Why is There A Powder in My El Dorado Hills Rug?

You have a favorite rug that you have purchased and had it for a while. All the sudden you start noticing there is a powder like substance always coming up when you vacuum it or worse yet, when you walk on it. What is it and why is it happening?

What you are more than likely experiencing is call delamination. It generally happens on tufted rugs with a material or rubber-like backing. A tufted rug is made by punching yarn through a piece of material. Then, to hold it in place, a layer of glue and then a backing is applied to it. When that backing starts to deteriorate, it generally turns into a white powdery substance. This is the basic principle of delamination. It can also be seen when you pick up the rug and there is white powder all over the floor. Sometimes it can appear yellow or grey in color due to age and several other factors as well.

We often see delamination in urine or water damaged rugs. This is due to the face that the urine has sat and caused damage for extended periods of time. It can happen in water damaged rugs that have not been cleaned and dried properly. Once the backing of a tufted rug gets wet it will start the breakdown of the backing. If there is previous damage, it can cause the backing to breakdown or simply peel off.

Delamination in a tufted rug can also appear as the backing has come away from the rug but is still attached on the edges. This can occur from not being dried properly or simply time and use of the rug. The glue simply wears down. See the photo below for and example of this.

The good news, if you are very much in love with your rug, you can get the old backing taken off and a new one put on. The not so good news, it is labor intensive and generally expensive.

From Davis to El Dorado Hills, Folsom, Granite Bay, Lincoln and all points in between. We are here to keep you informed and keep all your Oriental rugs looking their best! Be sure to check out our before and after gallery to see our work.