Rug Restoration

The main point of repairing antique or rare rugs is to ensure that it retains its original beauty and integrity that may have been damaged with the passing of time and exposure to damaging elements. The restoration can be achieved through reweaving or recreating portions of the rug. The restoration of antique rugs requires precision, skill and understanding of the texture, colour and yarn used in weaving the original rug.Antique Persian Oriental Rug Repair and RestorationIt is essential to conduct regular cleaning and maintenance of the antique Persian rugs so as to maintain their beauty and structural integrity. When you reinforce and repair minor damages on the rugs you can prevent further damage and prolong the life of the antique rug. The most common restoration processes include repairing fringes, cleaning, re-knotting damaged or missing patterns and recovering the rug selvages. The other intensive processes include rebuilding the weft and warp on the rug and re-pilling worn out areas.Rug fringe repairThe fringe of your rug is the foundation and if it gets exposed it will get damaged and can cause the unraveling of the rug’s pile if not promptly repaired. The method of repairing the fringe will largely rely on the condition of the rug and the type of the rug itself.

1. Secure the fringes if they have started getting loose or if the fringe is longer in some parts and shorter on others. One can secure and cut the fringe length in case of damage or if it’s messy. Incase only a small section at the end of the rug has been damaged, then a few rows of the knots can be removed to even out the pile as there are always a few centimeters o plain colored wool around the rug’s edge thus its pattern won’t be affected.
2. You can also have a new fringe added to the rug internally which can be a bit more costly but it allows the fringe to be lengthened without removing any knots.

 Rug sides repairThe rug sides are also called selvage or binding. The rug is usually woven from side to side and the selvages are the ends that hold the rug together. These sides hold the shape of the rug and prevent the knots from unravelling. In case these bonds become loose it is important to ensure that you repair them immediately.Low pile restorationLow pile can occur over time and in extreme cases cause the exposure of the foundation of the rug. It is important to re-pile the worn out areas or even re-dye these areas to hide the white exposures. It is sometimes hard to get the exact colour of the fibre used on the original work but one can get very close results.Moth damage, holes and rips repairThe repair of these kinds of damages will require a lot of skill but can be achieved by a professional rug repairer especially if the foundation is still in good condition.