Rugs

Outdoor Rug vs. Indoor Rug: Key Differences & Considerations

A rug is an excellent floor-covering choice that offers plenty of benefits and mind-blowing comfort. However, some people are quite unaware of their key differences in terms of indoor and outdoor types and their specific uses.

Therefore, Shaggy Rugs is here to highlight key differences between outdoor and indoor rugs along with essential considerations for their selection. By reviewing these facts, you will be able to choose the perfect rug for your desired place.

Outdoor Rug vs. Indoor Rug | A Robust Comparison

As the name suggests, Outdoor rugs are designed to decorate outdoor areas such as gardens, decks, patios, or lawns. These elegant outdoor rugs come with versatile colors, eye-catching patterns, and unique textures for different outdoor decors. On the other side, indoor rugs are crafted for decorating interior floor surfaces such as living rooms, bedrooms, dining areas, and hallways. You can use outdoor rugs for indoor floor covering but you shouldn’t place indoor rugs in outside areas. That’s because placing indoor rugs outside can lead to severe damage as they have very low weather, dust, and sunlight resistance.

We have differentiated these two main rug types in terms of multiple important factors such as material, design, color, maintenance requirements, and drying capacity.

Material Difference

Material Difference

Outdoor Rug
Outdoor rugs are usually manufactured with a wide range of synthetic and sturdy materials such as Sisal, Hemp, Cotton, Jute, Nylon, Polypropylene, etc. In addition, you can also use hand-made Wool rugs for outside areas but they should be placed in covered areas.

Indoor Rug
Unlike outdoor rugs, these rugs are crafted with soft and delicate materials such as Silk, Wool, and other natural or synthetic fabrics for a luxurious look. These rugs are designed to offer underfoot comfort and area insulation.

Color Difference

Color Difference

Outdoor Rug
These rugs are usually designed with light neutral colors due to their maximum exposure to sunlight. On the other hand, dark or solid-colored rugs are prone to excessive color fading. Therefore, you should choose a scheme of neutral colors to enhance your outdoor space’s elegance.

Indoor Rug
Indoor area rugs are mostly designed with bold and vibrant colors to craft complementary decor in accordance with indoor furniture, walls, ceilings, and other accessories. There are very low chances of color-fading for these types of rugs due to minimum exposure to sunlight.

Design Difference

Design Difference

Outdoor Rug
As per the design factor, outdoor area rugs usually come with simple designs, patterns, and textures. They feature striped and plain designs to create sophisticated outdoor decor.

Indoor Rug
Interiors demand more complex rug designs and colorful patterns of woven fabrics. Therefore, indoor rugs come with a wide range of intricate patterns such as floral motifs, nature, plants, wildlife, phrases, and other geometric designs and patterns.

Maintenance Requirements

Maintenance Requirements

Outdoor Rug
Outdoor area rugs are designed with materials that have maximum stain, dust, scratch, and sunlight resistance. That’s because these rugs are the most likely to encounter excessive dust, staining, moisture content, and harmful sun rays. Hence, due to their high resilience, rugs require very minimal maintenance and care.

Indoor Rug
Unlike outdoor rugs, these rugs get little exposure to dust, water, sunlight, and stains. So these rugs are crafted with materials such as silk and wool that need proper care and cleaning. These luxurious materials are highly prone to dust, grime, stains, and moisture content hence should be cleaned and spot-treated regularly.

Drying Capacity

Drying Capacity

Outdoor Rug
Outdoor area rugs are commonly crafted with materials that require very little time for complete drying. These include Polypropylene, Nylon, and Polyester which are quick drying, and moisture content can be removed in a very short time from their fibers.

Indoor Rug
Indoor area rugs are made of thick fibers such as silk, cotton, or wool, and these materials are not very good at moisture resistance. They take a lot of time to dry completely after getting cleaned or wet by spills/splashes. Under high water exposure, they can also deteriorate very quickly.

Final Words!

Both indoor and outdoor area rugs have many differences that must be understood by users before choosing any specific option. Shaggy Rugs has uncovered all the key differences by conducting a robust comparison between these two rug types. By considering this info, you will surely make the best decisions in terms of choosing a perfect piece of rug for either your outdoor or indoor areas.

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