How to Determine Area Rug Repair Costs
You put a lot of thought into the rugs you choose to adorn your home, but what happens when the dog sees the fringe as a toy, or your well-loved rug starts to show signs of wear? It can be distressing to find your rugs damaged, and it mars the scene of a clean home. But wait before you throw it out! Even when the damage seems dire, it’s likely that your rug can be repaired. Many of us don’t wish to throw away an expensive oriental rug, newly purchased wool or woven rugs, or an antique rug from a grandparent that holds sentimental value. Thankfully, there are other options. An understanding of the area rug repair cost can give you an idea of which choice is best for your show-piece.
Determining What Type of Repair You Need
It’s all well and good to decide that you’re going to have your rug repaired, but of course, the cost analysis will be of little use to you if you don’t know what type of damage you’re looking at. Whether you need new binding, some surging, or a fringe fix is all dependent on what type of damage your rug sustains. Use this list as a guide to have an idea of what to expect when it comes to repairing your prized rug.
Torn or fraying edges
Whether your rug has a fringe or not, when the edges begin to fray or have been torn, you’ll need either binding or surging. Be sure to contact a professional right away, as the longer your rug stays unrepaired, the more opportunity for damage there is.
Wear and tear inside the rug
If your rug is not damaged along the edge, but somewhere along the middle, the process of repairing it is a lot more difficult and complicated. Often, this involves re-weaving or patching the worn area, which can be labor-intensive and requires a skilled craftsman familiar with your rug’s specific weaving technique.
Moth damage
Moth damage, particularly if extensive, might require similar re-weaving or the introduction of new materials to replace the damaged sections.
Wrinkles and misshapenness
While perhaps less severe, wrinkles and misshapenness still need professional attention. To fix these issues, we often block the original rug to reshape it, or straighten out wrinkles.
Unraveling
Just like with tears or holes, an unraveling rug will often have to be rewoven, as well as most likely need some type of binding as well. Keep an eye out for unraveling fibers, as the sooner you catch them and take care of them, the less your repairs are likely to cost.
Common Types of Repair
While a lot of types of repair prices are unique and hard to assign an average price to, some of the most common types of area rug repair can be priced by linear feet. The chances that you will need to have one of these three types of repair done to your rug is more than likely, so take a look at their average pricing and get a feel for what might be in store for your rug repair experience.
Binding
Binding is the process of machine-sewing polyester tape on the end, sides, or all-around a carpet or rug, protecting it from unraveling or pulling apart along the edges. Binding tape comes in lots of colors, and two different sizes: ¾”, which is standard, and 3”, which can add a wider strip of binding to any flat-woven rug. It is typically done on regular, standard carpet that is cut to a specific size or on a less-expensive area rug.
The cost of binding is $4.10 per linear foot. For example, a rug that is 16 x $4.10 = $24.60 for the binding.
Surging
Similar to binding, surging involves looping a nylon yarn on the outer edge of the rug using a “serger” sewing machine. It often has a nicer appearance than binding, and comes in a variety of colors. Surging is most-commonly used on machine-made or hand-tied area rugs, or for customers who prefer a cleaner looking finish on the edges of their rug.
The cost to surge a rug is $6.75 per linear foot. For example, a rug that is 5×7 surged at both ends might cost around sixty seven dollars. 10’ x $6.75 = $67.50 for the surging.
Fringing
Tassels on the ends of a rug are mostly made of cotton and are stocked at HK in neutral colors, but some custom colors can be ordered upon request. During the process of fringing, both ends of the rug might be cut to balance out the patterns and reinforced to ensure they don’t unravel further. Then the fringes are sewn on.
The cost to repair the fringes is $14.06 per linear foot. For example: to repair a well used hand-tied rug size 2-3 x 10-6 with fringing, 4.6 lin feet x $14.06 = $64.67.
Additional Area Rug Repairs
Of course, accidents and damage aren’t linear, and there are many custom repairs that can be done to machine-made or hand-tied rugs. These repairs can include:
- Applying a new monk’s cloth backing to keep the rug from wrinkling.
- Applying latex to the backing of a wool rug where moths may have eaten through the fabric. This keeps the rug from losing additional fibers.
- If a rug is too large, it can be cut down into a smaller size or even re-shaped to oval or round.
- If you want a larger rug, two rugs can be combined to make one big rug out of the same pattern.
- A braided rug that loses its stitching can be re-sewn.
- If your boat carpet is old and ratty, it can be used as a template to cut and bind new marine carpet. Snaps can be added.
Final Thoughts
Note most of these repairs do not sustain a set cost, but instead are unique to the rug. To get the most accurate estimate on what your unique repair cost might be, contact HammondKnoll for a quote. We’re here to help get the best out of your area rug; with us, you can expect the expert craftsmanship that you deserve.
Why Choose HammondKnoll?
When it comes to repairing and restoring your cherished area rugs, HammondKnoll stands out. Since 1939, we’ve been dedicated to the quality service of homes, our skilled team using their hard-earned expertise to address any issue they come across. Contact us for area rug repair service anywhere from Puyallup, to Tacoma, to Olympia today; 100% satisfaction guaranteed.
