Silk Rug Restoration Ave Maria
Silk is such a beautiful, glossy fabric that people are inclined to think it’s fragile and not worth it as a rug. What they don’t know is that silk is actually strong. It’s the artificial silk that is weak.
Artificial or Real Silk – We Restore
Some people with little experience are duped into buying what they think is a silk rug. Rugs that have bright highlights are sold as silk, when it fact it is mercerized rayon.
Real silk rugs are expensive. Genuine silk is a very fine fiber, but even so, it it weaved with high knot counts and can hold up to 30% of its weight in water and still feel dry.
Rayon is mistaken for silk, but it becomes weak when wet. Silk rugs also have a very intricate design pattern with real silk fringes.
Silk fiber can however get damaged when placed in high traffic areas. Maybe it is better to only place your silk rugs in areas that don’t get that much foot traffic. They also need to be handled gently when cleaned or repaired.
Insects Attracted to Silk’s Protein Fiber
Unfortunately,beautiful silk is a protein fiber, which means moths, silverfish and beetles are attracted to it. Also, the reason silk rugs aren’t as popular as wool rugs for instance , is that they are subject to wear by abrasion. It’s this that makes them not a good choice as a floor rug.
There are clients of ours however, who are irresistibly drawn to these silk rugs and with good reason – they’re just so beautiful. Of course, there are chemical tests that can be done for you to determine if you have the real deal – a genuine silk rug.
Genuine silk rugs are looked upon as investment pieces – stunning works of art, and we’ve got customers who mount their rugs on the wall. Even these silk rugs will need to be restored, as dust and moths can damage them.
We’re Masters at Silk Rug Restoration
We like to first clean the silk rugs we’re going to restore. We need to see the true original rug colors so that the re-weave is an exact match. Some people are deeply attached to their silk rugs and this means you have to be a master at dye testing. You can’t restore a silk rug without expert knowledge.
It’s just that we need to know if your rug is real silk or artificial silk. Knowing this influences the way we select our cleaning and repair methods to achieve the best results.
Contact us at Oriental Rug Cleaners on our phone number (239)963-1448 or email us. We’re Ave Maria Silk Rug Restoration experts.
