Restoring damaged carpet to glory.

You’d never know when Warehouse Manager Mo Nizam is nervous. His talent is in making people feel comfortable. Part of Mo’s charm is the way he takes his time to explain every detail in a calm, cool, and collected manner. 

We’ve seen him stare down a complicated scenario, playing out the possibilities in his mind and weighing the pros and cons of certain methods. He’s working it out, considering all of the contributing factors that can make or break a successful repair. 

Mo and our in-house team of talented Installers at Carpet Impressions

Years of hands-on experience show Mo what to look for when constructing the ultimate rug repair, the only craftsman whose mission is to make his work entirely invisible. He’ll make an assessment, craft a plan, and gather the right tools. A seamless restoration is right around the corner! 

Despite all of this know-how, Mo confesses that he is always a little nervous when approaching a carpet in crisis. 

Visually turning back the clock on a spill, discoloration, or rip requires surgeon-like precision and vast product knowledge.

It takes an experienced professional to restore your rug or carpet to its former glory. Old school textile craftsman like Mo (and all of our in-house Installers) have spent decades honing their trade skills. Over the years, we’ve learned a thing or two about repairing damage to a rug or carpet. Here’s what you need to know. 

Got a Carpet in Crisis? Here’s what you need to know. 

MAKE AN ASSESSMENT. 

Just the facts, ma’am. Before anything else, you need to know the answers to the following questions:

1

What type of carpet are we dealing with?

Not all carpets are treated equally. Some types make for a much easier repair — plush, axeminster, and Wilton, for example. Decorative rugs vary in the construction of the backing, a considerable factor in maintaining the lay of the rug. Sisal, natural weaves, flatweaves, and handmade rugs often prove to be the problem children in the repair family. 

2

What was the cause of damage?

Is this a chemical spill or discoloration from overly astringent carpet cleaner? Did something very heavy drop and cause a tear? Did you move furniture by pushing instead of lifting and now have a rip in the rug? Did your Dachshund wreak havoc on that certain spot? Did an over ambitious vacuum session have you wishing you’d called in the pros? 

3

What is the extent of the damage?

How bad is it? Can we do a “carpet transplant,” borrowing a section from an unseen bit under the couch to swap out with the damaged piece? Do we have a sample of a similar age / timeline to patchwork? Is the rug so badly damaged that it makes more fiscal sense to replace the whole thing? 

READY THE REPAIR. 

Reverse engineer from your vision. Start with a solid idea of what you want the rug to look like when you’re done and and work backwards. 

1

Establish where you’ll get your patchwork piece.

Ideally, we can poach a piece that is well hidden by furniture placement, because it will have the same aging as the rest of the product.

2

Scope out exactly where to cut.

With intense rigor and attention to detail, identify the right pattern orientation and the right row — and err on the side of more is more (give yourself some room for error).

3

Gather the tools of the trade.

You’ll need lines of thread for weaving, latex for backing, weights to stretch or lay the material flat, and a very special seaming iron called a Coolglide.

SCRUB IN FOR CARPET SURGERY. 

You’ll need eagle eye precision — this lost art requires time, patience, and technical skill. 

1

Carefully make your slow and precise cut of damaged area.

‘Measure twice, cut once’ is never truer than in carpet repair! You only have one chance to get it right.

2

Carefully make your slow and precise cut of patchwork area.

Apply the same methodology as above. This piece must fit into the framework with a transition that is nearly invisible to the eye. (No pressure, right?)

3

Seal the backing edge with latex.

Let it get tacky and do your magic. The right consistency of the latex with give you a wee bit of wiggle room to tweak the placement.

4

Dry lay the replacement piece into the framework.

You may need to stretch it.

5

Trim the angles.

It must lay flat. No buckling!

6

Place the actual inset in alignment with the pattern.

This is an easy place to make a mistake. Make absolutely certain.

7

Use your Cool Glide Iron to seal and stretch.

There’s no going back now! The latex will seal the deal.

8

Weight the repair down to make it flat.

Textiles take time to settle in.

9

Seal the repair.

Do this in the direction of the carpet.

SWELL WITH PROJECT PRIDE

When done right, repairing a rug or carpet will feel like finishing the most intense and satisfying puzzle known to man. It a legitimately awe-inspiring process, one of the many old school tricks true artisans have up their sleeves. 

Even the most dramatic carpet crisis can be easily manageable in the end – if you simply don’t panic. Keep calm and call in the professionals.

If you’re an interior designer or architect that needs Rug Rehab, email or call Hope Bass at <PHONE> to get help for your Carpet Crisis.

#funfact

On the commercial side, our main man Mike Brandland uses a Crain Cutter Co Instant Repair Tool to cut the perfect circle for his carpet repair. Looking suspiciously like an old fashioned biscuit cutter, this little baby uses super sharp edges to cut out identical rings for a flawless transplant. Pillsbury who?