Oriental and Persian Rug Repair and Restoration from Silk Road Gallery Rugs

With over eighty years and three generations of experience, Silk Road Gallery Rugs offers expert restoration of your new or antique Persian and oriental rugs. A genuine hand-knotted Persian rug will last for generations, as long as care is taken to protect it from premature wear and common types of damage. Common issues include water damage, moth damage, vacuum cleaner damage, chemical damage, sun damage, pet destruction and stains, and uneven wear.

Every ten to fifteen years, as a part of the regular maintenance, the ends of the rug must be bound. If this is not done on a regular basis, the rug will start to unravel. The sides of the rug are secured with what is called overcasting. If this isn’t done every ten to fifteen years, the rug will start to unravel from the sides.

Refringing is done if the rug is relatively new and is going to be exposed to a lot of traffic. The fringe protects the binding of the rug. Contrary to popular belief, refringing does not detract from the value of a rug as long as it is done correctly. Refringing must be done by hand, and the rug must not be cut.

Blocking or stretching of the rug is also part of the maintenance of a rug. Over time, rugs become crooked from traffic and vacuuming. That is why they should be stretched back to their original shape every ten to fifteen years.

All of the services mentioned above, are considered regular maintenance. Although these should be done every ten to fifteen years, they may need to be done sooner if the rug is exposed to heavy traffic. Repairs due to accidents and wear and tear are done on an individual basis. The sign of a good repair is that you are not able to recognize it, especially from the face of the rug.

In addition to hand rug cleaning, it is of the utmost importance to keep the edges of your oriental or Persian rug intact. If the binding begins to unravel, you will eventually lose the corners and then the sides of the rug. This occurs because the binding is the foundation support for the wefts (horizontal foundation) of your Persian or oriental rugs. The loss of the corners and side of your rug will have a large impact on the value of your handmade rug. Once the rug begins to lose its body, it will require handmade rug restoration rather than just professional rug cleaning.

The binding should cover the original side cord of the rug. On some fine rugs, this is a single wrap, while on others it is a double or triple wrap done in a ‘figure 8′ stitch with wool or sometimes cotton in Chinese rugs. This process should never be done by machine as the nylon thread often used in machines is stronger than the Persian rug and will likely cause it to tear. Also, machine binding does not go far enough into the body of the handmade rug to protect it and also ruins its handmade level of intricacy and quality.

You may be surprised to know that the original fringe is actually part of the warp (vertical foundation) of a Persian or oriental rug. It is crucial to never sew artificial or premade fringes to your hand-knotted fine rug. When the fringe begins to wear off or get chewed up, it needs to be addressed Further deterioration will lead to loss of the body of your rug. Another common improper repair technique involves having the ends trimmed and putting on a tight overcast stitch. This stitch is invisible from the surface of your handmade rug, but it goes through the foundation to hold the ends together. Ideally, all that is needed for repair is a zangir cord, which is native to the rug. Zangir cord replacement is inexpensive and simple. And, if you like the long look fringe, we can re-weave the zangir plane and warps for you too.

Unsurprisingly, if you experience a flood or a water leak in your home, your fine rugs may sustain water damage and will require immediate restoration. Depending on the type of flood damage sustained, it may be possible to return your rugs to their original condition without concern for your health.