4 Minor DIY At-Home Rug Repairs

When you really, really, really love something, you don’t want it to leave you. Sometimes, like in interpersonal relationships, you have no choice but to let go. There are tons of quotes, poems, essays, and books written on that very topic. Other times, however, like when the thing you really, really, really love is a rug… there are other options. 

First things first: your rug won’t leave you unless you’re the one throwing it away. Rugs are loyal and non-sentient like that. Second: there are many rug repairs you can do from home relatively easily, keeping your beloved rugs looking and feeling their best for as long as you want them to. 

We’ve listed five of the most commonly faced rug issues that can be addressed by DIY repair in today’s post. Each problem will be accompanied by what items you need to fix it as well as a simple process walkthrough.

The edges are in need of repair.

What you’ll need: A needle, strong embroidery thread that is color matched to your rug, scissors to snip long threads

What you should do: This is a common problem faced with wool rugs. Over time, the fringed edges start to loosen, leading to potential unravelings. Give yourself at least a third of an inch of padding outside the edge of the frayed edge. Start your stitch there. You're going to want to use a cross stitch. Cover the frayed area with this new stitch, wrapping around and redoing the process two to three times to secure the area. Knot your thread once you're done and you'll be good to go.

There are small punctures or holes on my rug's underside.

What you’ll need: Duct tape

What you should do: This isn't an ideal long term solution, but because this is a DIY solution to fix a hole on the underside of a rug, it works. If you have any small holes or breaches on the bottom of your rug, you can keep them from expanding by pressing the separated portions together and placing a piece of duct tape over the hole. Press it down to secure it and flip your rug back over. The duct tape should keep anything from getting in and making the hole larger or problematic and won't be an eyesore as it's hidden underneath the rug.

My braided rug has started to unravel.

What you’ll need: A measuring tape, a curved needle, clear heavy duty thread, sewing scissors 

What you should do: If a rug is braided, over time and with use, there's a chance that those braids can loosen and start to unravel. Jute rugs are the most commonly found natural rug fiber that's used for braided rugs. Here's how you fix one if it's beginning to unravel:

1. First, measure the length of the separated portion between braids. Then measure a piece of your thread that is at least three times its length. 
2. Thread your needle so that the thread is doubled, making a nice knot at the end to hold the strands together. 
3. Flip over your rug and pull your threaded needle through one side of the disconnected braids and then insert it into the other braid, pulling them tightly together. Remember not to pull your thread all the way through to the top of your rug, or it might leave an unsightly mark. 
4. Repeat this process until the braids have been stitched together all the way along the separation. 
5. Knot your thread at the end, flip your rug over, and admire how the unraveled portions are back in place.

The backing on my rug has come loose.

What you’ll need: hot glue and a hot glue gun

What you should do: This is one of the easiest fixes in this post, but we want to cover it here anyways so you know that this process will turn out okay. If any portion of backing on your rug is pulling away, becoming separated… just hot glue it back in place! It should hold just fine and if things start to separate again, you can repeat the process. Work carefully so you don’t get any glue attached to your hands or the top of the rug and you’ll be just fine.

When you really love a rug, you want to keep it for as long as possible. These minor repairs that are simple enough to DIY at home will help you increase the longevity of your favorite rugs for years to come. If you ever want to add to your collection of favorite rugs, however, you can always look through the wide variety of rugs available from Sisal Rugs Direct.