How to Maintain Antique and Semi-Antique Rugs

In the rug and carpet industry a rug that is over 100 years old is considered an antique. At 50 years a rug is considered semi-antique. It may seem that rugs of that age are not desirable, but in fact they are very much in demand. Whether a hand made Oriental from Iran or a hand hooked piece of Americana, old rugs have a unique appeal. For example Interior Designers use old rugs to create ambiance in a space. Think of “Mediterranean Tuscan” décor with a beautiful Old Persian rug, or a “Shabby Chic” bedroom with a vintage hooked wool floral rug.

You may want to have a look in your attic for hidden treasure of an old rug and consider having it restored. And what about that old heirloom rug your grandmother gave you? You may be surprised at how beautiful it looks after a restoration.

The types of issues usually found in old rugs are stains, holes and missing, damaged or discolored fringes. All of these damages can be restored if the damage is not too far gone. Old fringes can be removed and new fringe added. Discoloration and fading of colors may also be corrected, depending on the extent of the problem. Even dry rot can be stopped and repaired on some rugs if it is done properly and the area is not too large. And of course a good cleaning by a certified professional rug cleaning facility is a good place to start to restore your old rug.

After you have your rug restored you will want to maintain it by doing the following:

-Use a rug pad under your rug. This will help protect the rug from wear.
-Be very careful in vacuuming your rug. It is recommended to avoid vacuums with a beater bar.
-Have your rug cleaned every 3 years or so by a certified professional rug cleaning facility. We recommend visiting the Carpet and Rug Institute website (www.carpet-rug.org) to find a certified professional rug cleaning facility in your area. Dry Cleaning may be necessary.
-You may want to get an appraisal to determine the value of your rug. Once appraised you can check with your insurance carrier as to the level of coverage you may want to carry.

If you are in the Hampton Roads, Virginia area and have an old rug that you want restored, please contact us and we will be happy to advise you about the restoration of your treasured old rug.

Mark Gonsenhauser's Rug and Carpet Superstore
4153 Virginia Beach Blvd.
Virginia Beach, VA 23452
757-486-6600

Website: http://www.igotyourrug.com/

Proudly providing you Antique Rug Restoration for the Hampton Roads cities of Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Portsmouth, Suffolk, Hampton, Newport News. 

The Best Rug Pad for Over Carpet

Just because you are laying a rug over carpeting does not mean you don't need a pad. A quality pad under your rug is very important as it will extend the life of your rug and protect it from wear and slippage as well as make the rug lay smoothly to make vacuuming easier.

The biggest problem with laying a rug over carpet is the rippling and bunching of the rug. This is especially an issue around the legs of your furniture. We have a solution to this problem. We recommend a pad by Teebaud that is very effective for over carpet.

Teebaud is designed for use under rugs of any kind to help prevent slippage and premature wear. The fluffy Teebaud underlay cushions rugs to prevent fiber damage and allows continuous airflow to prevent unwanted moisture and mildew buildup. It is odorless.

The Teebaud pad is a dual purpose pad but we recommend it primarily for over wall to wall carpeting. It features a unique fabric construction that consists of two non-woven polyester fabrics that are permanently needle punched together. The white side is meant to be laid on top of carpet. The gray side is meant to be laid on top of hard floors.

This pad is absolutely skid-proof. Both sides are lightly coated with a scientifically formulated, clean-lift, water-based adhesive. The entire pad actually grips the rug backing and the floor or carpet surface, firmly anchoring the rug in place.

Teebaud clean-lift adhesive is completely harmless to all floor and carpet surfaces. (Read all instructions prior to installation).

Teebaud pads are made in the USA and come in all the sizes you need to fit your rug including runners.

Mark Gonsenhauser's Rug and Carpet Superstore
4153 Virginia Beach Blvd.
Virginia Beach, VA 23452
757-486-6600

Website: http://www.igotyourrug.com/

Proudly providing you Teebaud rug pads for the Hampton Roads cities of Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Portsmouth, Suffolk, Hampton, Newport News. 

