Rug Repairer

Rugs are subject to an amazing amount of abuse. People walk on them, dogs pee on them, the sun fades them, and small children cut them with scissors. While this list may make most people cringe, it will make Rug Repairers smile. After all, this sort of abuse provides them with a paycheck.

As a Rug Repairer, you may work in your own shop or for a large Carpet Dealer. When a damaged rug comes to your shop, you tack it onto a wooden frame so you can look it over properly. A Rug Repairer will search for tears, matted fibers, stains, missing threads, and stretching.

Then you, the Rug Repairer will determine how long it will take to repair the rug, and what materials you need to make those repairs. You come up with an estimate for the entire project, and show it to your client.

If the estimate is approved, you begin making repairs. You use matching fibers to replace missing ones, a needle and thread to fix tears, solvents to remove stains, and dyes to recolor fibers that have been bleached by the sun. Then you stretch the rug on rollers to the proper size.

If damage is extensive, you may work on one rug for weeks, and you must be careful to make your technique blend with the workmanship of the original Carpet Weaver. While you may be tempted to express your own creativity, your clients will appreciate your work the most when they cannot see it.