Caring for Moroccan Rugs

Moroccan rugs are so popular now for a very obvious reason - they’re beautiful and their simple yet graphic patterns can be used with nearly any style of decor.  They almost immediately enhance a room’s features and warm even the starkest decor.  

Caring for Moroccan rugs includes regular vacuuming, periodic rotating, and professional cleaning every two years or so.  It is particularly important to have Moroccan rugs regularly cleaned because the pile tends to be longer and can therefore trap more embedded dirt or particles that can eventually grind down the foundation (or worse, harbor moth larvae).  With a regular cleaning schedule, Moroccan rugs can be enjoyed for decades. 

www.traditionalrugrepair.com

353 West 48th street, New York, NY 10036

What Does Moth Damage Look Like in an Oriental Rug

The hot weather brings so much joy to so many of us, especially hungry moths who thrive in hot, humid, and dark environments where there is little cross circulation.  If you store your wool sweaters in a closet or wardrobe, now is a good time to take them out to inspect them.  If you store your rugs in a dark closet, we would recommend an immediate inspection.  Even if you do not store your rug but have it out in the living room, perhaps a section of it has a heavy peace of furniture on it or is under a sofa.  Moths can damage those sections if left undisturbed.  

Many clients reach out when they suspect but are not certain of moth damage.  The photo above shows what advanced moth damage looks like. Moths ate entire little areas of wool pile as a section of the rug was left under furniture undisturbed for an extended period of time.  --www.traditionalrugrepair.com

Summer 2020

We hope that you and your families are healthy and safe during this incredibly challenging time.  As we transition to our newly emerging normal, we remain grateful to those who have helped heal us, support us, and provide for us in the fight against something that has robbed us of so many.  Our indebtedness to them is immeasurable.

Like so many businesses around the world, we have been temporarily closed in an effort to help control the spread of Covid19.  We remain hopeful that after lockdown ends, we will reopen in a way that keeps our customers and our team as safe as possible.  We are currently developing procedures and protocols to that end. 

In the meantime, we will begin weekly blogs to share some past projects and our musings on all things rug related.  We hope those that love textiles as much as we do will enjoy seeing how even the most damaged of rugs or cecims can be brought back to life for generations with just a little care and time.       

Kosker Traditional Rug Repair

353 West 48 Street New York, NY 10036

www.traditionalrugrepair.com

Turkish Kilim Restoration - Before and After

This lovely Turkish kilim had several worn areas where the weft had almost completely disappeared. Luckily, the warp was largely intact.  We completed the restoration as shown in the top photo.  We tried to match the colors of the original kilim, and tried to recreate the missing motifs.  It's always a bit of a guessing game, but when a kilim is largely symmetrical we have a general guide.  

The kilim above utilizes a slit weave construction which lends the kilim a lovely look.  We hope the kilim's owners will use their restored kilims for many years to come.

--www.traditionalrugrepair.com

353 W 48th Street, New York, NY 10036

Kilim Restoration - Before

There are some people who are afraid to buy kilims because they feel that they will not be as durable as other types of rugs.  The truth is that with proper care, kilims can last for generations.  Kilims can add a wonderful graphic element to a space and can ground an area with a wide range of colors, textures, and motifs. 

Restoring kilims is a challenge because it is difficult to "hide" any inconsistencies or errors in the reweaving.  But, I personally find kilim restoration to be wonderfully satisfying as the results of a restoration are immediately visible as there is no pile to be cut down.  Therefore, the fruits of a restorer's labors are immediately apparent.  The kilim above had several worn areas, but the warp was mostly intact.  It is a lovely semi antique Turkish kilim with vibrant orange, black, ivory, and pink colors.  In the following posts, we will share more about this recent kilim restoration project.  --www.traditionalrugrepair.com 

                                                     
                                                        Kosker Traditional Rug Repair
                                            353 West 48th street, New York, NY 10036

Caring for Kilims - Cleaning

Some people think kilims only have geometric motifs, but kilims can be remarkably versatile as the kilim above shows.  Though floral motifs are usually associated with hand knotted Oriental rugs, this beautiful Moldovan kilim has a fantastic floral border and center field.  I find these kinds of kilims almost fun, and can lend a room a very dynamic and vibrant feel.

