Guide · For the trade
Carpet binding and serging: how a broadloom edge becomes a rug
Carpet binding is a 1 1/4 inch strip of polyester or cotton tape sewn around the cut edge of a broadloom carpet, folded so about 3/8 inch shows on the face; serging is yarn wrapped continuously over the edge, about 3/8 to 1/2 inch deep, so the rug looks woven to size. Binding is the faster and the less expensive finish and the right one for sisal, flatweaves and runners; serging is the finish for wool cut pile and anything meant to pass as a finished rug. Either one turns any of our 3,700 broadloom styles into a bound carpet rug in 3 to 5 weeks; a fabric or leather border is the third option.
This guide is for the designer specifying a cut-and-bound rug, a custom-width stair runner or a repair, and for the junior writing the order. It covers the four edge finishes, serging vs binding, borders, which finish goes with which construction, what the finisher needs, and the questions clients ask. The sizing half of the subject is in the custom size rugs guide.
The four edge finishes, and when to use each
| Finish | What it is | Visible width | Use it on | Lead time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Binding (narrow) | Polyester or cotton tape machine-sewn over the edge, matched to the field color | 3/8 to 1/2 in | Sisal, seagrass, flatweaves, loops, runners, repairs; the default finish | 3 to 5 weeks with the rug |
| Wide binding | Cotton, linen or a wool-look tape 1 1/4 to 2 in wide, sewn flat on the face | 1 1/4 to 2 in | Sisal and flatweave rugs, stair runners where the edge is a design line | 3 to 5 weeks |
| Serging | Yarn wrapped over the edge, by machine or by hand, in a color matched to the pile | 3/8 to 1/2 in | Wool cut pile, wool loops, Wiltons, rounds and ovals, any rug meant to read as finished | 3 to 5 weeks, longer for hand serging |
| Fabric or leather border | A linen, cotton, wool or leather band mitered at the corners and sewn to the field, usually over a narrow binding | 2 to 5 in | Sisal with leather, a designed rug with a contrasting frame, dining and living room rugs | 4 to 6 weeks |
Fringe, sewn to a bound edge at each end to mimic a woven rug, is a fifth option we rarely recommend.
Carpet binding vs serging: how to choose
Look at the edge of the carpet first. A cut pile, a Wilton or a dense loop has pile that stands up at the edge, and serging wraps it so the rug looks woven to size; binding tape on a 1/2 inch cut pile sits below the pile as a flat ledge. A flatweave, a sisal or a seagrass has no pile to wrap, so binding, narrow or wide, lies flat and clean. Then the shape: serging follows a curve, so rounds and ovals are serged, while binding tape puckers on any radius under about 3 feet. Then the budget: binding is priced lower per linear foot than serging, and hand serging, the finish on the best wool rugs, is the highest of the three.
The color rule is the same for both: match the finish to the field, a shade darker rather than lighter, unless the edge is meant to be a line, in which case go to a wide binding or a border and make the contrast deliberate. Our finishers keep tape and serging yarn in about 60 colors.
Borders: fabric, leather and the mitered corner
A border is a frame of another material sewn to the field, 2 to 5 inches wide, mitered at the corners. On sisal the classic is a 3 inch leather or a 2 inch cotton; on a wool cut pile a 4 to 5 inch linen reads as a tailored rug. The edge is bound narrow first, then the band is sewn on top, so it holds flat. Specify the width, the material and whether the corners are mitered (the default) or butted, and send a cutting, because the finisher matches thread to it. Leather adds 1 to 2 weeks and should not go in a damp room. Most of these come from the 114 styles in the sisal with leather border collection.
Which finish for which construction
Wool cut pile and plush: serging, hand serging for an heirloom piece. Wool loop and Wilton: serging or narrow binding, serging if the rug is over 8x10 and the edge is in view. Hand-loomed wool: serging, with a latex seal on the cut edge so the weave does not run. Sisal, seagrass, jute and wool-sisal blends: wide cotton binding or a border; narrow binding on seagrass only. Flatweave wool and polypropylene: narrow or wide binding. Nylon and polyester tufted: narrow binding, serging if the budget allows. Indoor-outdoor polypropylene: polyester binding, because cotton and natural yarn rot outdoors. A Wilton with a woven-in border is cut on the pattern line and narrow-bound so the woven border does the work.
What the finisher needs from you
Every line on the order prevents a remake.
- The broadloom style and color, and the finished size, with the roll width in mind: a rug wider than the roll (12 feet, 13 feet 2 inches or 15 feet) has a seam, and the seam goes on the order with its position.
- The finish: narrow binding, wide binding, serging or border, with the width and the material, and the color as a match to the field, a pom or a cutting.
- The shape: rectangle, round, oval, runner, or a drawn template for an L or a curve. Rounds and ovals are serged.
- Pattern direction and where the pattern centers; a stripe runs the length of a runner.
- The ship-to address, the install date, and whether we are installing.
With that, a cut-and-bound rug ships in 3 to 5 weeks and a bordered rug in 4 to 6. Repairs, re-binding a worn edge or a chewed corner, are usually done in a week by the installer in the client's city.
Binding tape, iron-on binding and site repairs
Iron-on binding and adhesive binding tape let an installer finish a small remnant on site, and they are fine for a boat or a garage. They are not a specification: the adhesive lets go in sun and under a vacuum within a couple of years, the tape shows the cut edge through it, and no finisher warranties a taped rug. A rug from a remnant of the bedroom carpet is a good idea; send the remnant to the finisher for a sewn binding or serging.
Questions designers ask
How is the edge of a carpet bound?
The cut edge is sealed, then a 1 1/4 inch tape is sewn over it on a binding machine, folded so 3/8 to 1/2 inch shows on the face, with the corners folded and stitched. Serging wraps yarn over the same sealed edge instead. Both are finisher work, done on a bench.
Can a big-box store or a local carpet shop bind carpet?
Most carpet stores can narrow-bind a rectangle in a matching polyester tape, and for a remnant rug that is enough. Serging, wide binding, borders, rounds and custom colors are finisher work, and the finish on a wool Wilton or a sisal rug should be specified and checked.
What determines the cost of binding or serging a carpet?
It is priced per linear foot of edge, so the perimeter, not the area: a 9x12 has 42 feet of edge. Narrow binding is the lowest rate, serging higher, hand serging and leather borders highest; curves add to any of them. Net pricing is quoted to approved trade accounts with the rug.
Is it cheaper to bind carpet or buy a rug?
For anything over 9x12, a bound or serged wool broadloom is usually less than a comparable finished rug and it comes in exactly the size the room needs. For a hand-knotted look, nothing bound substitutes. Below 6x9, a finished rug from a line is often the better value.
Which is better, serging or binding, for a stair runner?
Narrow binding on most runners cut from broadloom, because it takes the abrasion at the tread edges and is easy to re-sew; serging on a wool Wilton runner where the edge shows beside a wood tread; wide binding on a flatweave stair where the edge is a design line. Woven-to-width runners come with a finished selvedge and need neither.
Can a round or oval rug be bound?
It is serged rather than bound, because tape puckers on a curve. Most wool cut piles and loops make a round up to the roll width; a 12 foot round from a 13 foot 2 inch Wilton is a common order.
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