At the carpet store, you may find rugs hung up with hangers or heavy duty clips.... There are techniques to hanging rugs which are more elegant than the commonly seen "arm racks" at your local Oriental Rug store.
There are three common ways to display a carpet depending on the application. Carefully assess what characteristics your rug has: flimsy, heavy, stiff, or floppy and light.
If after reading this you have any questions as to what is your best mounting method, be sure to check with our Oriental Rug Forum for suggestions from Experts!
In General
Be aware, that displaying your rug could lead to curling corners on edges or ends. The carpet may be more susceptible to sun fade. Decide what will be the top or bottom of the rug prior to mounting. This should be determined if the design is uni-directional, or decide if you would like to have the rug appear lighter or darker. For lighter, hang the carpet pile pointing towards the floor, darker toward the ceiling.
For Heavier, Thicker, Fragile and/or Floppy Rugs
Sew several long cloth sleeves onto the reverse side of the rug to evenly distribute weight across a wider area. These sleeves may measure as short as two feet in length or even run the entire width of the rug. It is sometimes quite tedious to mount these longer sleeves as well as remove them, however is one of the best and safest ways to both protect and display your investment. When mounting, create your own straight line with a yard stick; don't run the sleeves depending on the rug being straight. More often than not it won't be!
For Moderate Gauge, Light Weight and/or Rigid Rugs
Sew "tabs" onto the reverse of the rug. These are easier to both apply and remove (because they tend to be less invasive.) Again, always work from the outside to the inside, determining opposite mounting points first, then filling in the gaps between. Using short tabs as shown below is probably the most common way to mount a rug for wall display.
For Light-Weight Rigid Rugs and or Tapestries
Stitch small gauge key rings to the back of the rug. These are the least invasive way to display your rug, however can also cause the most damage to the rug if not properly done! Do bear in mind, that if your rug is particularly floppy, these rings may show through on the front of the rug as small dimples, as the weight of the rug over time may fall forward of the mounting points.
This particular 4'x6' (High quality triple ply wool Indian allover Kashan design) had been hanging width wise for three years with only eight rings. As seen in the photograph below, this rug was probably too heavy to be displayed in this manner, as the weight can really put a lot of stress on the small mounting points of the rug!
General Mounting Assistance
Remember, a hand knotted rug or tapestry is not always even on the top. Use a yard stick to note either end first, and then work inwards to determine correct mounting points and eliminate uneven weight distribution. For smaller rugs to be mounted behind glass, be sure to specify with your frame specialist to not use any form of adhesive when fixing the rug to it's frame. A rug should always be carefully mounted using calculated points in the least invasive and most reversible method possible.
Other more uncommon methods of hanging your rug include framing, or use of velcro for very lightweight tapestries and smaller rugs. Never allow your rug to be fastened in an irreversible manner. This would include gluing to a board or any other permanent fashion.
Take a look here on additional information for hanging your Oriental Rug.