Custom Cut Rug Pads

So you just purchased a beautiful new rug and are wondering if you really need a rug pad laid under it. The answer is, yes you do. All rugs should have a pad under them. Especially if you have a fine hand made Oriental rug. If properly cared for, your Oriental rug can last for many generations.

Contrary to popular belief, a rug pad is primarily to protect your rug. Although a good pad does protect your hard wood floors as well.

A premium quality pad under your rug is very important. A quality pad will help preserve your rug from wear and slippage for many years and will extend the life of your rug. Think of the beating a rug takes from foot traffic. A pad will lessen the effects of that by acting as a shock absorber, cushioning the impact of foot traffic.
A good pad also prevents slippage, helps the rug lay flat and makes vacuuming much easier.

There are all sorts of rug pad materials on the market for use over hard floors but we have chosen a material that we think is superior. We recommend a rug underlay called "Cushion Grip". Cushion Grip is a premium quality pad. The material is made of carpet fibers that have been fused together and then needle punched to a waffled rubberized backing material that is non slip. The fused fibers are also coated with a rough surface to help hold the rug to the pad.

Cushion grip is guaranteed to retain its non-slip, non-skid properties for at least 10 years with proper maintenance. The rubberized waffle texture backing holds very firmly. This makes for a slip free transition when walking from your hard surface floor onto the rug and visa versa. This pad also helps prevent ripples around the legs of your furniture.

Cushion Grip padding is about 1/4 inch thick. It is the most effective rug pad to use for hardwood, laminate wood, tile, vinyl and concrete. It will hold well to any hard surface floor.

The other major benefit of this pad is that we custom cut it to fit your rug's actual dimensions. This makes for a perfect fit with no trimming necessary. This is great for Oriental rugs that may be an odd or non generic size. For example if your Persian rug is slightly irregular in shape we cut the pad to its shape. We also cut the pad about two inches smaller overall therefore allowing the rug to completely cover the pad.

Protect your investment, put the proper rug pad under it!

In a future post we will be discussing the proper pad material to use over carpet.

Mark Gonsenhauser's Rug & Carpet Superstore
4153 Virginia Beach Blvd.
Virginia Beach, VA 23452
757-486-6600

Website: http://www.igotyourrug.com/

Proudly Providing Rug pads to the Hampton Roads cities of Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Chesapeake, Suffolk, Hampton, Newport News, and parts of the Eastern Shore and North East North Carolina.

The Best Wall to Wall Carpet Source in Virginia Beach and Norfolk

Buying carpet can be a challenging task if you go shopping with no knowledge. Allow us to help you take some of the guess work out of the process and offer some helpful tips.

When you shop for carpeting you will want to shop first for the fiber type, then the carpet brand. The type of carpet pile fiber you choose will significantly impact the overall performance of your carpet. In buying carpet make sure you understand the various types of carpet fiber and how each one cleans, mats or crushes, resistance to sunlight fading and stains.

Different types of fiber wear in different ways so it is wise to make your choice on the basis of where the carpet will go and how it will be used.

The price of a carpet depends largely on its fiber content, pile weight, and style. Wool can be rather expensive compared with synthetics.

Synthetic fibers make up 99% of the fiber used by the US carpet industry. Nylon, the best-selling carpet fiber, typically costs more than polyester or olefin and branded fibers cost more than unbranded.

There are highly advertised brands of nylon fiber that are not carpet brands and it may be difficult to distinguish between a fiber brand and a carpet brand. Some examples of fiber brands are Stainmaster and Triexta by DuPont and Wear-Dated by Mohawk.

There is no perfect fiber and carpet is a fabric that is subjected to incredible abuse through foot traffic, accidental spills, environmental contaminants, and other abuses.

Below is a chart of carpet fibers and the characteristics you may want to consider when making your carpet choice. Click on the image to enlarge chart.


