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Best Ways to Hang your rug

Do you have that favourite rug you want continuously on display, but without the wear and tear of being on the floor? Maybe it’s a rug from your travels or a family heirloom? Whatever the reason for wanting it mounted on the wall, the real question is how do you accomplish this desired look?

There are numerous ways to hang rugs of all shapes and sizes to the walls of our homes. It all depends on the size and weight of the rug you intend to hang, what its location will be and of course your personal preference. In this article, we’ll reveal all you need to know.

Why hang a rug in the first place?

Firstly, why even hang a rug on a wall when clearly rugs should be positioned on the floor. You may think that as it’s ordinary and common, however, that’s just one way of looking at it. Hanging your rug on the wall can actually be brilliant for your home décor. And here’s why.

Having a thick rug hung across a large wall will actually help muffle the sound from the neighbouring room. The kid’s playroom will no longer be a distraction from your quiet movie night and vice versa when you’re hosting a dinner party.

From a decorating point of view, it’s a furnishing that can replace art or interesting colour combinations on walls. Your geometric or cubed rug you’ve had on the floor could be the answer to balance the colours and tones of your living room.

And of course, by having your favourite rug on the wall, it’s away from all the foot-traffic wear and tear, and it has no problem with all those accidental food and drink spillages. This is even more the case if your rug is a subtle or neutral colour prone to marks and stains.

Take Caution

So, we’ve spoken about the why, but before we get onto the how, we need to understand the risk of hanging and mounting to a rug’s health. The process of mounting and hanging rugs should always be reversible at any stage without damaging the rug in any way.

If your preferred method includes metal rods, be sure to paint these or varnish to prevent rusting as this could pass onto the rug itself. Similarly, be sure to paint any wood in contact with the rug to prevent acid deterioration over time – really, all materials used should be acid-free.

Location of rugs is also key never hang a rug above or near a heat source – especially above a fireplace or vent. Equally do not choose a wall that is directly facing the sun, as the exposure can still affect your rug and cause fading.

Never hang your rugs by nailing or pinning them to the walls. The weight of the rug will pull against the nail causing stress on the rug fibres and will potentially irreparably damage your rug. Make sure to stay well away from sticky adhesives as well.

Just as if your rug was on the floor it can still gather dust and dirt, so we advise to still clean it, of course, there is no need to be vacuuming your rug every week, but every few months is acceptable. An easy way to do this is to use a hand-held vacuum or vacuum connection.

So, you’ve found a reason to hang it up, but how do you attach it to the wall? Below are three of the most common methods of hanging them.

Casings

What is a casing? It’s the long-banded piece of fabric connecting the rod to the rug. It’s such a competent method of hanging your rug as it evenly distributes it weight while providing one of the most safe and secure fittings to the wall. In general, it’s best for the larger, heavier types of rugs.

The method of attaching it to the wall is as follows:

While doing this, you need to ensure the best support, and you are catching at least two warp threads in each stitch. Insert into the casing a metal rod that is slightly shorter than the width of the rug.

The rod should then be supported on two slightly angled nails or two screws in the wall; however, the rod can also be suspended from above with monofilaments. When done properly, none of the used apparatus should be visible from the front of the rug.

To make sure the rug hangs straight and flat the casing must bulge on the back. It is fundamental that the casing is perfectly straight, even though the top of the rug may be uneven. If the casing follows the uneven edge of the rug the whole rug will hang unevenly.

Velcro

We all know about Velcro as an alternative to tying your shoe laces, or used to fasten garments together, but used for rug hanging? It’s actually a very widely used method and favoured by museums. It’s a very clean method, with little potential for damage and easier to attach and take off.

To start off the process, at the top of a rug, a Velcro strip is hand sewn. The furry side is attached to the rug, while the stiffer other side of the Velcro is connected to a wooden board via glue or staples.

This wooden board can then be connected to the wall, and the rug can then simply be pressed into place. If the rug you have chosen to hang is soft and flexible, this method can stiffen and support it.

Just like casings, it is important to attach the Velcro in a completely straight line and not follow the edging of the rug as once again this will lead to an uneven finish. With heavier rugs, it is highly advised to use two strips of Velcro.

A huge amount of the time people are worried that using this method will in some way, ruin or damage the rug with the stitching. To clarify it will not damage the rug as the weight of the rug is evenly distributed across the width of the casing and rod or Velcro method.

It is one of the gentlest ways to hang a rug.  Even both wool rugs and silk rugs require no special stitches. In most cases, a simple overcasting using heavy cotton buttonhole is easily enough to do the job, that or carpet thread.

Carpet clamps

Carpet clamps are often used in a lot of carpet and rug shops and occasionally in museums when hanging rugs on a mass scale. This is generally because the attachment process is one of the simplest around.

Carpet clamps are, however, used less in museums, as the casing method is favoured more due to the fact that with rug clamps the weight of rug can become unevenly distributed, which can lead to the rug becoming warped over time and highly distorted.

Nonetheless, the use of clamps is still a very classic method. Using this approach gives a very professional look, and many people who use these will match the clamps and poles to their décor. Not only does it look professional it is one of the easiest ways to hang a rug, and most time efficient.

The method is very simple. You simply need to purchase a set of rug clamps, fasten a rod to the wall then proceed to space the clamps out in an even distribution across the rug, and finally, you can hang your beautiful rug up. Simple as that.