If your antique or oriental rugs look a little worse for wear these days, rug repair and restoration can bring your rug back to its original beauty and help you preserve it for decades to come. Wondering what different kind of rug damage looks like and what successful rug restoration can achieve? Check out our list of rug repair options below.
Rug Binding or Overcasting
Frayed edges can make you feel less than thrilled about the aesthetic of your rug. Depending on the extent of the damage to your rug, there are two options: rug binding or rug overcasting. Overcasting, also known as a securing or lock stitch, overlays thread along the edges of the rug, weaving between weft threads to prevent unraveling. This type of repair is recommended for hand-woven area rugs. Binding is another solution to frayed edges. This technique involves securing those loose ends with cloth binding to prevent fraying, as it adds a touch of durability. With various materials and color options to choose from, it is easy to match any style.
Rug Overcasting
Rug Binding
Fringe Repair
Fringe repair is one of the most common repairs oriental and antique rugs will require in their lifetime. If you believe it’s just for decoration, think again. Fringe actually runs all the way through a rug, from one end to the other, making it a crucial element in maintaining the integrity of your rug. Not only does damaged and torn fringe look unappealing, it can lead to pile unraveling if left unrepaired. Fringe repair can range from simply re-securing what fringe has come loose and trimming it to an even length or a more extensive repair by sewing on new fringe that matches the texture and color. This option is best suited for oriental and antique rugs with thick pile.
Fringe Repair
Patching and Reweaving
Oriental and antique rugs in high-traffic areas of your home can get worn down over time, creating bald spots in your rug. Sometimes, it’s damage from clothes moths or other fiber-eating insects. Your first instinct may be to dispose of the offending rug or try to hide the damaged spot by creative placement of furniture or other accent pieces. But often, there’s a solution! Patching or reweaving. Patching is a technique that matches a remnant section of a rug to a similar structure and pattern, sewing this piece into a missing part or hole in your rug. It is the more affordable repair option.
Rug Patching
Reweaving is a time-consuming and more expensive process that consists of rebuilding the foundation of the rug and sewing threads into the rug, using the exact density, color, and pattern of the existing material. Reweaving needs expert-level rug weaving skills and requires someone with significant experience to do well.
Rug Reweaving
Blocking
Is your rug looking crooked? Over time, well-loved rugs can lose their shape. Thankfully, most buckled or rippled rugs can be “blocked,” a solution that involves stretching a damp rug into shape as it dries. Blocking is not a permanent repair, however; rugs will constantly shift and move out of shape as time goes on.
Rug Blocking
Are your rugs worth repairing? Our rug repair experts have more than 30 years of experience inspecting and restoring oriental and antique rugs. If your cherished rugs need a touch-up or something more intensive, contact the experts at Aladdin today.