Caring for kilims is similar as caring for rugs.  It is important that a kilim is regularly vacuumed though without the use of a beater bar.  A kilim should be rotated every six months or so so that any wear or muting by the sun is evenly distributed.  In addition, it is good practice to have a kilim professionally cleaned every two years.  With these minimal steps, a kilim can last just as long as a handknotted rug, which is as long as a few generations.  ---

www.traditionalrugrepair.com

353 West 48th Street, New York, NY 10036

Oushak Rug Repair - After a/k/a Final Result

Pictured above is the final result (or the "after") of our recent Oushak rug repair project.  This is a zoomed in photograph but you can see that we tried to match the light pastel shades of the original Oushak rug.  To review, the photos below show the longer yarns we used to reknot the damaged pile, the reconstructed warp, and the last photo is the "before" of what the damage looked like before we started our Oushak rug repair project.  Please note that the bottom two photos are of the back of the rug while the first photos are of the front of the rug.  --www.traditionalrugrepair.com

Oushak Rug Repair - Process

After we professionally cleaned this beautiful Oushak rug, we proceeded to start our repair project.  We always work on handknotted rugs from the back.  As you can see from the photo above, our task was to rebuild the damaged and missing warp.  The warp is what forms, with the weft, the grid like structure on which the knotting can take place.  It is like the back bone of a rug.  The warp of this Oushak rug is cotton which is a very strong material that is often used for the warp and weft of hand knotted rugs.  --
                                        www.traditionalrugrepair.com
                                    Kosker Traditional Rug Repair

Oushak Rug Repair - Before

I thought it would be a great time to do another series of posts showing the before, during, and after of a recent restoration project we completed.  This Oushak was damaged near the center of the rug.   Some of the wool pile was missing and the warp and weft was damaged.  The before picture above shows the area from the underside of the rug.  It's a lovely Oushak with a beautiful delicate color palette of pinks, ivories, and golds.  Stay tuned for more of this rug restoration progress in coming days.
                                             --www.traditionalrugrepair.com
                                              Kosker Traditional Rug Repair
                                       353 W 48th Street, New York, NY 10036

Which is the Bigger Challenge - Rug Restoration or Kilim Restoration?

I am often asked which is more difficult - hand knotted rug restoration or hand woven kilim restoration.  As with many of these types of questions, the answer is:  it depends.  It is almost impossible to categorically say whether rug restoration or kilim restoration is more difficult, because so much depends on the individual rug or kilim.  A good quality hand knotted Oriental rug will be just as big a challenge to restore or repair as a good quality hand woven kilim.  A unique color yarn in an antique Persian rug will be just as difficult to match as a unique color yarn in an antique kilim.  Each rug repair or restoration and kilim repair or restoration brings with it its unique challenges.  The goal for me professionally is to try to meet the challenge and to enjoy the process. 

--www.traditionalrugrepair.com

Kosker Traditional Rug Repair

353 W 48th Street, New York, NY 10036

Is It a Problem If My Persian Rug Has Uneven Fringes?

Before I continue to the main question addressed in this post, I want to note something about terminology.  Sometimes people refer to all hand knotted rugs as "Persian" rugs even if the rug is Turkish, Chinese, Indian, or even Central American.  When the word Persian is used to describe rugs,  the term is usually meant to refer to a type of construction (namely, that a rug is hand knotted) rather than a place of origin.  But of course, many Persian rugs do indeed come from Iran.  Terminology for rugs is actually quite imprecise so I thought that a small note would be helpful here.  Similarly, the word "Oriental" is still commonly used to describe rugs and other artifacts.  It, like the word Persian, is used to describe hand knotted rugs rather than a place of origin.

