How to Hang a Rug on the Wall

Sometimes you want to hang a rug on the wall. Maybe it's a beloved family heirloom, maybe it's a beautiful flea market purchase that you don't have floorspace for. Maybe you want to hang a nice natural fiber rug up in order to add organic texture to a space. 

Whatever the reason may be, if you’re going to hang a rug on the wall, you’re going to want to do it right. Doing it right means doing it in a way that won’t harm the rug, your wall, or your person in the process. Let’s get started!

Where can I hang my rug?

Anywhere there’s a tall and wide enough space for it to fit. One thing we do want to point out, however, is that you never want to hang a rug directly above or near any sources of heat like fireplaces, or vents. It's best to avoid potential fire hazards, no matter how small they may be. Additionally, make sure you aren’t hanging your new wall art in any direct sunlight or you could risk fading or other cosmetic damage taking place.

What tools will I need in order to hang a rug on the wall? 

We've tried a number of methods to hang a rug on the wall, but have found that velcro works and stays the best. It has a little bit more effort involved, but having your rug hung without worrying about nails or tacks damaging your rug will end up being worth it. Here's a list of what you'll need in order to hang your rug using velcro:

• Velcro tape like the kind that can be found here, here, or here 
• Muslin fabric or heavy cotton, unbleached 
• Carpet thread and needle
• Fabric scissors 
• A staple gun 
• A drill with screws 
• Two thin, flat pieces of wood that are as wide as your rug

How do you hang a rug on the wall?

The size and weight of your rug doesn't matter for this method of rug hanging. Even heavier rugs, such as large area rugs, can be attached to the wall in this way.

Now that you know how to choose where you’ll be hanging your rug and the tools you’ll use to hang it, it’s time for the next step: actually doing it. Here’s how:

1. Use the scissors to cut the muslin to match the height and width of your rug. Also cut two strips of velcro that match the width. 
2. Take the velcro and use the needle and thread to attach the soft, fuzzy side to the muslin. Once the velcro is attached to the muslin, then use the same sewing supplies to then gently stitch the muslin to the back of the rug, perimeter to perimeter. 
3. Now take the wood. Cut it in two pieces that match the width of the rug.
4. Use the staple gun to staple another length of the velcro to the wood. You want the rough side to be against the wood. Do this twice for each piece.
5. Now you’re going to be hanging these two pieces of wood on the wall using your drill and screws. You’ll have to measure the rug and the space on the wall to make sure that things will line up once the wood has been hung.
6. After the wood is hung, you can match the velcro pieces on the rug to the velcro pieces on the hanging wood and… you’ll have a hanging rug!

Now that you know how to safely hang a rug on the wall without harming the rug or the wall, you might be asking yourself: which rug should I hang? We have an even better question: why not pick a brand new rug to hang on the wall like art instead of using one you already own? If you’re interested, you can start by browsing the wide selection of natural fiber rugs available for sale online from Sisal Rugs Direct.