At Mark Gonsenhauser’s Rug and Carpet Superstore we have wall to wall carpeting available in infinite colors, designs, patterns and solids. Wools, nylons and blends. We have them ALL to help you create the statement you have been dreaming of.


This is a list of carpets that we sell. Please note that we are always adding new brands and styles to our selection. Do come in and we are happy to give you our expert help with your search for the perfect carpet for your home and lifestyle.

Beaulieu
Bliss
Bloomsburg
Blueridge Home
Camelot
Concepts International
Coronet
Design Materials
Fabrica
Fibreworks
Glen Eden
Godfrey / Hirst
Helios
Hollytex
Horizon
Masland
Mohawk
Nourison
Prestige
Radici
Robertex
Royal Dutch
Shaw Industries
Silver Creek
Sphinx Oriental Weavers
Southwind Carpet Mills
Stanton
Weave-Tuft
Woolshire
Wundaweve

Mark Gonsenhauser's Rug and Carpet Superstore
4153 Virginia Beach Blvd.
Virginia Beach, VA 23452
757-486-6600

Website: http://www.igotyourrug.com/


Proudly Providing your Carpet needs to the Hampton Roads cities of Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Chesapeake, Suffolk, Hampton, Newport News, and parts of the Eastern Shore and North East North Carolina.

Design Your Own Custom Made Rug

Mark Gonsenhauser's Custom Rug Department

On a previous post we documented the making of a very large oversized custom rug for one of our customers. In this post we want to show you some of the advantages of having a custom rug made and illustrate how easy the process is from a design point of view. Of course, the primary advantage of having a custom rug made is that you can choose and design exactly what you want in the colors and size you want. 

Below we highlighted two different companies that make custom rugs. The first company makes hand made rugs and the second produces machine made rugs. 

#1- Tamarian hand made Tibetan wool rugs from Nepal.

Tamarian rugs are made in Nepal of Tibetan wool. Also known as Nepalese rugs, they are beautiful wool and silk creations. The Tibetan wool is known for its durability, rich texture and subtle color variation. 

Creating your own design using as inspiration, fabrics, wallpaper, artwork or pictures is a fantastic way to bring your décor some originality and put your own unique style into a room.

Tamarian also offers a vast array of their patterns and designs to choose from.

Tamarian has over 2500 colors you can choose from or they do custom color matching. In addition the options for knot count and wool to silk content ratio give you even more choices.

Below is a Tamarian rug that was just completed.


This is a Tamarian design using the clients own custom color palette.


The finished product looks exactly like the sketch! The turn around time is about 3-6 months, depending on the size. As you can see the final product is worth the wait to get exactly what you want!

# 2- Dalyn Rug Company

Dalyn manufactures over 150 designs in 450 colors. Machine Made rugs are a less costly alternative to hand made rugs. Dalyn’s designs offer a sophisticated selection of patterns, textures, colors and shapes. They come in a pre-set variety of sizes in wool, nylon and polyester. The price points differ depending on the material and size. The turn around time is about 2 weeks.

Some of our other rug vendors are also capable of customizing their existing products. Momeni will take existing patterns and re-color them to your color palette. Nourison will take existing patterns and make them into sizes up to 16' x 40'.

We also have lots of other rug manufacturers that customize their products for you. For example, Capel, Design Materials and Fabrica. Come by our showroom and let us show you how we can provide you with the perfect rug in the perfect color!

Mark Gonsenhauser's Rug & Carpet Superstore
4153 Virginia Beach Blvd.
Virginia Beach, VA 23452
757-486-6600

Website: http://www.igotyourrug.com/



Proudly providing your Custom rug needs for the Hampton Roads cities of Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Portsmouth, Suffolk, Hampton, Newport News. 

Rug Repair in Virginia Beach

Our trained rug repair artisans will make your rug look like new!

