If your rug fringes are damaged, it’s important to fix the problem as soon as possible. The phrase ‘A stitch in time saves nine’ could never be truer than with handmade rugs. The fringe is the foundation of the rug and since it is exposed it is often the first part to be damaged; if the damage spreads, the pile can come loose, start to unravel, and permanently damage the affected area.
We can halt further damage and even increase the fringe. This can be achieved in a number of ways depending on the rug and the condition of the fringe. If the problem is dealt with immediately there should be no real damage to the rug and the cost of fixing it will be relatively minimal.
The longer the problem is left, the more damage is likely to occur. This damage can be halted but if it has spread to the pile the only way to fully restore the rug is to create more foundation, lengthen the fringes, and re-knot the lost areas, which is a time-consuming and more expensive process. Unless the rug is a particularly good quality or valuable piece it may be best to just minimize the damage by having it secured as it is.
There are various methods of fringe repair. The first and cheapest method is to secure the fringes if they have started to come loose, this can be done even if the fringe is longer in some parts than in others. The fringe can be secured and cut to an even length if messy or damaged. This can be done as is or, if there are small amounts of damage to small sections of the ends of the rug, a few rows of knots can be removed to make the rug pile even and straight once more.
Adding new fringes internally to the rug is a more involved and costly process but it allows the fringe to be lengthened without removing knots for the rug. This can be done if there is no room to remove any knots without eating into the outside guard border. This method also has the potential to allow re-knotting of damaged areas.
Doing this involves adding new fringe from within the foundation of the rug – skilled work but with amazing results. As always, we will advise on what can be achieved and what we recommend based on damage and the value of your rug. Call us for a free quote at, 1-416-508-1617.
