Job completed for Stillwater Persian Kerman Rug Cleaning and Restoration

Completion date: September 1, 2025

Customer type: Commercial

Location: Stillwater, NY

About this project:

This is an example of a Lavar Kerman timeless masterpiece rug made in Iran. This rug is no longer able to be produced on the loom. It is over a century old. A rug of this quality comes from the finest weavers of Iran from the town of Lavar but the rug had enormous wear and was destroyed in numerous areas. This type of work can only be performed by hand and Jafri Rug's weavers are skilled artisans who understand the curvilinear characteristics of the rug and can reweave into the wool without making the rug look new. The time to restore this rug took approx 6 months.

Picture 1 shows the pre-restoration work where the rug was showing as worn and the fringe and binding was unraveling and the color was faded.

Picture 2 shows the post-restoration work where the rug was completely rewoven and color restoration was treated on the rug.

Jafri Rug restoration repaired this rug by doing the following:

Pre-Repair Cleaning

• A deep
  cleaning is performed before repairs to remove dirt, oils, and debris
  that interfere with repair work.


• Includes:




• Dusting
  (front and back)


• Gentle
  hand washing with pH-neutral detergents


• Rinsing
  and drying in a temperature-controlled environment

Structural Repairs

These are the most critical to maintain rug integrity:

a. Edge Repair (Overcasting or Binding)

• Rewrap
  or rebind fraying edges to prevent unraveling.


• Uses
  matching wool or cotton thread.


• Restores
  tension and keeps the weft and warp from separating.

b. Fringe Repair or Replacement

• Stabilizes
  or reconstructs the fringe (often the warp threads).


• May
  involve:




• Tying
  off loose fringe


• Sewing
  in new fringe sections


• Weaving
  new fringes into the foundation

c. Hole or Tear Repair

• Small
  holes: patched and reinforced from the back.


• Larger
  holes or tears: require reweaving the foundation (warp and weft), then
  tying new knots to match the original pattern.

4. Pile Reweaving / Pattern Reconstruction

• Rebuilds
  worn or missing areas by hand-knotting new wool or silk into the
  structure.


• Requires:




• Color-matching
  wool (often hand-dyed)


• Matching
  the knot density, knot type (Turkish or Persian), and pattern




• Done
  by experienced weavers to ensure seamless blending with the original
  design.

5. Color Restoration

• In
  areas where colors have faded or bled, restorers may:




• Touch
  up color with textile-safe dyes where there is already wool shown in the
  pile but requires blending of color for consistency in the rug’s colors


• Avoid
  painting, which can damage fibers over time

 6. Shearing &
Grooming

• After
  repairs, the pile is carefully sheared to match surrounding areas.


• Helps
  ensure a consistent pile height and finish.


• Brushing
  aligns the nap and improves visual consistency.

 7. Blocking &
Reshaping

• If the
  rug is warped or misshapen:




• It’s
  dampened and laid flat under weight or pinned.


• Dried
  under tension to restore its original shape and prevent buckling.

8. Final Cleaning & Inspection

• A
  final surface clean removes any dust or fibers from the repair.


• Inspection
  ensures:




• Seamless
  repairs


• Color
  and texture matches


• Edges
  are secure and the rug lies flat

Before Photos:

Before repair work

After Photos:

Post repair work