Mark Gonsenhauser's rug repair department handles all kinds of damaged rugs. Believe me when I say, we have seen it all. Chew holes from teething puppies, loose and worn binding, rips and tears and of course our favorite, the disappearing fringe syndrome thanks to a ravenous vacuum cleaner!

When your fine Oriental rug is in need of some TLC, be sure to bring it in to Mark Gonsenhauser's  where we professionally repair all types of rugs. Orientals, Persians, Machine made rugs, Antique rugs, Wool rugs, Hand Tufted rugs, Silk rugs and much more.

We offer a full range of rug repair and restoration services and our trained rug repair artisans are gifted and adept at performing all types of complex repairs. We do modifications such as adding false fringes or removing fringes. We re-bind by hand and machine the worn edges of your rug. We have a vast collection of wool in order to be able to match your rug's color!

Some of our rug repair wool.

The following types of repairs and modifications are available: 

Fringes:
Re-Fringing
Fringe removal by two methods:
Permanently removed and over sewn so that the rug does not fray
OR
Folded under and secured which can eventually be restored to the original state at any time
Addition of false fringe of various types and colors

Sides and Ends:
Rebind sides by hand and carefully match colors
Repair, straighten, and over sew worn edges
Reweaving
Patching
Re-latex tufted backing
Specialty Repairs such rug painting.


Here are some examples of rug repair projects we have just completed for our customers.


The rug below had the fringe completely removed and has been hand serged.
(Also known as rebinding of the sides and/or ends.)








This rug is being hand bound. The next picture is the completed look.
We matched the original binding colors.







The rug below had damaged ends. The end was transformed to
have a nice neat hand bound finished look. 




The rug below had loose, uneven and frayed fringes. We hand over-sewed the fringes and trimmed where they were uneven. It now looks like new!







Watch our Rug Repair Video below for more examples of the types of restoration techniques our rug repair experts can do to rejuvenate your rug!




Mark Gonsenhauser's Rug and Carpet Superstore
4153 Virginia Beach Blvd.
Virginia Beach, VA 23452
757-486-6600


Website: http://www.igotyourrug.com/




Proudly providing you Expert Rug Repair and Restoration for the Hampton Roads cities of Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Portsmouth, Suffolk, Hampton, Newport News, Williamsburg, Northeastern North Carolina and the Eastern shore.

Rug Cleaning Virginia Beach, Virginia

Professional Rug Cleaners at Mark Gonsenhauser's Rug and Carpet Superstore

Our short video below shows you what we believe is the proper method for cleaning an area rug. We have developed and perfected our rug cleaning process over many years and you can have confidence that our rug cleaning expertise ensures the best result possible.

As you will see in the video our hand washing and cleaning process is designed to remove dirt and stains thoroughly from your area rugs. We professionally clean all types of area rugs, including; Hand made rugs, Oriental rugs, Decorative rugs, Machine Made rugs, Antique rugs, Silk rugs, Wool rugs, Cotton rugs, Flat weave rugs, Flokati and Shag rugs and more.

We are the only Professional Rug Cleaner in the Virginia Beach area that has our own cleaning plant right here in our store. Our Virginia Beach Rug Cleaning facility is conveniently located one mile east of Town Center. 

We offer pick up and delivery service for all of the cities in the Hampton Roads area; Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Portsmouth, Suffolk, Hampton, Newport News, Williamsburg, North East North Carolina and the Eastern Shore.

In addition, if your rug is in need of repairs, our Expert Rug Repair and Restoration Department repairs and restores all types of rugs.

For a personalized assessment and estimate to clean, repair and restore your rug please contact our Cleaning Department at 757-333-1010. 


Click here to Print Your Coupon for 25% OFF Rug Cleaning!

Our Other Services Include:
Pet urine extraction
Moth Proofing
Stain protectant
Rug re-fringing
Re-weaving... and much more.


