TOUCH UP
TOUCH UP
Touching up is the worst and the cheapest way of restoring an antique carpet.Many old carpets are touched up and this contingency is an impeachable offense.However,dealers generally don’t buy painted rugs,and prestigious auction houses normally won’t accept them.One of the complaint that carpet owners has their carpets change after washing and cleaning,therefore it is not the same piece as it was before.One may rub a small spot on the worn surface with a damp white handkerchief to see if color is removed.If the dye appears on the cloth,the rug was probably painted.As I have explained before carpets has artistic value and they are somehow also investments.You must know what you are buying.
Most peple prefer their rugs serviced and hopefully the vendor has good restorers.Touch up must use if the rug does not worth to restore and clients should know about it.The touch up artist should use a special pen with organic dyes and match the ink color to the wool exactly.He must touch up only those spots where the nap is missing.These specks or white caps are points where the wool is worn down or where no pile remains.He should follow the abrash or subtle changes in the original wool color as closely as possible.A good painter will not paint more than absolutely necessary,and if he does a good job,following the design exactly with precisely matched colors,the piece may be a fine purchase even if some of it is touched up.Worn rugs with wool warps and wefts such as certain Bidjars,Afghans and Shirazs can not be tinted because the dyes will not adhere to wool.
If one purchases a painted carpet,one should arrange for the vendor to clean and service it in the future,if possible.
The surface and back of many rust-colored carpets,such as Sarouks,imported to the United States about seventy years ago,were completely painted to attain the fashionable red hue.Painted Sarouks were especially popular in America for many years.Today these rugs often have blotchy colors because some of the paint has been lost after successive washings.Dealers usually have the red color stripped and the original rust color reduced to a beautiful pale salmon shade.Stripping is normally but not always successful and there are always risks involved in the removal of colors.Although the foundation may be slightly weakened by the chemicals used in the process,the carpet will be far more salable.Stripping is a very important part of the antique Sarouk trade.These lightened carpets are generally sold to Italy,if worn,or Germany,if in excellent condition.If one wishes to have a touched up Sarouk stripped,you should contact with us because we are with the facilities to handle the task.
