the leather tanning process which can cause cancer and other ailments.

Second of all; leather takes pigment very well but because leather is such an absorbent material, dye does not stay in place for very long and rubs off easily onto hands or clothes. This problem could be solved by using commercial leather paints but then you would have no way of removing them without damaging the leather when you want to redecorate your home later on or when you want to replace/sell your rug in the future... Third of all leather can age and crack very easily. When leather cracks, it opens up the leather to moisture again which attracts more insects that will destroy leather .

For these reasons I try not to purchase leather items anymore. We have leather couches in our living room but are are thinking about making an area rug out of fabric instead of leather this time... YUCK! I am also loathing the idea of having a leather purse now because I know they are made from real skin off poor innocent animals.

On the contrary; you do not need any chemicals or heavy metals to make a loom knot rug. It is 100% safe for your family and pets to walk on, play with, crawl around on, etc., unlike leather which can cause many health issues. We have leather/vinyl dining room chairs at our table and I am always worried about chemicals from leather decomposing into our food...

Looms made out of wood, metal or plastic make loom knot rugs easily without harming any innocent animals or people for that matter. You do not need to use leather either; cotton, linen, jute, sisal, etc., are more than enough materials to create beautiful rug designs (see pictures below). Like leather the dye also stays in place on loom knotted rugs. They can be cleaned with shampooers without damaging them too! Just make sure you clean both sides of your loom knotted area rug by flipping it over when it starts to look dirty or smelly.

Leather costs more because it costs leather tanneries millions of dollars every year in order to preserve leather which is why leather can cost thousands of dollars for an area rug... Loom knotted rugs are very affordable and most times they are not even made by hand anymore, but rather machine loom knotted with efficiency in mind. Professional rug makers still make many loom knotted area rugs by hand because making them that way takes longer, but there are just some things that cannot be mass produced like that.