It can be heartbreaking to hear that an old rug you have come to love over the years cannot be repaired after sustaining damage or succumbing to wear and tear. Yet, there is good news to be had even in such a dire situation. What is this good news? You can actually use carpet remnants for area rugs and other decorative elements, allowing you to still enjoy the beautiful hand weaving or artisan design in the years to come.
The Differences Between DIY and Expert Modifications
Before we even begin a more in-depth look at the ways to use carpet remnants for area rugs, it is important to consider whether this is something you can do on your own, i.e., as a DIY project, or if it should be left to experts. Our recommendation to those who want to use carpet remnants for area rugs is to pair up with a professional. While it is entirely true that you can find all kinds of tutorials that offer tips and tricks for converting worn out rugs or wall to wall carpet remnants into area rugs, you will never get the same results as you can with a rug expert.
Finishing is Not the Only Step When You Use Carpet Remnants for Area Rugs
Why should you use experts when turning carpet remnants into smaller, area rugs? Stop and think for a moment about the way that a rug of any kind is made. It is attached to a foundation or is woven using warp and weft threads. The warp threads are what become the fringes at the narrow ends and the weft threads run back and forth across the rug.
No matter what sort of rug, though, it is likely that just cutting into the foundation can cause thread loss and even allow the rug to begin to unravel. This may even be why you have ended up with a remnant of a beautiful old rug that you have to turn into smaller area rugs.
So, in addition to knowing how to finish the edges of the rug to ensure it remains stable over the years to come, you also have to know how to cut the rug apart and preserve its integrity when you use carpet remnants for area rugs.
What Steps Are Required
An expert can take a look at any sort of carpet remnant and show you what can and what cannot be converted into a new rug for a smaller space. The good news is that they can also work with you to identify areas of a valuable rug that can be used for other purposes. Perhaps you have a gorgeous old Persian rug that has unraveled in a lot of areas and can yield one area rug, but also a lot of smaller pieces. An expert can cut those remaining pieces and edge them for you to use as framed art, as pillowcases and even as part of a cover for an ottoman.
It can be tempting to look at such projects as DIY, but it is best to work with rug experts to get the finest results.
