How To Fix A Worn Rug With A Sharpie

Do you have an old rug that’s seen better days? What about a rug that is worn around the edges but perfectly fine in the middle? Rugs aren’t cheap but you can fix your old worn out rug with a Sharpie and make it like new again.

I recently decided to brighten up my house, room-by-room. My first project was the dining room. We had a tall, square, black table with a bench and chairs. We also had a black display cabinet and a big picture with a thick black frame. Pair all of this black with dark brown woodwork, dark brown wood blinds, and brown concrete floors. Now tie it all together with a black and burgundy rug.

IT WAS DARK!

The Rug

The only thing that stayed in the dining room from that dark decor is the rug. I plan on replacing it some day, but I haven’t found exactly what I want yet.

The problem, other than the color, is that the rug is worn on the edges. I’ll admit it, it’s my fault. I can still hear the salesman telling me NOT to use the beater brush on my vacuum. But I did.

I don’t love the rug and the rug is not going to stay forever, so I don’t want to spend much money to repair it. However, I LOVE my new table, hutch, and coffee bar and I want the dining room to look as good as possible.

If you look closely at the edge of the rug you can see white peeking through.

The Solution

A burgundy Sharpie. For about $15, less than $1 for the actual single marker used, I gave my old rug new life. The greatest part is that I also have a great set of 24 markers to use on other projects!

Find the color that matches your rug the closest and test on the least conspicuous part of the rug. Reach way back into your elementary art days and start to color in the areas that need attention. That’s it. Easy, cheap, and fast.

Sharpie Rug Fix from Acre Life on Vimeo.

If you have an expensive Persian rug or some other high-end family heirloom, this rug revamp is probably not a good idea. However, if you have a rug that is either going in the next garage sale or one that you don’t mind experimenting on, then the Sharpie fix is worth a shot.

You may have an area like mine that has worn down. You might have a stain. You might even have some threads missing in the middle of your rug. If you think that a little color can fix the problem then you should give it a shot.

My Before And After Sharpie Fix

The edges of my rug are the only part that is worn down. The middle actually looks brand new because it has always been under the tall table. So other than the dog laying on it, that part of the rug has barely been touched.