Kian Rug Company — Denver, Colorado
Rug Repair & Restoration in Denver
A hole doesn’t mean the end. Expert reweaving, fringe restoration, moth damage repair, and structural work for Persian, oriental, tribal, and antique rugs — across Colorado.
A fringe that’s half-gone, a section eaten by moth larvae, a foundation that’s warping at the edges — these are problems with solutions. The question isn’t whether a handmade rug can be repaired. It’s whether the repair is worth doing, and whether the person doing it actually understands what they’re working with.
At Kian Rug Company, rug repair is part of the same practice as buying, selling, cleaning, and appraising rugs. We work with Persian, oriental, tribal, and antique pieces daily — which means we know how they’re constructed, how they fail, and what a proper repair looks like.
This page covers every type of damage we address, how the repair process works, and what to expect in terms of timeline and cost. For a broader view of what we offer, all rug services in Colorado are described on our main services page.
What Kind of Rug Damage Can Be Repaired?
Most damage that looks severe from across the room is treatable when examined closely. Here’s a breakdown of the damage types we address and what each repair involves.
Fringe Damage & Fringe Loss
Fringe is not decorative trim — it’s the actual warp threads of the rug. When it unravels or disappears, the structural integrity of the rug’s end is at risk. Repair ranges from re-twisting loose ends to full re-fringing, with foundation stabilization first where knots have begun to unravel. Material is matched to the original: cotton for cotton-foundation rugs, wool for tribal pieces.
Side Cord & Selvage Damage
The selvage is the overcast edge that prevents weft threads from unraveling laterally. A damaged selvage is a low-cost repair that, if ignored, becomes an expensive structural problem. Repair involves re-wrapping the edge cords with matching wool or cotton thread. On antique rugs, original side cord material is preserved where possible to maintain authenticity.
Holes, Tears & Pile Loss
Holes and tears require reweaving — inserting new warp threads, re-tying individual knots in the correct pattern, and matching pile height to the surrounding area. Performed correctly, the repair is effectively invisible. Complexity depends on the damaged area’s size, the rug’s knot density (KPSI), and pattern intricacy in the damaged zone.
Moth Damage & Larvae Destruction
The larvae of Tineola bisselliella feed on keratin — the structural protein in wool. By the time bare patches and fine webbing appear, an infestation has often been active for months. Reweaving follows the same process as hole repair, though the scale can be significantly larger. We also check the foundation carefully, since visible surface damage often understates the underlying extent. See our guide on signs of moth damage in rugs for early indicators.
Pet Damage
Clawing, chewing, and urine saturation each require different approaches. Urine is a separate category: the protein compounds interact chemically with wool, weakening fibers over time. Repair in these cases must be paired with professional cleaning before repair to address the chemical damage before structural work begins. We coordinate both as a combined service.
Color Fading & Dye Restoration
Common in rugs exposed to direct sunlight or washed with alkaline agents. Dye touching is done in stages — applied, dried, assessed under natural light, then adjusted. We approach it conservatively: overcorrection is harder to fix than undercorrection. Results depend on the original dye type and degree of fading.
Foundation Warping
When a rug ripples or no longer lies flat, it’s typically a weft tension problem caused by incorrect washing or storage. In moderate cases, blocking during drying after professional cleaning resolves the issue without structural repair. In more severe cases, portions of the weft need to be replaced. Unaddressed warping accelerates uneven pile wear and — in antique pieces — can cause crack-through damage along fold lines.
Our Rug Repair Process — From Assessment to Completion
Assessment — In-Person or Photo Review
Every repair begins with an honest assessment. For Denver-area pieces, we examine the rug at your home during pickup before transport. For clients further afield, detailed photographs — back of rug, close-ups of each damage area, and a full-length shot — give us enough information for a preliminary quote. We don’t quote without seeing the full picture: fringe that appears to need simple re-twisting sometimes reveals, on the back, that the first centimeters of foundation are actively unraveling.
