Oriental Rug Repair
To repair Oriental rugs, the expert needs a passion for restoring life to a woven art piece. The goal is to restore the beauty for future generations. The technician assesses damage and recommends the best repair option. Preserving character and originality, the stability and longevity of the carpet and the value of the carpet is taken into consideration. Suggested repairs are based on an understanding of construction and fibers of each rug.
Washing is one of the most requested services for Oriental Rugs. Oriental rugs are made of natural fibers and are hand-knotted. Some rugs have piles, others do not.
The area where a rug is constructed plays a part in the treatment of the rug. Design concepts are borrowed from different cultures and hold symbolic meaning. Oriental rugs are works of art. As such, precautions are taken when a washing process is used to clean them.
Thoroughly trained technicians have spent much time studying and training to identify and understand complex hand-knotted rugs. Studies include culture, geographic regions, dye systems, knotting techniques, rug construction, and fiber types. It requires years of study to comprehend the skill and history in Oriental rug making entirely.
Those variables impact the treatment used in the washing cycle of an Oriental rug. Knowing, understanding and respecting weavers and methods of construction ensure rugs will be adequately cared for. Washing an Oriental rug should always be done by a professional. The process entails dusting, cleaning the front and back, drying with appropriate equipment, and cleaning the fringe.
Repair of Oriental Rugs
Yarns and techniques that preserve the look and value of the rug are used. Professional rug weavers make the job look easy, but the repair requires skillful hands. The types of repairs fall into four basic categories. They are End Repair, Side Repair, Tears and Holes, and a group of Miscellaneous Treatments.
End Repair
For both flat weave and handmade rug ends, proper tools are required. Fringe is warp yarns. To secure the edge, a little unraveling must take place. The edge is secured by wrapping three or four warp yarns per stitch along the edge. Fringe is then trimmed and brushed to look as good as new. When done properly by an expert, the repair gives the rug character.
Side Repair
A hand sewed stitch is used that binds the edges of an Oriental rug to prevent unraveling. Several different styles and stitches are used. The country of origin is a factor used to decide.
Machine stitching is sometimes used as a temporary fix to prevent unraveling when a rug must be cut. Then a cloth binding is applied, by machine, to prevent fraying. Hand-made rugs cannot endure this treatment.
Tear and Hole Repair
Knowing how the rug is made helps with the repair technique. The knowledge required is a little like performing surgery. First the technician must separate the backing. Combining tufts of yarn to match the color and replace them in the damaged area is the next step. An adhesive is then added to the back. Reweaving is a labor-intensive procedure that utilizes cotton, silk, or wool similar to the original. This method preserves the rug. Holes and tears can also be patched. Patching entails using another area or Oriental rug having a similar design.
Miscellaneous Repairs
It is important to rely on experts for re-coloration, restoration, and repair of Oriental rugs. They can remove color bleeding and spots from beautiful carpets and rugs. The most common problems are water damage, cat and dog bites, moth damage, spilled wine, chocolate stains and coloring bleeding due to improperly washing rugs.