Now to address the question asked at the top of this post, namely, is it a problem if your Turkish rug (as the one photographed), Persian, or Oriental rug has uneven fringes?  The answer is: it depends.  Often, weavers will cut the rug off a loom in a somewhat imprecise way leaving a somewhat uneven fringe.  In those instances, an uneven fringe is nothing to worry about.  Other times, a section of the fringed area has been pulled or yanked by a vacuum, pet or something and in those instances it is not a problem unless you note the fringes are starting to come away from the rug.  If that is the case, that means that the fringe is failing and the edge of rug is vulnerable to further damage.  If the fringe is not coming away from the rug but is just a different length, it should not be a problem.  Shorter fringe is only problematic if it fails to protect the edge of the rug.  If the edge of the rug is vulnerable to damage, eventually the pile can start to come undone and rug restoration or rug repair will eventually be needed. 

 --www.traditionalrugrepair.com 

Kosker Traditional Rug Repair

353 W 48th street, New York, NY 10036

Shaggy Moroccan Rugs - Moth Damage

There is nothing like stepping onto a warm, shaggy, fabulously textured Moroccan rug on a cold winter day.  Just looking at the long yarns of a gorgeous Moroccan Beni Ourain or other tribal rug is enough to warm up a space and give it wonderful textural depth.  Moroccan rugs often have longer piles which just means that the weaver left the pile yarns longer during the shearing process (which occurs after the knotting is completed).  Allowing for longer yarns is what allows rugs to have that shaggy look that is very much trending right now.  The longer yarns are gorgeous but they do pose a particular risk to the longevity of the rug.  Namely, the longer yarns provide more space for potential moth damage as a vacuuming or brushing will often not reach to the bottom of the pile and therefore allows for undisturbed moth infestation to occur.  A close examination of the photos above show a beautiful Moroccan rug that has been damaged at the base of the pile by moths.  The top photo shows the damaged area from the reverse side.  Because this risk exists, it is highly recommended that owners of beautiful Moroccan rugs take care to regularly vacuum their rugs, regularly inspect their rugs carefully, and have their rugs professionally cleaned every two years.  With these simple preventative measures, these gorgeous long piled Moroccan rugs can last for generations. --www.traditionalrugrepair.com

Kosker Traditional Rug Repair

Address: 353 West 48th Street, New York, NY 10036

What are those White Dots that have Recently Appeared On My Oriental Rug?

You fall in love with a beautiful hand knotted Oriental rug on a trip or shopping excursion and bring it home and fall in love with it even more.  After several weeks, months, or years, you start noticing little white dots that you could swear were not there before.  Or perhaps you send a beloved wool rug to be professionally cleaned and when it is returned, you notice its pile is beautiful and lustrous once again but there are small white dots that you think were not there before.  In both instances, you question if somehow you didn't notice these white dots before but that they must have been there.  Sometimes you even panic slightly worried that the white dots are some kind of bug or insect that has infested your rug.  You reassure yourself when you stare at the dots and confirm to yourself that they are not moving.  You think.  (Don't worry - they're not moving.).  So what are these white dots that mysteriously appear after some time living with a hand knotted Persian or Oriental rug?  Are they anything to worry about?  The white dots are merely places where the warp strings have been tied when the rug was made.  Sometimes the yarns used to create the warp are not long enough and so therefore the weaver ties yarns or strings together to extend the warp.  Or sometimes a piece of yarn or string breaks during the construction of the warp and weft, and the weaver is forced to tie another piece to extend the newly shortened yarn.  These white dots are nothing more than the place where that knotting and tying has occurred.