Please contact us for a price quote:

Mark Gonsenhauser's Rug and Carpet Superstore
4153 Virginia Beach Blvd.
Virginia Beach, VA 23452
Cleaning Dept: 757-333-1010
Store: 757-486-6600

Our Rug Cleaning Website:  http://www.virginiabeachrugcleaning.com/

Our Retail Store Website: http://www.IGotYourRug.com/


Proudly providing you a full range of Professional Rug Cleaning services for the Hampton Roads cities of Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Portsmouth, Suffolk, Hampton, Newport News, Williamsburg, Northeast North Carolina and the Eastern Shore of Virginia.. 

Hand Made vs Machine Made Rugs

Hand knotted Rug in Ikat style design

How to tell the difference between a hand made and a machine made rug

To an untrained eye it may be difficult to tell the difference between hand knotted, hand made and machine made rugs. This guide will help you understand the differences.



Hand Knotted Rugs

Parts of a hand knotted rug

Hand knotted rugs are made on a specially designed loom and are knotted by hand. The rug weaver inserts the "knots" into the foundation of the rug and they are tied by hand, this makes up the "pile" of the rug. (Click here to read our post about the knot count of hand knotted rugs.) 

Hand knotted rugs can be made of wool, cotton, silk, jute and other natural materials. Silk is sometimes used in wool rugs for the outlines or highlights of the pattern to enhance the design. Hand knotted and hand woven rugs can last many generations if they are of good quality and properly maintained.


Flat Weave or Hand Woven Rugs

Flat Weave Rugs have no pile

There is also a category of hand made rugs called "flat weave." These rugs are hand woven in a flat weave pattern and there is no pile.

A typical small rug loom for hand knotted or flat woven rugs

Machine Made Rugs

Machine made rugs are made by large machines called power looms. A power loom is electrically automated and controlled by computers. Machine made rugs can be made quickly and are manufactured with materials including wool and synthetic fibers such as polypropylene, nylon, acrylic and art silk. Machine made rugs can offer a lower price alternative to hand knotted rugs. Machine made rugs usually have a life span of about 20 years. There are exceptions if the rug is high quality and well maintained, it can hold up for much longer. Machine made rugs are generally not of any value to a collector.

Back of a machine made rug. Note the uniformity of the stitching which is done by a machine

Hand Crafted Rugs or Hand Tufted Rugs

Hand tufted rugs are another type of rug that is considered hand made or hand-crafted. This particular type of rug is made using a modified hand held drill gun that inserts the pile into a cloth foundation which creates a loop pile. If the loop pile is sheared, it then becomes a cut pile. The loop pile rug, if not sheared, is called a "Hand-Hooked" rug. Some designs have both loop and cut pile combined to create a dimensional effect to the pattern. A latex coating is then applied to the back of the rug to hold the "tufts" in place. A canvas type fabric is then applied over the latex coating to finish the back of the rug. 

These rugs have a hand made look but they cost much less because using the gun speeds up the process dramatically. For example a good quality 8' x 10' hand knotted rug might take about 10 to 14 months, while the same size rug made in a hand-tufted method might take one day. 

Although Hand Tufted rugs can be just as beautiful as hand knotted rugs, they typically are not of value to a rug collector or someone who is looking to buy an Oriental rug as an investment. 

Back of a Hand Tufted Rug

Look at the Back of the Rug 

One of the best ways to tell the difference between hand knotted and machine made rugs is to look at the back of the rug. In hand knotted rugs the weaving and the knots will be slightly uneven and not perfectly uniform. On the other hand, a machine made rug will look very uniform and perfectly even. The more detail in the design when looking from the back, the better the quality of the rug. 

Back of a Hand Knotted Rug. Note the fringe is part of the rug.

Back of a Machine Made Rug. Note that the fringe is sewn on.

Look at the Fringes of the rug 

Another way to determine if a rug is hand knotted or machine made is to look at the fringes. As you can see from the picture above, the fringe of a Machine made rug is sewn on and is attached as a finishing touch. 

The fringe of a hand knotted rug is an extension of the rug foundation, as in the picture below.

