Persian (Mashad) Rug Restoration - a case study

Persian Rugs > Persian Rug Services > Persian Rug Repair > Persian Rug Restoration

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The following case study displays some of the work we can do here at Little-Persia:

We received a century old Mashad rug which, according to the owners, hadn't been washed as long as he had it in. The fringes were worn, there was areas of low pile with the foundations showing and the the sides (selvedges) were falling apart. We took the rug through our usual specialist handmade cleaning process then repaired and secured the selvedges and fringes. Once this was done we 'painted' the rug using special dye pens to minimise the appearance of low-pile then finally antique washed the newly repaired fringes to compliment the rest of the rug.

As you can see from the photo the Mashad rug came in heavily soiled with a lot of wear and tear to the fringes and the sides in a bad state.

The Mashad was washed with cleaning products and shampooes specifically designed for fine wool rugs.

As you can see this rug held decades of soil.

The level of soil extraction meant the rug was washed three times before we felt it was sufficiently clean - another difference between carpet shampooing companies and specialist cleaning. Here we can see the rug after its first shampooing - the soil literally dripping out the rug, the worn fringes and the damages sides.

The fringes were taken back a few rows of knots and secured, making them straight and all the one length.

The sides of the rug were completely re-woven on both ends. Securing the rug for years to come and tidying up its appearance.

Areas of low pile (see above) were minimised using specialist dye pens from Iran matching the colours of the rug. This of course isn't the same as bringing the rug back to life by re-knotting but to do so for large areas such as this the rug would need to be sent back to Iran and would cost thousands to repair. 'Painting' the rug improves the appearance of older rugs, adding years to their longevity.

The customer opted to have the fringes antique washed. This gives older fringes a more even appearance and compliments the antique nature of the rug (after completing a fringe repair sometimes previously unexposed material is on show which is lighter than the existing fringe due to lack of oxidation).

The Mashad is restored, bringing it back to life, adding years to its life and thousands to its value.