Understand the Cost of Rugs for Your Historic Home

By Joshua Scheide | December 20, 2025

If you’ve ever shopped for a rug for a historic home, you’ve probably had this experience:

You find three rugs; all the same size, all similar patterns, all labeled ‘high quality.’

One costs $595.
One costs $2,800.
One costs $6,600.

Why?

That confusion isn’t your fault. The rug industry uses terms that sound meaningful but don’t necessarily indicate what those terms mean for the construction and life of the rug.

Let’s clear up some of that confusion.

Area rugs suitable for historic homes generally range from $200 to $15,000+ depending on size and construction. A 9’ ×12’ rug, for instance, can legitimately fall anywhere in that range depending on how it’s made.

Here’s why.

Size is the most obvious driver of rug cost. More square footage means more materials and more labor—no matter how the rug is constructed.

Typical rug price ranges by size:

• Small accent rugs (3'×5'–4'×6'): $200–$1,500
• Runners (3'×8'–3'×12'): $300–$2,200
• Medium area rugs (6'×9'): $500–$3,500
• Large area rugs (8'×10'–9'×12'): $600–$6,600
• Oversized rugs (10'×14'+): $1,000–$15,000 (or more)

Custom sizes typically add 15–30%, since production and design must be adjusted.

What this means for you:
Size sets the baseline—but it doesn’t explain why two rugs of the same size can be thousands of dollars apart. Those differences come from the next set of factors.

Lower Cost: Machine-Made Rugs

These are produced on power looms with minimal human involvement.

• Production time: Hours
• Materials: Often synthetic or blended

Machine-made rugs are manufactured to be replaced or discarded eventually, not repaired or passed down.

Mid-Range: Hand-Tufted Rugs

They are partially handmade, but structurally different than handwoven rugs. The fibers are punched through a base material with a tufting gun and then secured in place with latex glue.

• Production time: Hours to days
• Materials: Natural or synthetic fibers, latex glue

The latex will break down. It might be three years, it might be 20, but eventually it will deteriorate.

Higher Cost: Hand-Knotted Rugs

This is the traditional, historic method of rug making. The structure of the rug is created by yarns of fabric woven together, with anywhere from 50 knots to 1000 knots per square inch depending on the material used. A 9’ x12’  rug will typically have at least 700,000 knots.

• Production time: Months; a skilled artisan can knot about three feet of rug per month
• Materials: Usually wool or silk, or a blend of both

This method takes the longest time and produces heirlooms. Hand-knotted rugs easily last decades when cared for, and some last centuries, fetching high prices on the antique market.

What this means for you:
Lower upfront cost usually means a shorter rug lifespan. Higher upfront cost usually means you’re buying time—decades of it.

Materials influence both price and how a rug ages.

Lower-cost materials:

• Polyester, polypropylene, nylon
• Synthetic blends

Higher-cost materials:

• 100% wool (especially higher-grade wool)
• Wool from specific regions
• Silk accents or full silk construction

What this means for you:
Wool grows older naturally with a certain amount of patina or fading over time. Silk develops a shiny luster over time.

Synthetics don’t patina. They look the same…until they suddenly don’t.

Design impacts labor time more than people realize.

Lower-cost designs:

• Simple geometrics
• Fewer colors
• Repeating patterns

Higher-cost designs:

• High color counts
• Intricate florals or medallions
• Detailed borders
• High knot density
• Custom patterns

A simple striped runner can cost less than a detailed floral rug of the same size and construction. Customization can easily add 15-30% onto the cost because it has to be modified or designed from scratch just for you.

Manufacturing location influences rug cost because it directly affects labor rates, production timelines, oversight, and scale—not because one particular location is better than another.

Machine-made rugs are manufactured around the world, including North America. India and China are the leaders of mass market production options.

Hand-knotted rugs are still primarily crafted in countries like India, Pakistan, Turkey, and Nepal for a simple reason: the skill required to make them exists there at a scale that no longer exists in most countries. These regions have generations of trained artisans, established supply chains, and workshops built specifically for hand-knotting.

That doesn’t mean all rugs made in these regions cost the same.

Costs tend to be lower when:

• Workshops operate at large scale with standardized designs
• Production schedules are optimized for speed and volume
• Labor is paid at the lower end of local market rates
• Oversight is minimal and quality control is done in batches

Costs tend to be higher when:

• Rugs are made in small (or individual) workshops with skilled senior artisans
• Production is done to order rather than for inventory
• Higher local wages are paid to retain experienced weavers
• Quality control happens throughout the process, not just at the end
• Materials are sourced selectively rather than opportunistically

What this means for you:

Two rugs can be made in the same country and cost vastly different amounts—not because of geography, but because of how the labor and supply chain is structured.

Lower-priced rugs are typically produced with efficiency and volume in mind. Higher-priced rugs reflect slower production, higher labor investment per piece, and tighter quality standards.

Put all of those factors together and the pricing starts to emerge.

Companies at the lower end of the cost range are often manufacturing wherever they can find the cheapest labor overseas with most of the labor done by machines. They’re using less expensive synthetic materials and producing a larger quantity of product. The result is a lower upfront cost, and a rug that won’t last as long. It’s not bad, it’s just made to be replaced eventually.

Companies at the higher end of the price range are manufacturing in established workshops with a long history of quality rugs. They’re using traditional knotting methods by hand and high quality natural materials like wool or silk. Their work demands a higher upfront cost, and when properly cared for, can be passed down from generation to generation.

Maintenance is another area where rug construction and materials matter more than people expect.

Most rugs—regardless of price—require regular vacuuming to remove surface dirt and grit. This is simple, inexpensive, and something homeowners can easily do themselves. In fact, consistent vacuuming is the single best way to extend the life of any rug.

Where differences emerge is in how rugs respond to spills, stains, and wear over time.

Machine-made and synthetic rugs often tolerate casual spot cleaning with household products, but they also tend to show wear sooner. Once fibers break down or backing fails, there’s little that can be done to restore them.

Hand-knotted rugs made from natural fibers like wool are more durable long-term, but they benefit from professional spot cleaning when spills occur and periodic professional washing every few years, depending on use. Wool naturally resists dirt and stains, but improper DIY cleaning can cause damage if done incorrectly.

What this means for you:

Lower-cost rugs usually require less thought day to day, but they also have a shorter usable life. Higher-quality wool rugs may require occasional professional care, but they’re designed to be cleaned, restored, and lived with for decades—not discarded when something goes wrong.

Maintenance isn’t about difficulty—it’s about intent. Rugs meant to last are made with the assumption they’ll be cared for over time.

The rugs we sell at Old California are on the higher end of the price range.

We partner with Tiger Rug for our historic homeowners because they, like us, specialize in made-to-order products. They’ve been manufacturing hand-knotted rugs in Nepal for decades, using 100% unbleached wool from sheep raised in the Himalayas. Each rug takes between three and six months to produce in their workshop. They are certified free of child labor.

We chose this path intentionally—even though it’s slower and more expensive—because it aligns with how historic homes are meant to be cared for.

Not all rugs are built to do the same job.

Some are meant to fill space now. Others are meant to live with a home for life.

Understanding size, construction, materials, design, and lifespan allows you to choose which you need based on your priorities. Because if you care about longevity and stewardship of a historic home, knowing what you’re paying for makes all the difference.

Ready to find your home’s perfect new rug? Shop the collections at Old California.