Last week we had one day where a few rugs came in with pile reversal.
Pile reversal is the areas of the rug where the fibers go in the opposite direction as the rest of the rug causing a dark/light spot.
I say dark/light because it depends on where you are when you look at the rug. The spot will change from light to dark when you walk around the rug.
The end/corner of this Chinese hand knotted rug is lighter than the rest of the rug.Pile reversal can happen any where on a rug and is permanent.
Here is an article about pile reversal in carpet that is a pretty interesting read.
I love the theory about electromagnetic forces as being a cause for pile reversal.
It can be difficult to photograph pile reversal where the fibers are a bit higher and fluffier than the rest of the rug.
This wool Pakistan area rug has a different type of pile reversal that isn't covered in the above mentioned article.This type of pile reversal is when the knots of the rug are knotted in a different direction to the rest of the rug.
It is really hard to see on the back of the rug, but the knots are slightly different.
I drew a line where the knots look bigger on the right and smaller on the left.What is interesting is that the knot change isn't in a straight line. It is very uneven and only in a small area on the side of the rug.
The rug is hiding a secret.
When you see a dark area on your area rug it may not be a spill or dirt, it maybe the mysterious pile reversal.
Thanks for reading, RugloverMary
