Antique Rug Repair — Conservation-Grade Restoration for Heirloom Pieces
Reversible, documented, archival-material repair for antique and heirloom rugs — by a conservator trained under teams whose work served the Louvre, the State Hermitage, and the British Museum. Every piece begins with a personal consultation in our Skokie atelier.
Text (847) 440-1349 — estimate within 30 minutes during workshop hours.
Repair fixes; conservation protects value
On an everyday rug, a good repair simply makes the damage disappear. On an antique, that is not enough — the work itself has to respect the object’s history and its value. Conservation-grade repair follows three principles a cosmetic shop ignores: reversibility (nothing we add should be impossible to remove later without harm), documentation (a written and photographic record of the rug’s condition and every intervention), and archival materials (hand-spun wool, natural dyes, and cotton that age with the rug rather than against it).
That is the difference between a rug that has been “fixed” and one that has been conserved. The first can quietly erase decades of value; the second protects it.
Trained where the standard is set
Ghorban Ahmadi trained under conservators whose work served the State Hermitage in St. Petersburg, the Louvre, and the British Museum — institutions where the rules of textile conservation are written, not improvised. Three generations of his family have worked with hand-knotted rugs, beginning in the Tehran Grand Bazaar.
For an heirloom or collected piece, that lineage matters. Antique repair is one of the few crafts where the wrong expert does more damage than no repair at all, and where institutional discipline — not just skill with a needle — is what preserves the rug.
What “museum-grade” actually means
Museum-grade is not a marketing word here; it is a sequence. We consolidate and stabilise a fragile rug before we repair it — securing failing foundation and friable wool so the act of repair does not cause new loss. We test every dye for colourfastness, build replacement yarn from multiple samples to match the rug’s aged abrash, and reweave knot by knot in the original structure.
There are no shortcuts in that sequence: no glue, no machine serging, no synthetic patch, no overdyeing to “freshen” faded colour. Each of those is a quick fix that an appraiser can spot instantly and that permanently lowers what the rug is worth.
Insurance and estate documentation
Antique work frequently runs alongside an insurance claim or estate settlement, so we produce the paperwork those processes require: written condition reports, before-and-after photography, and a record of materials and methods used. This documentation is exactly what an adjuster or executor needs to settle a figure.
Where a formal valuation is required, we coordinate with our rug appraisal service so the condition report and the appraisal speak to each other.
See our rug appraisal service for insurance, estate, and pre-sale valuations.
How repair quality changes what a rug is worth
With antiques, the quality of the repair is part of the rug’s value. A correct, reversible, well-documented conservation repair preserves — and in the case of a rug that was deteriorating, can protect — the piece’s worth. An improper repair does the opposite: visible patches, glued ends, machine serging, and overdyeing are read by any knowledgeable buyer or appraiser as damage, and the rug is valued down accordingly.
This is why we begin every antique piece with a personal consultation rather than a quick quote. The goal is not only to repair the rug, but to repair it in a way that defends what it is worth.
Antique repair is the most exacting end of our full rug repair service. When a piece needs comprehensive conservation, see our rug restoration work, and our rug appraisal for documented valuations.
Common questions
Will repair reduce my antique rug’s value?
Done correctly, no — conservation-grade repair preserves value and can protect a deteriorating rug from further loss. What reduces value is improper repair: glue, machine serging, synthetic patches, and overdyeing, all of which a knowledgeable appraiser spots and discounts. Our work is reversible, documented, and made with archival materials for exactly this reason.
Do you provide written condition reports?
Yes. Antique work includes a written condition report with before-and-after photography and a record of the materials and methods used — the documentation insurance adjusters and estate executors require, and that supports a formal appraisal.
What is the difference between repair and restoration?
Repair addresses specific damage — a hole, a worn area, a frayed end. Restoration is comprehensive conservation of a piece whose condition affects its value, often including foundation rebuilding and extensive reweaving. When repair crosses into that scope we say so and discuss full rug restoration.
How do I know if my rug qualifies as antique?
In the trade, “antique” generally means roughly 80 years or older, with “semi-antique” covering pieces 50–80 years old. Age shows in the wool, the natural dyes, the knots, and the back. Bring it in or send photos — Ghorban can usually read approximate age and origin from the weave and dye chemistry.
Serving Chicago and the North Shore
Ahmadi Rug provides antique rug repair for homeowners and interior designers across Chicago and the North Shore. We offer free insured pickup and delivery from Lincoln Park, Gold Coast, Evanston, Wilmette, Winnetka, Glencoe, Lake Forest, Highland Park, Northbrook, Glenview, and Skokie — as well as western suburbs including Hinsdale, Oak Park, and Naperville.
Antique conservation is never rushed — a rug that has lasted a century deserves the weeks it needs. Complex reconstruction can run 3–6 months; every piece is scoped in a personal consultation first.
To schedule a free pickup from anywhere in our service area, call (847) 440-1349 or submit an estimate request online.
Entrust your heirloom to the right hands.
Antique pieces receive a personal consultation, not a quick quote. Send photos and the rug’s history to begin.