Oriental Rug Pads

When purchasing an oriental rug, it is also important to consider purchasing a rug pad to go along with it.  At Main Street Oriental Rugs, we offer two types of rug pads.  The first type of pad is a thinner pad used for runners.  The second pad is thicker and is used for larger rugs.  Both are a petroleum byproduct.  Rug pads are useful because they stop the rugs from sliding, and helps to increase the durability of the rug.  When Main Street Oriental Rugs installs your new rug, we customize the cut of your rug pad by making sure it is cut with a 2-inch clearance on all sides of your rug.

Thin Pad for Runners

Thick Pad for Larger Rugs

Natural vs Synthetic Dyes

When making Oriental rugs, there are two categories of dyes that can be used: natural and synthetic.  At Main Street Oriental Rugs, most of our rugs use a synthetic dye known as Chrome.  This type of dye is known to last much longer than natural dyes.  These dyes are fixed, so they won't run when they are washed.  Chrome dyes are also found in clothing.  

Natural dyes can come from tree roots, insects, and other natural sources, which makes them more expensive because they take longer to obtain and prepare for use.  Some natural dyes that are found at Main Street Oriental Rugs are henna, indigo, sumac, walnut, and alkanet.  

Vegetable Dye (Chibi)

Chrome Dye used for the Red Field

Antique Rugs For Sale

Main Street Oriental Rugs just received several antique oriental rugs that are in need of repair.  We are looking to sell them in their current condition, and to sell them all together.  All of these rugs are over 80 years-old.  If you are interested in buying, please contact Mojan Bagha either via email or phone.  410-313-9090.  mainstreetrugs@gmail.com

Persian Kerman 8ft 5in x 11ft 9in

Persian Mashad 8ft 6in x 11ft 6in

Persian Khorajan 11ft x 13ft

Russian Kazak 3ft 6in x 5ft 6in

Russian Kazak 3ft 6in x 5ft 6 in

Stair Runner Installation

Main Street Oriental Rugs just completed a stair runner installation in a historic home in Washington D.C.  The home was built in 1908, and the work took two days to complete.

More Types of Oriental Rugs

When shopping for a new oriental rug, first time buyers must be aware that there is a large variety of oriental rugs.  To make it easier when entering a store to look at oriental rugs, do a little research on the different types of rugs.  Many different countries have perfected their own way of weaving rugs.


Persian rugs are generally made from either wool or silk.  They have an elegant design, usually featuring petals, buds, and flowers.  Often times there is a pattern made from vines.  Indian rugs were heavily influenced by the Persian rugs, however, Indian rugs tend to be more simplistic than Persian rugs.  Indian rugs have close attention to detail and may be asymmetric.  Rugs from Afghanistan usually feature an octagonal design that usually resembles a rose.  Sometimes they may have small medallions.


At Main Street Oriental Rugs, we carry many different types of rugs from several different countries in order to offer our customers a wide variety.  

Pakistani Rugs

Indian Rugs

Afghani Rug

Cleaning Your Oriental Rug

Most oriental rugs spend their lives on the floor.  This means that they are susceptible to all kinds of dirt and stains.  Therefore, it is imperative that they are professionally cleaned.  At Main Street Oriental Rugs in Old Ellicott City, we have specially designed several different types of washes to ensure that your rug gets the cleaning it needs.  Our cleaners use carpet shampoo to brush against the nap of the rug then with the nap to remove the most amount of dirt.  They then use an industrial rug cleaner to remove the soap and dirt.  Depending on how old the rug is, and the length of time since its last wash, will depend on the number of times we will wash your rug.

With tufted rugs, the backing can sometimes come loose.  If this happens, we will fix the backing, and it will already be covered in the price.

It is also not uncommon for a rug to have a pet stain.  If this is the case, Main Street Oriental Rugs' cleaners will fully immerse your rug in a tub of water to remove the stain.  However, this can sometimes cause colors to run, so we will then fully restore those colors before returning your rug to you.  All of these steps are fully covered in the price when you pay us to remove a pet stain.

Color Run Before:

Color Run After:

Stair Runners

A great way to add color and life to your home is by adding a stair runner.  They are great for contributing beauty for your home, but also to protect your stairs and add a little soft padding when walking up the stairs.  The rug will feel nice under your feet, and noise made by children or pets running up and down the stairs will be muffled.

At Main Street Oriental Rugs we have a wide service area and will install stair runners anywhere in Maryland, Washington D.C. or Northern Virginia.  We can customize your type of stair runner, and we are capable of installing stair runners for circular staircases, angled landings and much more.