What To Do With Your Old Oriental Rugs

Oriental rugs are one-of-a-kind, handmade masterpieces that are works of art for your floor. Most people acquire their rugs through one of two ways – they buy their own or they inherit it.

If you’ve purchased a new rug, chances are it will stay looking as good as new for many years, even after you’ve handed it down to the next generation.

If you inherited one from a family member or from someone’s estate, consider yourself lucky. Older Oriental rugs are like rare treasures – exotic and valuable.

One downside to older rugs is that they are more likely to look worn and damaged, especially if they weren’t cared for the way they were supposed to.

Another downside could be that you just don’t like the look of the rug you’ve inherited.

50 Year Old Rug
Older Rugs Look And Feel Hard.

So what do you do with an old oriental rug that you do not want to keep?

Get It Appraised

The very first step prior to selling your rug is to take it to a reputed antiques rug dealer and have it appraised.

The appraiser will ask if you know the original purchase price and whether you know the exact age of the rug and if there are any interesting historical stories attached to it.

They will also look the rug over to determine its condition so as to give you a correct estimate.

Get The Damage Repaired

All rugs will eventually get some worn spots. This is especially true if they have been used in heavy-traffic areas, or if they have sustained water damage, or have been lying under heavy furniture for far too long.

An expert craftsman can repair most types of damage without any noticeable signs of repair, but you must be really careful about where you get it repaired.

Yes, getting the damage repaired can be expensive, but if you want to sell your rug at the best price, then you need to make any repairs that may be necessary.

Kashan Rug Repair Before And After
Example Of A Repaired Kashan Rug – Before And After Fringe Repair

Get The Rug Professionally Cleaned

All rugs should be professionally cleaned at least once a year anyway, regardless of age, but if you want to sell your Oriental rug want to get top dollar for it, then you must get it professionally cleaned.

Don’t give it to any rug cleaner. You must look for someone who specializes in cleaning Oriental rugs and natural fibers as these require special care.

Repurpose Your Rug

If you have taken all these steps and are given the unfortunate news that your Oriental rug may be too damaged or fragile to sell as is, you may want to investigate the option of repurposing your rug.

One way to do this is by having the best portion of the rug cut out and using it as a wall hanging. Another option is to transform the good areas of the rugs and covert them into throw pillow covers.

You could also use smaller cut outs from the rug to make a sort of patchwork rug, thus taking something old and worn and turning it into a completely new family treasure with high heirloom potential.

These are excellent options if you have antique rugs that have been in the family for generations, but are too damaged to use in their original form.

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10 thoughts on “What To Do With Your Old Oriental Rugs

  1. I would like an estimate on what my oriental rug is worth I have a receipt from when it was purchased

    1. You could email me some pictures of your rug and I could give you some information. but we don’t do the price of rug if we couldn’t see personally.

      1. hello my name is LisaI have no idea what origin this rug is fromhowever I’m told that it is a prayer rug whateverthat may mean.I ran into some Financial circumstances be on my control and I have to sell this rug. due to my circumstances I do not have the money to appraise this rug. but perhaps if you can at least give me an idea of the origin then perhaps I can go from there. I want to thank you for your generosity to at least give me an idea where this rug is from

  2. I have an old Persian(?) rug that has been in the family since around 1920, and may be older than that. It has a lot of damage from furniture being placed on it since 25 years ago. Also it was placed on top of another rug, and has tears and buckles. Would you be interested in seeing some photos of it to determine if it’s worth saving? I believe it to be manufactured silk, the color goes through to the other side, and it’s stitched on back. Thank you.

  3. I would like to sell my Persian Rug ( Kale Asbi) which belong to 50 years ago, however I don’t know the market or the right person to sell!

    Really appreciate if you can guid me with further details or information and buyers!

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What To Do With Your Old Oriental Rugs
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