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Sisal versus Seagrass Area Rugs – Pros & Cons
Sisal vs. Seagrass Area Rugs: Pros and Cons
When choosing a natural fiber rug, sisal and seagrass are popular options, each with distinct characteristics. Both offer eco-friendly, durable, and stylish solutions for home decor, but they differ in texture, maintenance, and suitability for various spaces. Below, we explore the pros and cons of sisal and seagrass area rugs to help you decide which fits your needs.
Sisal Area Rugs
Sisal rugs are crafted from the fibers of the agave plant, which are known for their strength and versatility. They are a favorite for adding a natural, textured look to interiors.
Pros of Sisal Rugs
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Durability: Sisal fibers are exceptionally tough, making these rugs ideal for high-traffic areas like living rooms or hallways.
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Eco-Friendly: Sourced from renewable agave plants, sisal is a sustainable choice for environmentally conscious homeowners.
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Variety of Styles: Available in multiple weaves, colors, and patterns, sisal rugs can complement both modern and traditional decor.
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Affordable: Sisal rugs are often more budget-friendly than other natural fiber options, offering reasonably priced quality.
Cons of Sisal Rugs
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Stain Sensitivity: Sisal is highly absorbent, making it prone to staining from spills. Immediate cleaning is essential to prevent permanent marks.
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Not Water-Resistant: These rugs are unsuitable for damp areas like bathrooms or kitchens, as moisture can lead to mold or mildew.
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Rough Texture: Sisal’s coarse surface may feel uncomfortable underfoot, especially for households with pets or young children.
Seagrass Area Rugs
Seagrass rugs are made from the fibers of wetland grasses. They are valued for their smooth texture and subtle sheen and are a go-to choice for coastal or minimalist aesthetics.
Pros of Seagrass Rugs
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Water Resistance: Seagrass rugs are naturally resistant to moisture, making them suitable for areas like kitchens or enclosed patios where dampness may occur.
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Smooth Texture: Compared to sisal, seagrass offers a softer, more comfortable feel, making it pleasant for barefoot walking.
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Low Maintenance: Seagrass is less prone to staining and easier to clean, requiring only occasional vacuuming or spot cleaning.
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Natural Aesthetic: Its earthy tones and organic look make seagrass a versatile addition to various design styles, from bohemian to modern.
Cons of Seagrass Rugs
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Limited Design Options: Seagrass rugs typically come in neutral tones with fewer pattern choices, which may limit customization.
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Less Durable: While sturdy, seagrass is less robust than sisal and may wear faster in high-traffic areas.
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Slippery Surface: The smooth fibers can be slick, posing a risk on stairs or in homes with active pets or children.
Key Considerations for Choosing Between Sisal and Seagrass
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Lifestyle and Traffic: Sisal is better for high-traffic areas due to its durability, while seagrass suits low-traffic spaces or homes needing moisture resistance.
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Maintenance: Seagrass is easier to maintain and clean, while sisal requires prompt attention to spills to avoid damage.
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Aesthetic Preferences: Sisal offers more design versatility, whereas seagrass provides a softer, more uniform look ideal for understated elegance.
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Budget: Sisal is generally more affordable, but seagrass may be worth the investment for its water resistance and low upkeep.
Final Thoughts
Both sisal and seagrass rugs bring natural beauty and sustainability to your home, but their differences suit distinct needs. Sisal shines in durability and style variety, perfect for busy households, but it demands careful maintenance. Seagrass offers water resistance and a smoother feel, ideal for relaxed spaces, but lacks design flexibility. Consider your space, lifestyle, and design goals to choose the rug that best enhances your home.
Seagrass Wall to Wall on Pie-Shaped Steps
Yes, you can put Seagrass rugs on steps. Most carpet companies’ installers will tell you it can’t be done because they don’t know how to install them. The Seagrass needs to be glued down and tacked under the step lip. This seagrass rug has been on this set of stairs for 10 years. We also have 4 dogs and a lot of guests, as this is a beach home.
Seagrass Rugs with Leather Binding
These custom living and dining area rugs are back-to-back with leather binding. This makes for an elegant finish and adds another texture to the seagrass
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Read my opinion about What is the Difference Between Binding and Serging an Area Rug?
Is seagrass a good covering for cat trees (which naturally the cats will claw😊). Will it hold up to that? Thanks for your time.
Seagrass will pick and unravel, probably over time. I would think a low pile carpet or commercial carpet would last longer than seagrass. Although Seagrass is bumpy and might appeal to the cats. You probably could get extra, and replace it more often.
