Lava Stone & Distressed Area Rugs: How the Antique Look Is Made

Arsh's Rug Library · Rug Styles

Gold and ivory Lavastone rug with a softly worn low pile in a living room — Shown: Lavastone Grisel, 8'1" x 9'10"

A lava stone rug has the soft, worn look of a rug that has lived through generations. The wear is real, but nobody walked on it: it was made by hand, with a stone.

What is a lava stone rug?

A lava stone rug is a hand-knotted wool rug whose pile has been rubbed down by hand with a piece of lava stone, again and again, until it is low and the colors have mellowed. Our Lavastone rugs are vintage rugs by age that were never used. The finishing gives them the look of an antique without the years of foot traffic, stains and repairs that usually come with one.

Lava stone is light and porous, with a rough surface that works like a gentle file. Rubbed across the face of a rug, it wears the wool down evenly and softens the tips of the yarn, so the colors look faded by time rather than bleached.

How the antique look is made

It starts as a finished, hand-knotted wool rug with a classic Persian, Caucasian or transitional design.
The pile is rubbed by hand with lava stone, section by section, many times over. Some areas are worked harder than others, the way real wear happens in front of a sofa or along a path.
The rug is washed to clear the loose fibers and settle the colors.
The result is a pile of less than a quarter inch, with a soft, slightly uneven surface and a pattern that looks gently worn.

Close-up of the low, hand-rubbed pile on a charcoal and brown Lavastone rug — Up close, the pile is low and soft, and the colors shift where the stone worked hardest.

Close-up of softened green and brown wool on a Lavastone rug — Up close, the pile is low and soft, and the colors shift where the stone worked hardest.

Lava stone vs machine-made "distressed" rugs

Many rugs sold online as "distressed" or "vintage look" are machine made, with the worn look printed or woven in. They can look similar in a photo, but they are very different rugs:

Fiber: a lava stone rug is wool; most machine-made distressed rugs are polypropylene or polyester.
The back: turn a lava stone rug over and you'll see the individual hand-tied knots, slightly irregular, with the pattern showing clearly. A machine-made rug has a perfectly even grid or a glued backing.
The fringe: on a hand-knotted rug the fringe is the ends of the warp threads that run through the whole rug, not a strip sewn on.
Life span: a wool lava stone rug can be washed and repaired for decades; a synthetic rug is usually replaced.

Our how to tell if a rug is handmade guide shows these checks with photos.

Where a lava stone rug works best

The low pile is the practical secret. It lies flat, so doors swing over it and dining chairs slide easily. It is easy to vacuum, and the worn pattern hides everyday dirt. That makes a lava stone rug a good fit for dining rooms, entries, kitchens and busy living rooms. The faded palette suits farmhouse, rustic modern, Mediterranean and eclectic rooms, and it softens a crisp modern space without adding bold color. Use a rug pad underneath to add cushion and keep it in place.

Caring for a lava stone rug

Vacuum without the beater bar, rotate the rug every six months, and blot spills right away rather than rubbing. Because the pile is already low, the rug should be cleaned by a professional who knows hand-knotted wool. Our moths and sun guide covers simple steps to keep it looking its best.

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