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.

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.  Just "narrowing" down to Persian or Indian or Chinese rugs will still reveal many different types from each area of the world.  With each different type of rug comes its own unique style and pattern.  Some of the many different types of rugs that Main Street Oriental Rugs carries include Bakhtiari, Bokhara, Gabbeh, Kashan, Rajasthan, and Tibetan.

One type of rug that is carried by Main Street Oriental Rugs is Kashan.  Kashan rugs are Persian rugs originating in Kashan in Northern Iran.  Their rugs normally feature traditional designs including flower and leaf patterns.

Another rug type that Main Street Oriental Rugs carries is Rajasthan.  Rajasthan is a city located in Northern India.  Rajasthan rugs are generally made out of silk or cotton, and feature traditional patterns such as flowers, buds, and fruit.

Before going out to purchase an Oriental Rug, be sure to research the many different types of rugs so you can learn which types are your favorites and would like to have in your household.

Handmade or Machine-Made?

For a person who has never had any experience with oriental rugs, one of the biggest questions asked is "Is this rug handmade or machine-made?".  One of the quickest and easiest ways to tell the difference is to look at the back of the rug.  Look at the fringe; if the fringe looks like it was added on at the end, then you can be sure that the rug is machine-made.  Also, if the rug has no fringe, it means the rug was made by machine.  Fringe is a part of the composition of a handmade rug.  Therefore, if the fringe looks like a natural extension of the rug, this is a good indicator that it was made by hand.

Machine-Made:

Handmade:

Also, the stitches on the back of the rug make it easy to tell if the rug was made by a person or a machine.  If a person made the rug, the stitching will be slightly uneven; a machine, however, can make the stitching perfectly even.

Machine-Made:

Handmade:

Another way to tell the difference between machine-made and handmade rugs is the material used to weave the rug.  Natural fibers can indicate that the rug was either made by hand or by machine, but if the material is not natural, it was made by a machine.

What Should You Do with an Old Rug?

If you are moving and no longer have the space for your oriental rug, or if you have decided you just don't want your rug anymore, do not just leave it on the street for the next garbage pick-up.  Oriental rugs are a work of art, bring your rug to be appraised.  At Main Street Oriental Rugs, we are more than happy to look at your rug and appraise it for you.

If your rug is really dirty, don't get an appraisal until after it has been cleaned.  A dirty, old rug is just a dirty, old rug.  A common belief about rugs is the older the rug, the more valuable it will be.  This is not necessarily true.  If your rug is post WWII, it really just depends on the rug.  Either way, it is a good idea to get your rug professionally cleaned before getting it appraised.

Main Street Oriental Rugs

Since opening our doors in Ellicott City over a decade ago, Main Street Oriental Rugs has earned a reputation for offering excellent value on quality oriental rugs in the Baltimore, Annapolis, and Washington areas. We are committed to providing courteous and knowledgeable service to our customers.

As a direct-importer we are able to offer customers a fine selection of authentic oriental rugs at an excellent value. As we scour the world to bring you the best value in oriental rugs. Our unique collection rugs directly imported from Persia, Turkey, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and China is constantly evolving. We regularly find creative new designs, fresh color palettes, and exciting new styles, as well as heirloom antiques and one of a kind collectables.

We also do rug cleaning and rug repairs.  Visit our website for more details.  http://www.mainstreetorientalrugs.com/

Samples of our Collections:

Our products range from 2x3 4x6 6x9 8x10 and many other sizes.

We also sell Stair Runners: