Axminister:

Is a woven carpet that is produced by weaving face yarns and backing at the same time producing a single fabric.
The yarns are woven in individual tufts from the top so that the strands do not need to run along the back, allowing a number of colors to be used (maximum16). Axminister carpets are made as cut pile constructions only.
They are used frequently in high traffic commercial areas due to their durability and strength. They are however more expensive than carpets made on tufting machines.

Wilton

Wilton carpets like Axminister Carpets are woven with the face yarn and backing at the same time. The difference between Wilton and Axministers are that Wiltons are woven with a continuous strand of yarn while Axministers are woven with individual tufts. Because of this technique only a few colors can be used at one time (maximum 5).

Unlike Axminister Carpets Wilton carpets offer a number of pile heights including, level or multi-level cut or loop.

Wiltons are used in high traffic commercial areas because the construction of the weave makes it very durable, firm and stable.

Wiltons are about 40% more expensive than Axminister because they use twice as much yarn through their weaving process.

Machine Tufted

Tufted carpet is made on a very large multi needled sewing machine. Fibres are stitched into an existing backing and held in place with a latex adhesive. The product is then finished with a secondary backing for structural strength. The types of construction available are: cut pile, cut + loop pile and level loop pile.

This type of construction is popular because it is inexpensive to make compared to other weaving methods, this is due to the fact that a large amount of carpet can be made at one time at a relatively fast pace.

Hand Tufted

Hand tufting starts with a backing on which any design can be drawn. Spools of yarns are chosen and threaded into a hand held gun. The gun inserts the yarn into the backing using a continuous thread.

This is definitely more time consuming than machine tufting; however, it offers unlimited options regarding designs and colors. This construction is much more expensive than machine tufting.

Hand Knotting

Hand Knotting is the oldest method of weaving rugs. Two to five weavers sit side by side facing the rug and work in harmony to complete each section. They tie yarns onto the rug backing forming lines of knots.

The knots can be tied smaller or larger depending on how intricate the design is. It is important to look at the length and luster of the fibre, not the thickness of the rug. If you view the back of the rug you will be able to see the same pattern as reflected on the front. These rugs are very time consuming to make. It usually takes 4 to 5 weavers 3, 000 hours to complete a 9’ X 12’ area rug.

As you can imagine these rugs are expensive but they are well made and will last a life time.