7 Tools You Need To Start Tufting

January 12, 2022

Tools

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What do I need to start tufting?

Rug Tufting can be a relatively expensive hobby to start. We will see all the must-have tools you need to start tufting your first rug and how you can start without them in an alternative way.

To start tufting, you mainly need 7 different tools, the tools that you need are listed down below:

Tufting Frame
Tufting Gun
Primary Tufting Cloth
Yarn
Glue
Secondary Backing Cloth
Scissors

Of course, it is possible to add various other tools that can be useful in the process but they will not be completely necessary to create a rug. I will share my experience with all the necessary tools in the process and how to choose them as a beginner.

Before the detailed explanation of all the tools, if you are interested in the initial investment cost to start tufting you can find a detailed list of the Recommended Tools Sets for the different budget types here.

Spoiler: I purchased all of my necessary tools to start tufting around 400$. Of course it can vary a lot depending on the suppliers and the quality of the materials you choose.

Table Of Contents

What do I need to start tufting?
Tufting Frame
Tufting Cloth
Tufting Gun
Yarn
Glue
Secondary Backing Cloth
Scissors
#Bonus: Good-To-Have Tools

Tufting Frame

The first thing you need to do to start tufting is to create a tufting frame. There are unlimited options to create a frame for tufting. If you do not have the necessary hardware tools or experience with DIY objects, the ready frame kit can be an easier option. There are a couple of different websites where you can purchase your frame start kit, like Tuft The World or Etsy.

However, it is not a very difficult step to complete, with a single hardware store visit you can easily collect all the necessary tools and build your frame in the dimensions you want to have. For the first frame as a beginner, it is better not to build a frame larger than 100cm x 100cm. Larger than this can be harder to work with as a beginner and create waste of tufting cloth.

To create your frame all you will need is;

A few pieces of timber lumbers
A Saw to cut timber pieces
Steel corner fixation elements
Screws
Power Drill

You can check here our step-by-step process for frame-making with detailed descriptions.

Tufting Cloth

One of the most important elements in the process can be the tufting cloth. The Tufting Gun moves on this cloth and attaches the yarn pieces to the cloth and creates the rug. The used fabric should be a flexible material with small holes on it. It should allow the movement of the gun without ripping or damaging the fabric itself.

There are mainly three different types of tufting clothes but the most popular one is Primary Tufting Cloth. The other options are Monks Cloth and Burlap. They all have advantages and disadvantages but we can say that the Primary Tufting Cloth has the highest quality. You can find a more detailed comparison of the different options here.

Tufting Gun

Without any doubt, The Tufting Gun is the star of the tufting process. Also, it is the tool that makes tufting an expensive hustle to start. There are three different types of tufting guns that you can find on the market:

Cut Pile Gun (AK-1)
Loop Pile Gun (AK-2)
Cut & Pile Gun (Adjustable)

Probably the AK-1 – Cut Pile Gun is the most popular one among other options since it is the most beginner-friendly model.

It is relatively a new tool in this area so it is not possible to purchase it in the local stores, ordering online seems like the only option at the moment. You can find it in Tuft The World, Etsy, Tufting Shop, Banggood or AliExpress. I purchased my first tufting gun from Banggood from this exact seller and I did not have problems with my device so far. From platforms like Banggood or AliExpress, the shipping can be a bit longer compared to other platforms but it can be possible to purchase it at a lower price. Although, If you want to be safer and have support when you experience any problems it is better to choose platforms like Tuft The World.

You can use RUGTUFTER15 discount code to save 15% from your purchases from tuftinggun.com.

Yarn

The type of yarn you use to create a rug has the biggest impact on the final quality of the rug. Before selecting the yarn you will use, It is better to think about the purpose of the rug. Is it going to be a floor rug? How durable it should be? Is it important if it is flexible or not?

There are several different types of yarns such as Wool Yarn, Acrylic Yarn, Cotton Yarn, Silk Yarn, Viscose Yarn, Bamboo Yarn, etc.

The Wool Yarn is the most popular option for rug making, it is highly durable and able to hold its shape for a long time. And the second most popular choice is acrylic yarn due to its lower price compared to wool. In my opinion, for beginners, Acrylic Yarn can be a better option to start with. You can start tufting more freely without worrying about the yarn.

About the thickness of the yarn, the simplest answer is, if it fits your gun and runs smoothly, then feel free to you it. But for the tufting gun, it is recommended to use between 2.5mm – 5mm thick yarn.

For the thin yarns, you can thread two pieces of yarn instead of single, this way you can tuft denser and finish the rug faster.

You can easily find a great number of different styles, and brands of yarns in the local stores. It is always better to purchase your materials from the local shops if it is available. However, if you prefer to purchase it online you can find it on Tuft The World, Etsy, Tufting Shop, or AliExpress.

Glue

The Glue is needed for the fixation of loops in the backside. After you pour over the glue onto the backside of the rug, distribute it equally without leaving any parts open and wait until it completely dries. It is one of the simplest step in the rug-making process but it is quite an important one.

For the backing glue, the most common option is Carpet Adhesives. But it can be more expensive than other options such as PVA Glues, PVC Glues, and Liquid Latex. As a beginner using latex-based glues would be more cost-efficient. You can check the details about the glue options here.

Secondary Backing Cloth

As a short answer, it is possible to use any kind of flexible fabric to cover the backside of the tufted rug. But more specifically we can count four main different materials:

Non-slip Rug Pads
Felt Backing Cloth
Action Bac
Any Other Flexible Fabric

In the case of wall-hanging rugs, you can leave them without any backing as well or get creative with them. I shared 5 of my favorite techniques for finishing the rugs here.

Scissors

The last tool in the list can be underestimated compared to other fancy tools but it creates a huge difference in the rug. To achieve a clean look at the end trimming is necessary, as a beginner, you can trim the piles simply with a scissor. There is a special type of scissors to help you to trim all piles equally and have a flat surface called Duck Scissor. Instead of investing an extra 100$ – 200$ to a shaver/trimming tool, it can be a practical option for the beginning. You can find it on Amazon or Tufting Shop for less than 20$ – 30$.

#Bonus: Good-To-Have Tools

These tools are not completely must-haves to be able to start tufting but they can be really handy during the tufting process.

Projector
Carpet Shaver Clippers / Shearing Tools
Yarn Winder

Projector

It can be a really helpful tool if you are not good with freehand drawing and want to create more complex rug designs. If you do not want to do this extra investment you can try to print your designs and then trace the lines over to your primary tufting cloth.

Carpet Shaver Clippers

A carpet shaver can help a lot in the rug-making process. It is way easier to trim the rug surface when it is done and equalize all the piles to have a more clean look. As we discussed previously it is also possible to do this step with a normal or duck scissor but with a dedicated tool it can be better and faster.

You can find these tools on Tuft The World, Amazon, or AliExpress.

Yarn Winder

It is a simple tool but it can speed up the tufting process. If the yarn is not loose enough, it can stuck on the thread or get out of the thread. Placing it back to the thread can look like a simple thing but this small friction can make the tufting process much longer. The yarn winder helps with this problem and it creates a loose yarn ball that can feed the tufting gun smoothly without any problem. It is a cheap addition to the toolset, you can find it for around 25$ online on Amazon or AliExpress.

*_{Disclosure: I only recommend products I would use myself and all opinions expressed here are our own. This post may contain affiliate links that at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission.}

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