Rugs are both functional and aesthetic. They are also old in design. Rugs have been used to decorate homes and soften steps for thousands of years. Better-quality rugs wear very well and can outlive their original owners. Of course, they need periodic cleaning and fixing. Here's how it's done.

How Does It Work?

A rug is a piece of thick heavy fabric, usually with a nap or pile, that is used as floor covering. Purists say that anything over 6 feet by 9 feet is a carpet (see the Carpet Repair Fix-It Guide) . However, most decorators say that the primary difference between a rug and a carpet is that carpet is attached to the subfloor while a rug typically is not. Rugs vary from spot or area rugs to room-size rugs. They include rag rugs, braided rugs, woven rugs, jute rugs, oriental rugs, and others.

What Can Go Wrong?

The edges of rugs fray. Braided rugs come unbraided. Some rugs need binding. Rugs get spilled on and burned. You can do minor repairs to a rug, but if the rug is valuable or the repair is major, look into professional help available through better rug dealers.

Fix-It Tip

An oriental rug is hand-made in Islamic countries (Turkey, Iran, Egypt) or in the Far East (India, China). If it looks like an oriental rug design but is machine-made or made elsewhere, it's an oriental-design rug.