Best way to block a rug

[Warren Wallace]

I am cleaning a large needle point rug, whats the easiest way to block it?

 

[Giorgio]

Giant sheet of plywood and some tacks.

i'm not sure.

Larry Cobb mentioned something like that to me once.

 

[LisaWagnerCRS]

Make sure they are stainless steel nails. Last thing you need is rust marks and BIG holes in the rug.

Most plant have a tack-out floor to hold the rug down and taut for surface cleaning. We wash ours, send them through the wringer, and then block it out for drying. But our wringer is a rubber roller one, so it presses it out flat - I would not do that if I had a spinning centrifuge wringer. But that's me.

Watch for stenciling and dye migration. And get an EXACT measurement before you clean it so you can point out if one place is 2 inches longer or wider than other places - because these guys are never perfectly symmetrical.

Lisa

 

[The Great Oz]

I posted a detailed tutorial on some bulletin board awhile ago. Search blocking here/Cleanfax/ICS/rughub, or I'll take a look when I have more time.

Make sure you let your customer know that a Chinese needlepoint will not stay blocked. The poly mesh will "remember" being out of shape and will return to that out of shape.

PS: These days I recommend using a staple hammer made for tacking out roofing paper. Small holes, no-rust staples.

 

[XTREME1]

I rung?correct a red rug and I have pink fringe

 

[The Great Oz]

To block a rug to square:

You need a floor that you can put small holes in. building one with plywood is pretty easy.

Start by laying out straight lines with 90 degree corners to make a rectangle the size you want the rug to be. Use pencil, chalk line, string or straightedges to lay out guidelines.

Fasten a corner and then stretch one side to match your outline. Fasten that second corner and that entire side to match your guideline.

From the original corner and stretch the end to your guideline. Fasten that third corner and entire end to your guideline.

Stretch the last corner to the last guideline corner. You will have one side and one end that have a bow that will need to be stretched to the guideline.

Starting in the middle of the unattached end, stretch to the guideline. Pick a point halfway between the corner and the middle and stretch to the guideline. Continue to halve the distance between fasteners until the entire end is straight. Repeat this procedure with the unattached side.

If there are puckers between fasteners, stretch the carpet and put in more fasteners in those spots.

Get the rug warm and wet - just cleaning with a wand works well.

Minor irregularities between fasteners will look OK once the carpet is dry and fasteners removed.

A needlepoint can be blocked face up, thicker carpets need to be blocked face down.

 

[Warren Wallace]

Thanks guy's!

 

[ruff]

To block a rug to square:

You need a floor that you can put small holes in. building one with plywood is pretty easy.

Start by laying out straight lines with 90 degree corners to make a rectangle the size you want the rug to be. Use pencil, chalk line, string or straightedges to lay out guidelines..........

A needlepoint can be blocked face up, thicker carpets need to be blocked face down.

I must be having a senior moment, missing something or maybe both. After all, I am getting up there.
Bryan,
If you are blocking it face down on a plywood, how are you going to clean it?

 

[The Great Oz]

Blocking is an operation meant to get a rug flat, or flat and back to shape. If you're tacking the rug out to keep it in shape while cleaning and drying, that's just tacking it out.

A thick rug blocked face up would have to be soaked through the face to get the backing wet. Might work OK, might introduce other problems. Clean the face, then block the rug. Rugs like a Kashmir or Chinese needlepoint are thin enough that wetting the face will also wet the back and they will still dry quickly.