Custom Size Oriental Rugs – What’s Possible (And What’s Not)
Your rug is gorgeous. But your space? It changed.
Now it’s too big. Or the shape feels off. Or you need to make it fit a hallway or new layout.
Can you resize a handmade Oriental rug?
Yes — in many cases. But there are limits.
At Ahmadi Rug, we specialize in precision rug resizing for Persian, Oriental, and hand-knotted rugs — helping Chicago homeowners and designers rework treasured rugs without destroying them.
📐 Why People Resize Oriental Rugs
We’ve helped clients who:
- Downsized from a house to a condo
- Renovated a room with new layout or built-ins
- Needed to split one large rug into two runners
- Wanted to remove damaged sections without discarding the entire piece
- Were staging a home and needed better visual proportions
Modern living doesn’t always match traditional rug sizing. Resizing solves that.
🧵 What Types of Oriental Rugs Can Be Resized?
✅ Can Be Resized:
- Hand-knotted Persian, Turkish, or Afghan rugs
- Wool rugs with good edge strength
- Silk rugs (with extra care)
- Machine-made rugs
- Tufted and flatweave rugs
🚫 Risky or Not Resizable:
- Fragile antiques with dry rot or fiber breakage
- Tribal rugs with highly irregular wefts
- Rugs with symmetrical medallion patterns centered near edges
- Historical or museum-grade pieces (unless restoration is the goal)
🧠 We inspect each rug’s construction before cutting. The warp and weft structure must be secure.
⚠️ What’s Possible — and What’s Not
| Action | Is It Possible? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Trim length or width | ✅ Yes | Most common request |
| Convert rectangle to runner | ✅ Yes | Often done from one side |
| Cut into two rugs | ✅ Yes | Requires edge binding on both |
| Add a new border | ⚠️ Limited | Custom work; best for modern rugs |
| Remove fringe | ✅ Yes | Easily done during rebinding |
| Convert to circle or octagon | ⚠️ Sometimes | Depends on knot structure |
| Resize antique silk rug | ⚠️ High risk | Only by hand, under approval |
| Use rug in staircase | ⚠️ Rare | We can shape steps, but rug must be cut into riser pieces |
❌ Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Steam-cutting or machine-shearing edges (causes unraveling)
- Gluing edges (damages knots and traps odor)
- DIY trimming without securing weft/warp
- Cutting near borders without understanding tension
These lead to permanent distortion or unraveling — often requiring expensive reconstruction.
🔧 Our Precision Resizing Process
- Assessment & Measurement
We evaluate the pattern, knot density, and tension areas - Pre-Cleaning (Required)
Dirty rugs cannot be resized properly — we deep clean first - Strategic Cut Mapping
Cut line is chosen to preserve symmetry, design, and integrity - Surgical Cutting
Using hand tools, the rug is carefully cut - Edge Finishing
New edge is rewrapped, surged, or rebound using matched wool or silk - Final Grooming
Rug is brushed, softened, and laid flat for quality control
Every rug is different. Every cut is calculated.
🖼️ Real Example: Resizing a Persian Tabriz
Original Rug: 11×14 handmade wool
Issue: Too large for renovated living room
Client Goal: Keep rug, match width of new furniture layout
Solution:
- Reduced to 10×12
- Border preserved on 3 sides
- Rebound edge finished in hand-dyed wool
🎯 Visual match remained perfect. Client saved $6,500 on new rug.
📍 Serving Homeowners & Designers Across Chicago
We offer:
- Free pickup and delivery
- Trade pricing for design professionals
- In-home measurements available on request
- Honest assessments — we’ll tell you when resizing is not recommended
📩 Request Your Custom Rug Sizing Consultation
🔗 Internal Links
❓ FAQ
Can I resize a handmade rug without losing the border?
Sometimes. It depends on how far the pattern is from the edge. We’ll recommend the best option.
Will it look “cut”?
No — our edge binding matches the rug material and color, blending the change.
How much does custom sizing cost?
Starts at $6–$14 per linear foot depending on fiber, size, and edge finish.