The foundation of a Hand Knotted rug becomes the fringes.

We hope this has been helpful! Come by our showroom and we will be happy to help you find the perfect rug for your home or office!



Mark Gonsenhauser's Rug and Carpet Superstore
4153 Virginia Beach Blvd.
Virginia Beach, VA 23452
Cleaning Dept: 757-333-1010
Store: 757-486-6600


Website: http://www.igotyourrug.com/



Proudly providing you with Hand knotted, Hand crafted and Machine made rugs for the Hampton Roads cities of Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Portsmouth, Suffolk, Hampton, Newport News. 

Amy Butler Design Handcrafted Rugs

Lacework rug by Amy Butler Design

We are happy to announce the addition of Amy Butler Designer rugs to our product lines.

In fact we are the only rug retailer in Hampton Roads that carries Amy Butler handcrafted rugs.

Here is some information to get you acquainted with Amy Butler Design and why we are excited to offer her designer rugs.


Amy Butler is definitely on to something. As a former contributing editor for Country Living Magazine and now at the helm of her own multi-product design business, she is someone to follow.


Her style is a mix of modest contemporary and updated country and is a look that has been coined "Midwest Modern". With exuberant patterns and lovely colors her style gets your attention and pulls you in.

Georgia Rug- Amy Butler Design 

"I started making small passport sized bags while living in Kansas City in the late 80's. There was a great energy about it.....I started thinking about those little bags that I had made less than 10 years ago. I wanted to create that feeling again so I started my sewing pattern business. My company, my brand, is really just a great vehicle to share my work. I love meeting other artists and trading notes. I love the process. Everybody has a personal story, and a personal creative voice. I just want to help my "friends" realize it." (From Amy Butler website).

Acanthus rug from Amy Butler Design

Amy Butler Design includes the following product lines; sewing patterns, fabrics, fashion and travel bags, books and kits, organic bedding, towels, wall art, desk top collection, paper craft, stationary, gift wrap and table ware, soft wares, and of course hand crafted area rugs.

Caracus Rug by Amy Butler Design

Be sure to come into our store to see these beautiful rugs in person. We carry the full line of styles and colors for your shopping pleasure!


Mark Gonsenhauser's Rug and Carpet Superstore
4153 Virginia Beach Blvd.
Virginia Beach, VA 23452
757-486-6600

Links:

http://www.igotyourrug.com/


Proudly providing you Amy Butler rugs in the Hampton Roads cities of Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Portsmouth, Suffolk, Hampton, Newport News. 

The Making of a Custom Rug

The Making of a Custom Rug

Sometimes a client wants a special rug made specifically to their criteria. We proudly offer this service to our customers.



These pictures walk you through the process of making a custom rug in India for one of our clients.

This particular rug was quite a grand project. Although your custom rug may not require such a large undertaking, this demonstrates that there is nothing too big for us!

This client wanted a rug that could cover a basketball court measuring 20’ x 40’. They chose the colors and style they wanted. They also requested to have their family crest woven into the design.

Here are the steps to making a rug!

Design the Pattern.








Draw the family crest onto the pattern.




This is what the crest looks like woven into the rug pattern.






Choose the wool. This is premium lambs wool from New Zealand.







Dye the wool to the match the chosen colors.





Set up the loom to begin the weaving process.








Weaving of the rug. Notice the pattern is the weavers guide.










Finishing process.





Washing process.









The Final Product !







Inspection Process.









Packing for Shipment to the USA.










Delivery of the rug to our warehouse.










Delivery of the rug to our very happy client!










Mark Gonsenhauser's Rug and Carpet Superstore
4153 Virginia Beach Blvd.
Virginia Beach, VA 23452
757-486-6600



Website: http://www.IGotYourRug.com/




Proudly providing you Custom Rug making for the Hampton Roads cities of Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Portsmouth, Suffolk, Hampton, Newport News ans Williamsburg.