So if the white dots were created when the rug was originally made, why do the white dots seem to appear out of nowhere?  The answer is a bit complicated.  Sometimes what happens if that after a period of wear, the knotted pile begins to separate a bit to show the hidden warp and weft (with its white dots).  Alternatively, sometimes weavers "color" in the white dots so that they can blend into the hand knotted pile.  After a professional cleaning, the inks used to color in the white dots can fade away, and therefore the white dots can appear to come out of nowhere.  If this happens with your rug, do not worry.  The white dots are nothing to be afraid of - they indeed are not moving - and they do not indicate that there is anything wrong with the structure of your rug.  If the white dots on your Oriental rug really bother you, contact a restorer who may be able to assist you in disguising them once again.  --www.traditionalrugrepair.com

Kosker traditional rug repair

353 W 48th street, fl 4 New York, NY 10036

Oriental Rug Restoration - It's All in the Details

What makes for a successful Oriental rug restoration?  There are many elements involved.  First, the right yarns - the right texture and shade will go a long way in making for a seemingly "invisible" restoration that blends into the original.  Second, the proper set up - something that allows for the damaged area of the rug to be stretched out is also important.  Next, a uniform and tight grid to work on (the foundational warp and weft) is critical.  Lastly, a lot of time, patience, and skill.  These last elements are important because a proper restoration is nothing without attention to detail.  Getting the knotting right and following the pattern to recreate the missing motifs is important if the restoration will be successful.  --

                                                     www.traditionalrugrepair.com
                                               Kosker Traditional Rug Repair

Address: 353 W 48th St, FL 4, New York, NY 10036

How to Fix Damaged Fringes on a Vintage Persian Rug

Anyone who owns a beautiful vintage rug, or has spent any time in a home with a lovely Persian rug that has been around for a few decades will know that there is nothing quite like having a gorgeous older rug serve as the foundation for a warm living space.  Vintage rugs have just the right amount of muted colors and worn textures that can instantly transform a room.  And as the old adage goes, many times they just don't make them like they used to.  Therefore, in many cases, a vintage rug can be counted on to be of high quality.  Even if a vintage rug has already been around for a few decades, generally it can still withstand another generation or two with just minimal care.  Regular vacuuming and periodic professional cleaning is generally all that is needed.  However, sometimes a vintage rug can start to get damaged - usually around the edges.  Fringed edges especially succumb to aggressive vacuuming or hungry pets or kids who tug at the fringes and eventually can damage them.  The top photo shows a small portion of a fringed edge that had been damaged.  In order to properly restore this damaged area, we reconstructed new fringe and integrated the warp strings into the field of the rug.  The bottom photo shows us in the process of restoring the fringed area.  With any luck, this lovely vintage Persian rug will be able to withstand another few decades of love and wear.  --

www.traditionalrugrepair.com

Kosker Traditional Rug Repair

Moroccan Rug - Removing Stains

Peruse any design blog or magazine and you will find pages and pages of gorgeous white, cream, and ivory Moroccan rugs marked by minimal graphic designs in black and brown.  These gorgeous Beni Ourain rugs, Berber rugs,  and other Moroccan rugs immediately lend spaces a wonderful grounded and textural foundation that complements almost any style of decor.  What is perhaps inevitable, however, is that these beautiful pale rugs will conspicuously show any accidental spill.  As a result, we often get calls to address unfortunate stains on these knotted Moroccan beauties.  The first step is to first professionally clean the rug in its entirety.  We are sometimes asked to just remove a stain, but that is not possible as a water mark will result.  There are some fortunate instances where a regular professional cleaning will remove a stain from a Moroccan rug.  If an additional step is required, we treat the area to minimize the appearance of the stain, sometimes eliminating it altogether.  While there is no guarantee for complete removal (for say, a red wine stain), our stain treatment can generally reduce the appearance of a stain significantly.   The risk of staining these gorgeous rugs, however, should not deter anyone from living and enjoying these rugs in their home.  In my opinion, any stain and imperfection will just add to the history of the rug, making it part of a home all the more. --