Cleaning Before Repair
In most cases, rugs are cleaned before repair rather than after. A clean rug reveals the true extent of surface damage — soil masks pile loss, obscures the edges of holes, and makes color assessment impossible. Repair also involves inserting new fiber into an existing structure; heavily soiled surrounding pile makes new material appear visibly different from the moment it’s placed. The exception is structural emergencies, where damage needs immediate stabilization before a safe wash.
Reweaving and Structural Work
For reweaving repairs, technicians work on a frame that holds the rug under even tension, matching the original knotting method — Persian/Senneh knot or Turkish/Ghiordes knot, depending on the rug’s origin — and tying knots at the original pile height. Row by row, the damaged section is rebuilt from the warp up. Fringe and selvage work is done on a flat surface, working from the edge inward with attention to maintaining even tension along the repaired border.
Color Matching and Finishing
After structural repairs, pile height in the rewoven section is leveled to match the surrounding field, and color is assessed under natural light. Where dye touching is required, it’s done in stages — applied, allowed to dry, and assessed before the next application. Color matching in a repair context is never perfect to a colorimetric standard, but in a well-executed repair, the damage area is not apparent under normal viewing conditions.
Final Inspection and Client Communication
Before the rug is returned, we conduct a final inspection: structural integrity of the repaired area, pile height consistency, color uniformity, and fringe condition. If anything isn’t at the standard committed to at intake, it stays until it is. We photograph the repair area before and after and share those with the client — useful for insurance documentation and any future appraisal that references the rug’s restoration history.
Is It Worth Repairing an Antique or High-Value Rug?
This is the most important question in rug repair, and it deserves a direct answer: sometimes yes, sometimes no — and the determining factors are the rug’s market value, the cost of the repair, and what you intend to do with the piece afterward.
A genuine antique hand-knotted rug with established provenance — a late 19th-century Heriz, a finely knotted Kashan, a Qashqai tribal piece in good structural condition — can be worth many times the cost of even an extensive repair. In these cases, repair isn’t just justified; it’s the economically rational choice.
A machine-made area rug with a retail value below the cost of the repair is a different calculation entirely. We’ll tell you this honestly at assessment if it applies to your piece.
For inherited rugs or pieces of uncertain origin and value, we recommend a rug appraisal before deciding on repair. An appraisal gives you a concrete market or insurance value to weigh against the repair quote — and it removes the guesswork from what is often a significant financial decision.
For a detailed walkthrough of the repair-vs-replace calculation, our guide on whether to repair or replace your rug covers the decision across several common scenarios, including antique pieces, inherited rugs, and high-end contemporary pieces. Understanding how rug value is determined — by origin, age, knot density, dye type, and structural condition — is also useful context before committing to a repair investment.
How Long Does Rug Repair Take?
Repair timelines vary more than cleaning timelines, because the scope of structural work isn’t fully known until the assessment is complete and the rug is on the frame.
| Repair Type | Estimated Turnaround |
|---|---|
| Fringe repair (standard) | 3–5 business days |
| Selvage / side cord repair | 3–7 business days |
| Small hole or tear (under 4 sq in) | 5–10 business days |
| Moth damage (limited area) | 7–14 business days |
| Large reweaving project | 3–6 weeks |
| Full restoration (antique / multi-area) | 6–12 weeks or more |
Reweaving is hand work, tied knot by knot. A skilled technician on a fine Persian rug with 200 KPSI can tie approximately 100–150 knots per hour. A four-square-inch repair involves roughly 1,200 individual knots — a minimum of eight to twelve hours of labor, not including preparation, framing, and finishing. Timelines for rewoven repairs reflect this reality.
We provide estimated timelines at the assessment stage and update clients if the scope changes once work begins — which occasionally happens when cleaning reveals additional damage not visible at pickup.
Pricing: What Affects the Cost of Rug Repair?
Rug repair is priced on a case-by-case basis following the assessment. There is no meaningful standard rate for reweaving, because knot density, pattern complexity, and damage extent make every project materially different.
Damage type and scope is the primary cost driver. Fringe and selvage repairs are straightforward and priced accordingly. Reweaving is priced by the area being rebuilt, with a multiplier for knot density and pattern intricacy.
Knot density (KPSI) significantly affects reweaving cost. Reconstructing one square inch of a tribal rug at 40 KPSI is a fraction of the work required for the same area in a fine Persian at 200 KPSI.
