Rug Repair & Restoration

In Their Own Words: "Richard from Rug Spa repaired my oriental rug, returning it to me in like new condition. It is more beautiful now than I could have ever imagined! His follow up was great. My phone calse were returned promptly, when he was not available to take my call. He took all of the necessary time to answer questions that I had and explained in detail the process of restoration. I highly recommend Rug Spa for cleaning/restoration needs of your valued rugs. " -Donna Cushing from Lebanon, TN More Testimonials >>

We understand it's not easy finding expert rug repair and restoration locally. Usually -- especially for rugs of value -- repairs should be made only by a professional. But there are some times when you can try do-it-yourself rug repairs. Let's start with an overview of how professional rug restoration is done.

We first try to contain the damage by stopping the unraveling of the rug borders. We use a method called cashmere and overcasting, which is weaving wool throughout the Oriental rug's warp threads and fringe ends. After completing the overcasting, we sew each turn individually with needle and thread to secure each fringe tightly.

The method used for replacing worn-out fringe will depend on how the rug was created.

Hand-knotted rug edges will need to be rewrapped by hand to the original color and texture of the rug. If the foundation or edge cording is worn through it will first have to be rebuilt.

Machine-made Oriental rugs are power-fringed by equipment in a fraction of the time. You can choose any colors, lengths, or styles to coordinate with your rug colors. Worn edges are repaired quickly on a serger machine.

It is imperative that tears are quickly sewn and pulled together before pile, nap, or rug body is lost.

Try not to let these go, because they will only get bigger! Reweaving holes is easier if the warp and the weft of the rug do not have to be replaced in addition to repiling or reknotting. It is of utmost importance that the right yarn texture, finish, and color are matched perfectly to the existing rug. For this reason sewing in patches has limited value --especially on a good Oriental rug. Restoration by reweaving, not patching, is recommended.

This is one of those do-it-yourself rug repairs we mentioned. (Don't delay fixing this or it will wear the face pile quickly!)

1. First, turn the rug upside down.
2. Place damp towels over the edges.
3. With a hot iron on the cotton setting, slowly steam with the edge down straight so it will not turn under and wear prematurely when used.
4. Let your rug dry upside down for one day before turning it right-side up.

Sprouting & End Tails

This is possibly another do-it-yourself rug repair. Do not pull them out. Just trim flush with an existing pile height and length to blend in with the nap.

Brightening a Faded Rug or Correcting Color Run

Many wool rugs sustain color "runnage" or looseness of colors from a multitude of causes.

The most common culprits are water spillage or wetness. After cleaning a rug yourself, you should carefully place it on a clean and safe outside deck or roof for warming the rug in summer sun for two to four days. The sun can be very helpful in brightening rug colors -- especially ivory shades.

The following treatment is TO BE USED ONLY AS A LAST RESORT for an improperly cleaned rug with red-dye color-run. Try this at your own risk!

A few days' exposure to summer sun can sometimes pull and bleach out some of the red dye that has run. Be careful not to overexpose and bleach out the other colors in the rug.

It is important not to overexpose rugs to the summer sun because ultraviolet rays can fade certain colors in the process of removing certain run colors. Bring the rug in immediately if you notice any other colors changing. Before trying this, watch the weather forecast so you can be sure to avoid wet days. Use only clean, secure, and dry places and bring the rug inside for security at night.

Caution: Home rug-cleaning is not recommended. But if you're going to do it anyway, we want you to know how to do it right! Learn how to clean your own rug here.

This rug repair shown needs to be done professionally by hand weaving.

All short edge tails can be trimmed even to the rug's edge.

	Hide your rug's wear by using permanent ink with matching colors.
	Find the right wool yarn color and hand-wrap your rug's edge.