Just how green does seagrass look when it is new, and approximately how long does it take to become more neutal? I want to use it in a blue and tan living room.
The seagrass will only come in green if it hasn’t cured yet and is fairly new. Most of the time the rolls have been in a manufacturers warehouse for a while and have already turned to more of the brown tones.
Also we can call the mill to find out how new the Seagrass style they have in stock is. If the Seagrass happens to be new and green, it will not take long especially if you have a dry room with sunlight, maybe a month at the most.
We can send sample swatches of you like.
Thanks for the inquiry.
Hi Sally-
Is seagrass soft to walk on vs. sisal? And does seagrass always have to have the fabric binding? I am looking for a rug to use in a high traffic dining area and think the fabric binding would not hold up well in this application.
Thank you for your time!
Seagrass requires a wide finish, like a fabric as the weave will ravel with a narrow edging. The fabric edgings will hold up well in high traffic. Usually the issue is the fabric getting dirty. We recommend spraying with a stain protector like Scotchguard. Also rotate your rug every year or 6 months to even out the wear.
You can choose other edgings like leather or a blend. I find that leather holds up very well and looks better with age.
You can see some various edgings on the Fibreworks site, https://www.fibreworks.com/borders/ Let us know if you would like to see samples.
You did not answer the question regarding softness to walk on vs sisal
Seagrass is more smooth than sisal, and the fibers get more smooth with wear. Both sisal and seagrass are not soft to the bare feet, but seagrass would be the less rough choice. Also, seagrass is less expensive than sisal and overall is easier to clean than all of the natural fibers.
I have cats. One of them gets hold of plastic bags or coverings, eats them, then pukes up his dinner. I have regular pile rug in the great room, a seagrass rug in my dining room and an indoor outdoor carpet in my living room. I have no problem removing puke from seagrass and indoor carpet. Forget the regular pile carpet. It has to be professionally cleaned. My husband refuses to change the great room carpet because it’s soft on his feet. Meanwhile, he always sits in the same chair right at the edge of the carpet. He only walks about two steps on the carpet. Go figure.
I have 3 doggies, one is a puppy and one not trained well. I found a great product called FurryFreshness. It is an enzyme cleaner. the lael says cleans Pee, Poo, Puke and more, and it does! It is a little more expensive than most but for me so worth it. You can find it on their site https://www.furryfreshness.com/ Good Luck.
Hi, I have stumbled upon your website and have found it really informative. I have fallen in love with seagrass but unfortunately it’s quite pricey to buy rugs here. I was wondering if you could tell me how you find seagrass on stairs. I was going to secure with stair rods. With wear does the tread become slippy ? What are the advantages with the different weaves ? Are they just smoother and or softer ?
Thanks in advance
Amanda (U.K.)
Seagrass in the US is fairly inexpensive. In fact I usually recommend it as it is less expensive than most cheaper carpets and looks much nicer.
We have had no problems with Seagrass on stairs as long as it is secured under the lip and glued down properly, so it does not shift. You can’t secure carpet on stairs with stair rods. They are just decorative.
I do not find Seagrass slippery on steps. We have Seagrass on our steps in a beach home. It is the plain weave regular seagrass which is the one I would recommend. The other weave is Basketweave which would work, but might be slightly more rough and harder to install.
If you have any more questions please feel free to email me directly sandy@rugratsva.com
What type of rug pad should I use under seagrass? We have manufactured wood floors (handscraped).
Thanks!
Amy
Seagrass comes with a polyurethane backing which is non skid. Sometimes with humid conditions it will stick to the floor when the rug is moved or turned. We use a thin nonskid pad called Nomuv. Any non skid pad will work as long as it is thin.
What about seams on a larger (16 x18) Seagrams area rug?
We do not seam seagrass, neither do any of the mills that we work with. There are carpet installers that will seam seagrass. You will need to look for them though. They ususally seam two selvage edges together. You will see the seam, but it shouldn’t ravel like a cut edge. Good Luch and thanks for the inquiry.
Hi
I am replacing wall to wall pile carpeting in 3 bedrooms. Concrete Is under the pad. I was considering sisal in a grey tone but now you have me considering seagrass. The accent colors thru my house are grey.
I like the density and compact look of sisal. Is there a type of seagrass that has that dense texture? Or is seagrass thick and bumpy?
Also with wall to wall is a seam risky?
Thank you for your input.
Hoping to make a decision!
Both Sisal and Seagrass don’t seam well. You will need to find a good installer to install either one. The best way to seam is to put two selvage edges together so there are no raw edges to fray.
