How to Hang an Oriental Carpet

Weigh the carpet, examine the health or fragility of the fibers and track the daily patterns of sunlight where you intend to hang it. If everything checks out, you can hang the carpet directly on the wall. Measure the rug and determine the center line -- the mid-point that looks visually "good" for wall-hung art. This is typically around 60 inches from the floor and is measured to the center of the item to be hung. The exact center of the rug should align with your center line when the rug is hung.

Put a piece of blue painter's tape on the wall to mark the top and bottom edges of where the carpet will hang. Mark the precise spot on the painter's tape, not the wall. Painter's tape peels off the wall later without damaging it. Use a stud finder to check that any wall mounting for a heavy rug can be attached to studs in the wall for maximum support.

Cut a 2- to 3-inch-wide length of muslin or light cotton canvas that runs almost the width of the carpet. If the carpet is larger than about 2 by 3 feet, cut several fabric lengths to use at regular intervals on the back of the rug for extra support. Hem the fabric and hand-stitch it to the back of the carpet securely. Use a thread that blends with the colors of the carpet and stitch along the top and bottom of the fabric length to create a shallow sleeve. Insert a dowel or curtain rod into each sleeve on the back of the carpet. A single sleeve will go at the top on the back of a small rug. For more than one sleeve, start at the top and space the sleeves evenly to the bottom.

Mount a wooden batten or board to the wall where the inserted rod for the carpet will be suspended. Do this for each support rod you have attached to the carpet. Measure and mark the wall with tape and pencil as before. Screw two hooks into the board to hold the dowel or rod. The hooks will catch the rod at either end where it emerges from the sleeve or you may slit the sleeve carefully where the hooks connect to the rod. If the rug needs more than one support rod, it is easier to mount the top batten, hang the rug from it and then mark the positions for the remaining rows of hooks.

Hang the rug and adjust the sleeve, or sleeves, so the carpet lies as flat and straight as possible. Alternatively, Velcro strips can be stitched to the muslin lengths and stapled to the wall-mounted battens. The rug is then pressed against the Velcro to suspend it on the wall. This method works best for lighter, smaller rugs.

Rotate carpets or art so the rugs don't stay permanently on the wall. The weight of the textiles will cause the rug to sag over time and could weaken the weave or the fibers. A wall-mounted carpet is vulnerable to fading even in a light-controlled space, and some dust is inevitable.