Restoring Investment Quality Handmade Rugs

Sometimes a repair or securing of a rug is not enough and thorough restoration is required. This may be because there is significant damage or the rugs may be considered investment quality pieces and could lose value if a comparatively quick repair-job was carried out.

For an in-depth view on the process of major rug repairs view our case study of a large, fine-quality Nain rug which had to have one side of the border completely re-knotted. Below we have a couple of examples of high quality rugs we have restored, washing, re-piling and extending the fringes.

 

Persian Rug Restoration:

Isfahan Rug

Kashan Rug

 

Isfahan Rug

We recently restored a fine Isfahan rug of considerable. With age the rug's fringes had started to unravel exposing the structure of the carpet with the threat of losing pile. There were small areas where a few knots had unraveled and areas of the selvages (sides of the rug) that needed work.

The fringes could have been secured to prevent further unraveling and the selvages woven to maintain the integrity of the rug. For its age the rug was in fairly good condition and this is one of the reasons we recommended a more involved restoration project. Even the layman from looking at the rug can tell it's a special piece, there is something magical about the design and mix of colours, add this to its quality and age and you have a Persian rug well worth looking after.

 

The Isfahan before it has been cleaned or repaired

The Isfahan rug in Little-Persia before being restored.

 

A picture showing the wear to the fringes of the rug

Here we can see the fringes, unraveling the full way across the width of the carpet and worn down towards the pile in parts.

 

Apart from the fact that the rug was a valuable and old piece (near 100 years) the owner wanted the fringes restored back to their original size and beauty, this highly skilled work involves being able to attach new materials further up the warp strings of the rug then bring them down to create new fringes, meaning a part of the rug has to be un-knotted and re-knotted - a process a lot more difficult than merely knotting an area of a rug as it involves what you could call reverse-engineering.

 

The fringes being lengthened on the Isfahan Rug

At this stage the rug has been washed, with touch-ups added to the pile. The process of attaching the fringe is under-way.

 

The end result is a rug brought back to its former glory with no obvious signs of repair. A rug which will last for years, hopefully generations, to come -continuing to increase in value with age.

 

Isfahan rug after cleaning and repair

The finished rug with fringes renewed and the cleaned bringing the colour back to life.

 

The front corner of the Isfahan showing its fringes

Now the fringe has become uniform and part of the rug.

 

The back of the Isfahan showing repaired fringes

From the back of the rug you can see there are no obvious signs of repair.

 

The Isfahan before it has been cleaned or repaired

The Isfahan rug after being restored at Little-Persia.

 

 

Kashan Rug

Along with the Isfahan rug detailed above we were approached about a Kashan piece of similar age. Like the Isfahan, this rug has an obvious beauty and quality to it, maintaining its integrity as far as possible was the best option to ensure the rug was not devalued. The Kashan rug was professionally restored and cleaned. The fringes of this rug had worn completely down to the pile and the owner had advised us that in its early days the fringes were in fact quite long.

When the rug arrived at Little-Persia we discovered that the rug was "cracky", over the decades the fine dust which had entered into the rugs foundation had made it stiff, potentially damaging the structure of the rug. With care and expertise we were able to restore the rug to good condition, lengthening the potential lifespan considerably.

 

Kashan Rug

The rug as it was when it arrived, a beautiful Kashan but slightly out of shape and with worn fringes.

 

Close up of the worn fringes

Here we can see a close up of the fringes, although thankfully uniform in length and not yet eating into the pile, there is a serious danger of the wear spreading to the pile.

 

Kashan rug fringe lengthening

As the rug is worked on, our weavers are able to lengthen the fringes back to their original size.

 

Kashan rug fringe at back

The rug from the back, as you can see the fringes have been professionally restored.

 

Kashan rug fringe at front

The fringes look good from the front and you can see the vivid colours as a result of the cleaning.

 

Kashan Rug after cleaning and repair

You would never believe this rug is around 100 years old, just look at the detail and colour.
A beautiful rug restored to its former glory.