You can’t put wither over the pad. It will need to be glued down. There is a Seagrass that has a padding attached. It is made for wall to wall.
You can see both Seagrass and Sisal patterns at http://www.fibreworks.com. There are patterns of both seagrass and sisal that are thick and bumpy. Sisal comes in more patterns and Seagrass only has a few patterns. Seagrass is usually considered less scratchy and is less expensive than sisal
We can send samples if you like. Email your ship to address to info@rugratsva.com. Also let me know if there are any particular styles you would like to see.
Hi, I have a multipurpose room that is most often used by me for exercise – everything from cardio (sometimes barefoot) to yoga to foam rolling. What are your thoughts on a seagrass rug for this purpose? I had a similar room years ago with a basic sisal rug, texture wise it worked fine, however I completely agree that ANY water stains or elderly doggy accidents really stand out.
Thanks!
I think this would be a personal preference to use the Seagrass in this type room. I personally would feel it is somewhat rough laying on the floor. Although if you use a yoga mat on top of it, it should be OK. Seagrass will clean up very well if you are looking for a product in that area. We can send samples if you like. That way you can feel the texture. If you would like samples, email me at sandy@rugratsva.com and give me your address.
Does seagrass have an odor (like jute)?
Also I’d like to use it for my lanigh (small outdoor room off condo)
this room does have cover but when it rains sometimes floor can get wet. Would you consider seagrass? And if not what would you use out on the lanigh? I was looking for a round natural looking rug with a blue stripe. Any suggestions? Thanks
Yes, Seagrass has an odor as all-natural fiber carpets. It does go away after a while. Seagrass is not used for outdoor use but does take to water well. You can clean Seagrass with any liquid product and even steam clean, as opposed to other natural fibers.
We have had many customers over the years that put Seagrass on their outdoor decks and areas and replace it after it starts to break down. Seagrass is inexpensive, and some people will just replace it after a few years or so.
You might want to look at some outdoor carpet styles. Several look like Seagrass. One that we have used a lot in your type situation is Madagascar by Stanton:
https://www.stantoncarpet.com/CGI-BIN/LANSAWEB?wam=WPRDLST&webrtn=productList&ml=LANSA:XHTML&part=CEP&lang=ENG&sid=
Check out their other indoor/outdoor products. There are some that have blue in them. If you see anything you like, let us know the style and color and we will send a sample. Send an email to info@rugratsva.com, along with any questions.
Hi Sandy – I’m hoping to identify a natural (grass?) material for rugs thorough out my house. Of particular importance is a smooth feel when walking with bare feet (living room, bedroom). Is there a particular grass (sea grass?) and a particular weave type that you could receommend?
Most all the Seagrass has the same feel. There are a few different weaves, but it really doesn’t change how the Seagrass feels under foot. In my opinion, Seagrass is the least rough of all the natural fibers. Seagrass is not soft like regular residential carpets though.
We can send samples of various styles if you like. Look at https://fibreworks.com/collections/
Send your style choices to info@rugratsva.com
Hi Sandy,
So many beautiful options here and great information. You mentioned you have 3 dogs. We have one large one that is mostly out of the puppy phase and loves to spend most of his time in our tiled mudroom but occasionally comes into our TV room where I’m considering getting a seagrass rug. do you find you dogs every claw or try to dig on the seagrass? I’m just wondering if the smell will make him start scratching at it and pulling up the loops or weaves.
None of my dogs have ever wanted to chew on the seagrass and have left it alone. The smell goes away after a few days if it is fresh seagrass, but never bothered my dogs. Also, their claws do not bother the weave. Seagrass is generally a lower cost floor covering that cleans up well. If you have any other questions, please email me at sandy@rugratsva.com.
I’m looking to add/layer rugs over concrete floors. The concrete looks fabulous but is killing my knees. Can a seagrass rug be used with a cushioned pad. My main concern is comfort and softening the impact of walking on concrete.
Please advise.
Thanks.
Yes, you can use a pad under Seagrass. It would need to be a dense felt or non-skid pad. This will help with your issues with the concrete floor and your knees. If you would like pricing or further questions, send an email to sandy@rugratsva.com.
Sandy,
The information that you have provided has been very informative! I, too, have a question. My dog is allergic to grass (like the lawn). Do you think he will be allergic to sea grass, too?
All grasses are different. Humans and animals can be allergic to different species of grasses. Seagrass is a reed that is grown in water. It is different from our lawn grasses. An allergy test is the only way to determine what types of grass your pet is allergic to.