Rug restoration and re-dyeing in Toronto
Rug restoration in Toronto is slow, careful handwork for a Persian or other handmade rug that’s worn or damaged in many places, not just one. Colour problems have a section of their own: see re-dyeing and colour repair. We assess your rug first and say honestly whether the work is worth it, and whether a smaller repair would do.
The difference
Full restoration or a single repair?
One problem, or wear across the whole rug.
A single repair deals with one thing: a loose end, a fraying side, a hole. A full restoration is for a handmade rug that’s worn or damaged in many places at once. Our repair team knows handmade rugs of all kinds, and works with the same techniques used to make them.
It’s specialist work and it takes time, so most Toronto rug restoration is done on valuable, antique or art rugs. Some people restore a rug for what it means to their family. That’s your call, and we’ll give you a frank view.
Usually worth a look for
Valuable rugs
Fine handmade rugs, Persian and others.
Antique rugs
Old rugs that need slow, careful handwork.
Art rugs
Pieces made to be looked at, not just walked on.
Family rugs
Inherited rugs, or ones that mean a lot to you.
Smaller jobs
When a smaller job is enough
Not every worn rug needs a full restoration.
If the trouble is one loose end, one fraying side or one hole, a single repair may be all it needs. If the rug just looks tired, a wash may be enough on its own.
Full restoration is work for handmade rugs. For a machine-made rug, call us and we’ll say whether any repair is worth doing.
We’d much rather say so than sell you work your rug doesn’t need.
Single repairs
Plain words
What the parts are called
The parts of a handmade rug, named.
The pile is the soft top you walk on. On a hand-knotted rug, it’s thousands of small knots, each tied by hand around the threads underneath.
Those threads are the foundation. The warp runs from end to end, and the weft runs across, between the rows of knots. At each end, the warp often carries on past the pile as the fringe. The long sides are wrapped in yarn so they hold together.
A full restoration can reweave or rebuild these parts where they’re worn or broken, and redo old repairs that were poorly done.
What a full restoration can include
Holes and worn spots
New knots tied in where the pile is gone.
Foundation
Broken warp and weft threads rebuilt.
Ends and sides
Worn-out ends and sides rebuilt by hand.
Moth or water damage
Mended as part of the same job.
Colour repair
Rug dyeing and colour repair
Four kinds of colour change.
People say “rug dyeing” for quite different colour problems. The four below each call for something different, and the last one needs nothing at all.
We take on two of them: colour that ran or bled, and a whole rug in a new colour. Any rug can be looked at for this, case by case, and colour work can take several months.
Colour restoration is nuanced work, and not every problem can be fully put right. It makes the most sense on a rug of real value, or one you’d hate to lose. If yours would be easy to replace, we’ll tell you so.
If you don’t know which is yours, we’ll say.
Colours that ran
Dye moved into cream areas or the fringe.
A pale spot
Bleach or a chemical; not a job we take on.
A whole new colour
You’d like the whole rug in a new shade.
Natural colour bands
They’re part of a handmade rug, not damage.
First steps
If the colours are running now
A few calm steps at home.
Dye that has started to move can keep moving for as long as the rug stays wet. A leak, a spill, a pet accident or a strong spot cleaner can all start it. Reds and dark blues are the colours that most often travel.
Your aim is a drier rug, with no wet part pressed against another. Then call us and tell us what happened. If the whole rug got soaked, our water damage page has more steps to follow.
Four things you can do
Before any work
How a restoration starts
We assess it, you decide, then it’s washed.
Every repair starts with a full wash, and a restoration is no exception. First we look the rug over and judge it case by case, and you get our suggestion in plain words. If you’d rather not go ahead after that, your rug simply comes home, no questions asked.
If an antique looks too fragile to wash, it depends on the rug. We look at it first and talk it through with you.
For a first idea, text photos and the rug’s size to (416) 939-7571.
One pickup, start to finish
Free pickup
We collect the rug from your home.
Look and decide
What it needs, in plain words, then you decide.
Full wash
Washed clean before any handwork begins.
Restoration, then home
The careful handwork, then your rug comes back.
Good to know
Honest answers before you decide
Four plain truths to know before you decide.
Questions
Rug restoration questions
The questions we’re asked most often, answered the way we would on the phone.
Can a Persian rug be restored?
It depends on the rug. Full restoration is for handmade rugs, and many rugs sold as Persian-style are machine-made, so we check how yours was made first. Then we judge it case by case and give you our suggestion. If Persian rug restoration doesn’t make sense for yours, we’ll say so.
Is it worth restoring an old rug?
That’s your call, and it depends on the rug. It usually makes sense for a valuable, antique or art rug, or one with family meaning. If a single repair or just a wash would do, we’ll say so, and you can stop there.
How much does rug restoration in Toronto cost?
Each job is priced once we’ve seen the rug, since no two need the same repairs. Nothing starts until you’ve agreed to it, and nothing is added after. For a rough idea, text a few photos with the rug’s size to (416) 939-7571.
How long do restoration and colour repair take?
A full restoration varies from rug to rug, so we give you the expected time up front. Colour work can take several months, and so can restoring an antique.
Will the restored part show?
It may. On an old rug, new work can stand out up close, since new wool rarely matches old wool exactly. You hear what we suggest ahead of time, and it’s up to you.
Can you restore a machine-made rug?
No, full restoration is only for handmade rugs. Some single repairs, such as fringe work, can still suit a machine-made rug, and we’ll say if one is worth doing. Not sure how yours was made? See how to tell if a rug is handmade.
Do you clean the rug before restoring it?
Yes, the full wash comes before any restoration work. If your rug is a fragile antique, it depends on the rug, and we’d look at it before deciding.
Can you dye a rug?
Yes, case by case. Re-dyeing is one of our repairs, for colours that ran or bled, or a whole rug in a new colour. Spots where bleach or a chemical took the colour out aren’t a job we take on. If you’re tempted to fix it yourself, markers and paint aren’t dye: they can bleed in a later wash or leave the pile stiff. Call us and describe the colour problem.
My rug’s colours bled. Can that be fixed?
It’s one of the colour jobs we take on. Sometimes it can be improved, but we can’t promise how it will look. We judge it case by case once we’ve seen the rug, and we’ll say what we think it can do. Colour that has bled isn’t covered by our stain promise.
Can you appraise my rug or tell me what it’s worth?
No, we don’t do appraisals. We can say what we’d suggest for your rug and what the work involves, but not what the rug is worth.
Think your rug needs restoration or colour work?
Call (416) 939-7571 and describe the rug, or book a free pickup. We’ll see it first and give you a straight answer, even if all it needs is a wash.