www.traditionalrugrepair.com

Kosker Traditional Rug Repair

Professionally Cleaning Moth Infested Rugs

You see your normally still rug moving ever so slightly.  You squint your eyes to make sure you eyes aren't deceiving you.  But no, the rug is moving.  More accurately, something on the rug is moving.  Some things.  Plural.  The feeling of disgust washes over you and you somehow gather yourself together to closely examine what exactly is happening.  You see tiny white caterpillar like things having a feast all over your gorgeous wool rug.  Moths, you think.  Moths, you google.  And sure enough, your suspicions are confirmed.  Moths are eating your rug.  What do you do?  First, don't panic.  This, unfortunately, is not a rare occurrence.  With any luck, you have caught the infestation early on and a simple professional cleaning will eradicate the moths and no significant restoration will be necessary.  More often, you neglected to examine your rug regularly and the moths have had time to eat a few chunks of wool.  You should immediately isolate your rug so that other unaffected rugs or wool textiles are not subjected to the same damage.  Wrap the rug in plastic and thoroughly mop the floor on which the rug lay.  Vacuum all surrounding upholstered furniture (and then empty the vacuum cleaner or change the bag).  A simple solution of vinegar and water is very effective to clean floors.  Next, have your moth damaged rug professionally cleaned as soon as possible.  The moths will continue to eat until the rug is cleaned.  Ask your professional Oriental rug cleaner if they have experience cleaning and restoring moth damaged rugs.  After a thorough professional cleaning, the rug will be ready to be inspected for the full extent of the damage.  Ask your restorer what your options are.  Sometimes a simple repair can suffice, but other times, a full restoration is the only option.  

www.traditionalrugrepair.com

Kosker Traditional Rug Repair

Silk Rug Fringe Repair

The silk rug photographed above (which is laying on top of a green wool rug) has some significant damage to its fringes.  This damage was most likely caused by aggressive vacuuming of the fringes over an extended period of time.  The fringes are uneven at this point, and are tearing away from the rug itself.  The binding has come undone and the knotted edge are starting to come undone as well.  Repairing this fringe damage would be much easier (and less costly) to fix at this point than if one waited until the knotted areas would start to come undone (which is imminent).  The first step in this kind of fringe repair is, as always, to professionally clean the rug.  Then, we will cut away all damaged areas, create a uniformed edge, and newly bind the rug along the fringed edge.  This repair should be enough to minimize the risk of further damage.

www.traditionalrugrepair.com

Kosker Traditional Rug Repair

Turkish Antique Kilim Repair

This gorgeous antique Turkish kilim had several worn areas mostly in its red field.  Restoring this kind of kilim damage is challenging as we must strive to match the red yarns to those of the original as much as possible so as not to call too much attention to the restored areas.  The kilim restoration process is greatly rewarding, however, and the final results can be very beautiful. I find the mechanics of this stage of our work highly calming and restorative -- not just to the kilim but to even myself.  To see the tangible results of one's labors is intensely gratifying, and can be very rare in our fast paced world.  I consider myself very fortunate that I can fill my days with these kind of antique kilim restoration projects.  ---

www.traditionalrugrepair.com
Kosker Traditional Rug Repair

The Beauty of Kilims

As someone who is around beautiful rugs and kilims all day long - both for professional and personal reasons - I am asked often about what my favorite kinds of rugs are.  It is always hard to answer this question because there are truly exceptional examples of gorgeous types of weavings in each category.  But if I were pressed to name just one kind of weaving that was my absolute favorite, it would have to be kilims.  There is something so beautiful and exquisitely captivating about kilims.  They are a challenge to create because any mistake is readily apparent.  The range of motifs is limited because only geometric motifs are possible given the type of weaving.  And yet the sheer number of designs of kilims feels virtually limitless.  Moreover, the combination of colors in kilims - colors that one would think would clash - can bring a whole room to life.  Caring for these beautiful kilims is a joy.  With just minimal care, including regular gentle vacuuming, period professional kilim cleaning, and regular inspections for muting and moth damage, kilims can last several lifetimes.  --www.traditionalrugrepair.com