Pattern complexity in the damaged zone matters as much as knot count. A geometric border repeat is faster to reconstruct than a curvilinear floral field with irregular color gradations.
Whether cleaning is included affects total project cost. Rugs that arrive dirty and require cleaning before or after repair are quoted as a combined service.
We provide written quotes before any work begins. Nothing is added to the scope without your approval.
Frequently Asked Questions
In most cases, yes — the question is whether the repair is structurally feasible and economically justified. Rugs with extensive foundation damage require full reweaving section by section, which is time-intensive but achievable for pieces with significant value. Rugs where the foundation has completely deteriorated across most of the piece may not be candidates for full structural restoration, though stabilization and partial repair are often still possible. We assess each piece individually — there’s no damage type we rule out without examining the rug.
Fringe and selvage repairs start at relatively modest rates — these are labor-efficient repairs that don’t involve reweaving. Reweaving begins at a per-square-inch rate that varies with knot density, and can range from straightforward for tribal pieces to significantly higher for fine Persian or silk rugs. We provide a written quote after assessment, before any work begins.
For a genuine antique — a piece with documented age, established provenance, and intact structural value — repair almost always makes financial and cultural sense. The cost of expert restoration is typically a fraction of the rug’s replacement or market value, and a well-executed repair adds to rather than detracts from the piece’s documentation history. For rugs of uncertain value, we recommend a rug appraisal before deciding, so the decision is based on an actual number rather than a guess.
Fringe and selvage repairs typically take 3–7 business days. Small reweaving repairs run 5–14 business days. Large or complex reweaving projects — extensive moth damage, multiple damage areas, high knot-density Persian pieces — can take 3–12 weeks depending on scope. We provide a timeline estimate at assessment and update you if anything changes.
Yes, to a high degree of accuracy. Color matching is done by eye under natural light, using hand-dyed wool selected from our dye library. For rugs with natural vegetable dyes, the match accounts for the natural aging of the surrounding pile. For synthetic-dye pieces, matching is often more precise. Under normal viewing conditions in a room, a well-executed repair is not visible. For complex field patterns, our technicians work from the rug’s own repeat structure — mapping the surrounding design before beginning reconstruction so the new work continues the pattern correctly.
The full list: fringe loss and damage, selvage and side cord damage, holes and tears in the pile, pile loss and worn areas, moth damage (pile and foundation), pet damage (chewing, clawing, urine saturation), color fading and dye restoration, burn damage (if the foundation is intact), and foundation warping. Structural stabilization for fragile antique pieces is also available as a standalone service for pieces not requiring full reweaving.
Our focus is hand-knotted rugs — Persian, oriental, tribal, and antique pieces — because the repair methods we use (reweaving, re-knotting, hand-dye matching) are specific to hand-knotted construction. Machine-made rugs with tufted or woven pile don’t lend themselves to the same techniques, and the economics are usually unfavorable: repair cost exceeds replacement cost for most machine-made pieces. If you’re uncertain whether your rug is hand-knotted, check the back — hand-knotted rugs show the knot pattern clearly on the reverse — or send us photographs.
Why Choose Kian Rug Company for Rug Repair?
Rug Experts First
When a rug comes in for repair, it’s assessed by the same people who buy, appraise, and sell handmade rugs — not a technician who learned rug repair as an add-on to carpet stretching.
Knot-Level Knowledge
The difference between a Persian knot and a Turkish knot changes how a rewoven section is structured. The dye type determines the color-matching approach. These aren’t details a generalist carpet service tracks.
Transparent About Scope
If a repair exceeds what the rug’s value justifies, we say so directly. If the damage is beyond full restoration but the piece can be stabilized, we present that option clearly — before any work begins.
Documented Work
Before-and-after photography, written quotes, and a repair record — useful for insurance documentation, future appraisals, and estate transfers.
Once restored, protect the work with professional rug storage in Colorado between seasons — particularly for repaired antique pieces that won’t be in daily use. And if the piece is headed to resale or estate transfer, a post-repair rug appraisal documents the restoration and establishes current value with the repair factored in.