The first thing to do is to not let the rug bunch up as you lace it.
How to get a wool rug to lay flat.
When laying an area rug over a hard surface such as hardwood flooring the biggest concern about the rug s movement is that it will slide around.
Step 1 steam or dampen the edges.
You can put the braids in the dryer for a few minutes before you lace them together.
Set the corners back in their natural position.
When laying the rug over carpet however the concern is more about the rug wrinkling or rippling which presents a big tripping hazard wrinkling will occur because as one area of the rug is stepped on it will shift assuming it is not properly.
If you don t have a large enough patch of sun flip the rug over and use a hair dryer to heat up the creases of the rug and release them.
Allow this to dry this way and see if it helps.
A shady spot outdoors is the easiest since you can use a hose sunshine will fade wet wool.
Then rinse with lots and lots of water.
If you reverse roll your rug listen for cracking that could indicate weakness.
Step 4 use books.
Always hold the hair dryer 6 to 9 inches away from the rug and use a sweeping motion.
Leave the rug lying flat as you lace it together.
Remember we said that we want the laces tight but not too tight.
Saturate the rug completely with water and gently scrub the surface with a sponge or a cloth and a wool safe liquid soap.
How to flatten curled area rugs.
Curling is a common problem for area rugs due to the fact that they have spent most of their life rolled up.
This helps even the braids up a bit.
To flatten your rug use heavy plants books upturned furniture or mattresses to push back on the fibers.
Step 5 try your bed.
Step 2 iron.
Turn the rug over and repeat the process on the other side.
How to flatten a new rug.
Many times this will allow the rug to lay smooth for a while.
Since rug bumps and folds are usually caused by stretching dampening the edges of your rug should flatten it.
Plain brown craft paper over the rug protects it from the iron.
If corners still curl upward flip the rug over and let it sit that way.
If the rug still doesn t want to lie flat after a few days help it out by ironing the curled areas on a low setting.
To avoid damage try another way.
You can try loosely rolling the rug back the opposite direction using carpet tape or laying it upside down.
Take either the steamer or the wet sponge towel and dampen the edges of the unrolled rug.
It s possible to melt rug fibers so use a low or medium heat setting and keep the hair dryer moving back and forth at all times.