Kosker Traditional Rug Repair

Silk Rug Cleaning

Silk rugs can instantly transform a room - elevating even the starkest space into a warm elegant room.    Silk rugs are surprisingly durable and can last for generations.  Caring for silk rugs is similar to caring for wool rugs. Professionally cleaning silk rugs involves the same considerations, including color test runs and carefully brushing the silk rugs to remove embedded dirt.  We recommend rotating silk rugs just like wool rugs every six months to ensure that foot traffic and any muting by the sun is as evenly disbursed as possible.  Regular silk rug cleaning is important to lengthen the life of the rug, but it does not have to be every year.  We recommend to have your silk rug cleaned once every two years if it is subject to normal wear.  If it is in a high traffic area, we recommend annual professional silk rug cleaning.  If it is in a bedroom or other area where it does not have much foot traffic, especially without outdoor shoes, silk rug cleaning can be much less frequent. --www.traditionalrugrepair.com

Kosker traditional rug repair

Moroccan Beni Ourain Rug Cleaning

Whether your taste is defined as traditional or if it leans more to the modern or contemporary, Moroccan Beni Ourain rugs can suit almost any kind of decor.  They are both warm and geometrically striking.  Their black or brown graphic designs often stand in contrast to a backdrop of thick ivory wool.  This fantastic and beautiful contrast poses a challenge, however.   Professionally cleaning Moroccan Beni Ourain rugs can pose a challenge because their dyes can be fugitive and can bleed during the cleaning process.  We have often come across beautiful Beni Ourain rugs that had obvious color run during a previous cleaning.  For this reason, it is important that a color run test is done before a full professional cleaning of these gorgeous Moroccan rugs.  After the color test, care must be taken to never let the rug sit in water if there is evidence of the dyes bleeding so as to avoid damaging the beautiful ivory or light colored backgrounds.  With proper care and caution, these beautiful Beni Ourain rugs will continue to stand the test of time and passing trends.  --www.traditionalrugrepair.com

Kosker traditional rug repair

There are very few steps one must take to preserve the gorgeous beauty of fine hand knotted Oriental rugs

 One of these critical steps often is overlooked, however, even though we recommend it be done only twice a year.  This overlooked step is to rotate your rug so that any muting caused by the sun, or any foot traffic is more evenly dispersed.  The rug above was not rotated and one can see that the sun muted the rug on the section that was not hidden by a bed that lay above it.  This kind of muting is very difficult to rectify.  For this reason, we highly recommend that clients avoid this problem by regularly rotating their rugs on a biannual basis (perhaps coinciding with daylight savings time?).  

Another issue that the rug above had was the obvious stain caused by pet urine.  Pet urine stains are very difficult to treat if they have been allowed to set for a long time.  Not only does pet urine discolor the yarn, but it is also acidic and can compromise the yarn as well.  For this reason, we highly recommend treating pet stains as soon as possible after they occur. 

With a little preventative care, such as rotating rugs on a regular basis, and quick treatment of any accidents, such as having pet stains cleaned immediately, a rug such as this beautiful Oriental rug can last for many, many years.  --www.traditionalrugrepair.com  

Kosker Traditional Rug Repair 

Antique Persian Rug Restoration - Before and After Example

We recently restored a beautiful fine antique Persian rug that had various damaged areas, including the one photographed above.  We first professionally cleaned this gorgeous antique rug, taking care not to worsen any of the existing damage.  Once the rug was cleaned and dry, we sourced the yarns that would best blend into the muted antique color palette.   The dusty rose and blues were probably a lot more saturated a century ago but it was important for us to match the yarns to the beautiful warm tones that a century of sunlight had produced.  Once we sourced the best yarns for this antique rug restoration project, we carefully reknotted the pile reconstructing the motif that had been damaged through a century of wear and tear.  The result will allow this rug to be used and enjoyed for years to come.  --www.traditionalrugrepair.com

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Kosker+Traditional+Rug+Repair/@40.759941,-73.991556,15z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0xacc23307a981b177!8m2!3d40.759941!4d-73.991556