Article: Tuft love: as technology advances, hand-tufted rugs are grabbing hold of the market.(FLOOR COVERING FORECAST)

THE POPULARITY CONTEST BETWEEN hand-knotted and hand-tufted rugs is getting even closer.

"They've become more sophisticated in the way they make hand-tufted rugs," said Allen Robertson, vice president of sales at Capel. "They're constantly improving the technology and getting better detail, so the value is constantly improving," he said, noting about 33 percent of Capel's business is in hand-tufted rugs.

Hand-tufted rugs with special, value-added touches like luxurious fibers, textures, increased knots per inch and other detailing are performing especially well, and are increasingly competing with cheaper hand-knotted styles. "I think lower-end knotted ...

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