What restoration means for a Persian rug
Restoration is not making an old rug look new. That approach produces something neither here nor there — not a faithfully preserved antique, not a convincing reproduction, but a rug whose history has been cosmetically erased. Proper conservation restoration respects the age of the piece. The patina, the softened edges, the slightly faded reds in the field are what make the rug what it is. We preserve those. We stabilise the structural problems that threaten the rug’s continued existence. We correct the damage that compromises either appearance or integrity. And we stop there.
The intake assessment
Every restoration starts with a full condition assessment. Foundation check first — warps and wefts must be structurally sound to support any pile repair. Dye stability mapping across every distinct colour field. Pile density survey to identify areas of loss and match the original density when we rebuild. Documentation photography from every angle before any work begins. The assessment determines what is possible before we quote a price or start treatment.
What restoration typically includes
- Conservation cleaning as the foundation for everything else. A restoration that skips cleaning builds repairs into embedded soil and will not hold.
- Structural repair to failing selvedge, fringe, or foundation — whatever is necessary to return the rug to load-bearing condition before pile work begins.
- Hand-reweaving of pile-loss areas, knot by knot, matching the original density, wool quality, and dye colour.
- Colour correction where dye has degraded to bare wool or where earlier repairs have aged to a different tone than the surrounding field.
- Blocking if the rug has developed dimensional distortion — ripples, curled corners, bowed edges — to restore the original geometry.
The pile reweaving process on Persian rugs
Reweaving pile on a Persian rug means matching four things: knot type (asymmetrical Senneh on most Persian pieces), pile height, wool quality, and dye colour. On fine pieces — 400+ knots per square inch — the work is done under magnification to match the original density. Ghorban’s museum work involved exactly this level of precision, and the same standard applies to every restoration piece that enters our workshop.
Wool sourcing matters as much as technique. The difference between a repair that disappears into the surrounding pile and one that reads as a patch is the wool. We source hand-spun wool from traditional dye houses whenever the rug calls for it. For the broader framework on how repair and restoration differ in cost and scope, see our repair versus restoration guide.
What cannot be restored
Foundation rot from prolonged moisture is the clearest limit. Once cotton or silk warps have dissolved under sustained wet conditions, structural replacement is the only path forward — and on large areas, sometimes not viable at all. Dye that has fully degraded to bare, undyed wool can be improved but not matched perfectly; the original chemistry is gone. Pile that has been sheared or chemically damaged such that the remaining fibre is shorter than the original cannot be extended upward. We tell clients the limits before starting treatment — not after spending their money on work that will not produce the outcome they want.
After restoration: appraisal
A Persian rug that has been significantly restored often has materially different insurance value than before treatment. A piece near structural failure is worth a fraction of the same piece conserved to sound condition. A post-restoration RICA-certified appraisal documents the current condition and value, which matters for insurance coverage, estate planning, and eventual resale. The full workflow of what conservation restoration involves is described on our rug restoration service page, and our rug cleaning process is the first stage of every restoration project.