How do I change the colors in my new Persian rug to look antique?

If it isn't an expensive rug, maybe you could put it out in the sun?

These links are informative:

http://www.internetrugs.com/blog/new-oriental-rugs-that-look-old/

http://tea-and-carpets.blogspot.ca/2008/03/antique-wash-great-game-of-making-new.html

When I lived in Iran, the locals would put the carpets in the street for cars to run over...made them look older and less vibrant..real fast. The sun does work to bleach out the colors a bit.

There are rug cleaning companies that do over dying and bleaching. Call around. Laying it out in the sun with a spray of diluted lemon juice will definitely help lighten it.

Tea. Make some strong tea (measure the water and amount of tea bags used to make sure all batches are the same color intensity) and soak it up good into the rug, Or, you could just do one area at a time and dab it on. The tea will tea stain the rug yellow/brown and that will take away the new look. You can do this with white cotton to give it that antique look too. It's like a dye.

Could you just flip it over and used the reverse?

Sun,sun ,sun...let it sit on the deck,terrasse or the drive way for months,let it soaked,rain.dust ,etc....If you use tea,be careful to repartir it evenly; I personally would not use tea but abuse the elements,like the weather.

good luck !

Please consider what your rug is made of (fibers and backing) before you attempt weathering it or staining it with acidic liquids. Good luck!

Thank you for your response...great help!

it is wool.

Since it's wool, I would just enjoy the vibrant colors while they last. Just think, most of those antique rugs were probably as vivid or more so back when they were new, so you're just having the full authentic experience!

I'd spray coffee on it with a small hand sprayer. We did that to gloves for a wedding when we were desperate for a light beige. You're wise to do some investigating. Some fabrics don't soak up and others are like sponges.

Heidi (above) is correct. When I lived in Iran the rugs were often put outside so cars could run over them or put somewhere so that they were walked on constantly. If I may add a word of caution.......do not spray the rug with anything or have a carpet cleaning company do some treatment to try and fade it. If this is an authentic Persian rug you will damage it doing any of that and also devalue it. If it should ever need cleaned there are specialists who can do it.

I would use a tea stain.

You don't mention your furniture. Upholstered and wood pieces plus window treatments will draw the eye away from the carpet and it may not seem so bright.

Please, I hope you haven't "done" anything to it. in doing so, you WILL only have severely damaged its value. Driving cars over rugs is done, in Iran and elsewhere to give the appearance of "age". Experts are not fooled. I purchased a rug when I was in Iran 14 years ago, and one in China 19 years ago. A true "antique" rug has wear on the fiber ends, but what can't be replicated are the dyes. The dye colors mellow over time with exposure to the air; you can't reproduce time. (With a little water, any expert will know if you have used tea or coffee, just sayin') Enjoy it and its brilliant colors, keep copies of its provenance. Know that you have a treasure, even if it was created in the present. Respect it. Vacuum regularly, and if you can, take it outdoors, hang it up and beat it. In the home display it on a rug pad of natural materials, not those compacted plastic sponge thing-ys. A natural fiber pad, albeit thin (good) will do the best job of protecting the knots. The spongey pads encourage the knots to loosen. If you feel the need to have it "cleaned" be sure to find someone who specializes in "oriental rugs"

I have a rug from Iran, a rug from China, a rug from Turkmenistan, generally 8' x 5'.... (I travelled at lot for work; on a shorter work/job, I collected watercolors; much easier to carry, much less weight; but I remain ever enamored of the fiber arts.

i would put it out in the sun and let mother nature bleach it

Have you considered just turning it over

That is a very beautiful rug, if you are smart, leave it as is, or take it to a professional, just remember, there are no experts on this side of your screen. I still say, take it to an expert.

Thank you so much for sharing 😊

Turn it over to the opposite side. The back is usually less vibrant than the top. Hope this helps!

You have a very beautiful new rug with gorgeous and vibrant colors. If you don't like it, you could sell it and pick up several older ones with the money from the sale. Personally, I would keep it and pick out one of the more subdued shades in the rug to decorate your room with. Maybe the french blue around the border.

Time will fade it and the sun. I would go with the suggestion of leaving it out in the sun for a day. I had a beautiful blue silk Persian rug and loved the colors. I used it in my sun room - my mistake. It faded. If you want yours to fade, just leave it outside in the sun.

How did it go? I have the same rug and dream of changing it.

left mine in sunlight..don’t forget to rotate rug

Happy to swap you for a more aged rug

There are Persian rugs that are worth a great deal of money and there are those which aren't - if you have the former you will know it. It's your rug if you want to antique it then do so. The older faded and discolored oriental rugs are far more beautiful and desirable - this why they take pains to "distress" them in the Middle East. I have used a tea stain in the past and it has worked reasonable well.

I'm looking at doing the exact same thing, but this rug is 100% viscose would the sun work?

Hi Manya, did you manage to fade your Persian rug?

I'm planning to do the same and wondering which way did you try and what was the result?

Thanks

You can try sun fading but be aware some colors react differently to the sun then other colors.

For example, Persian rugs will often have reddish “coral-like” colors present along with burgundies, oranges, ambers, etc. While gorgeous in their original states, these colors tend to be very susceptible to severe sun-fading. The reason for this is that the red color molecules are among the smallest size molecules that are present and literally don’t have enough mass to resist the damaging effects of the suns rays. Also, because of their size, they tend to be very compactly pressed together, leaving little or no “breathing room”. This compact mass of molecules tends to absorb the full heat and intensity of the sun’s damaging rays, and the color is literally “baked” out of the molecules. Of further interest is the fact that light, being comprised of various hues and wavelengths, will concentrate their effects on certain colors.

It may take a while, but putting it outside and letting the sun fade it should work.

In the past few decades the process for making rugs look older was to give them either a 'luster wash' to fade the colors, or a 'tea wash' to cover the rug in a dark tone to mute the colors.

It isn't fast but the sun will fade the colors.

Scrub it with tea or coffee and let it dry! The scrubbing might give the look of wear too.

Hi Manya: One thing you can try is to spray it down in several areas with water and lay it in the sun, which should bleach it out a bit. Also, if you can drag it along the sidewalk or pation that may help. :)

Hi Manya, hope this helps you. The process for making rugs look older was to give them either a 'luster wash' to fade the colors, or a 'tea wash' to cover the rug in a dark tone to mute the colors. Those past treatments usually kept the wool pile in place.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yn9dqUOleqU

Sun will bleach out the vivid colors, that would probably be the best route, also time consuming.