Antique Upholstery

2008-02-20T08:57:00.000-08:00

2008-02-20T08:55:00.000-08:00

How to Reupholster a Recliner

2008-02-20T08:53:00.001-08:00

I simply measure the footrest and allow myself enough fabric to go around the corners. In this case I needed a piece of fabric 13 x 37 inches. I lay the fabric face down and lay the footrest upside down on top of the fabric. I bring the fabric around one end and place a couple of staples. Repeat on the other end. Don’t go crazy with the staples at this point because you may have to remove them to make any adjustments. I bring the fabric around the one side and attach here again with just a couple of staples, repeat on the other side. I then start to work the edge to the ends of the footrest. I try to go in as straight of a line as I can. You may want to strike a pencil line to make it easier. You want to have your fabric smooth and taut. Keeping your fabric in a straight line will prevent lumps from pulling the fabric down to far. I work the fabric to the first outside corner. I need to go around the corner with the fabric. In order to do this I will need to fold the fabric in a couple of places. The final fold will be outside corner as I have illustrated. Repeat this on the other corners. I then cover the raw edges and the exposed board with a black dust cover fabric. The child safety bar is a simple operation. Cut a piece of fabric to size and attach to the board folding your corners. Also attach a piece of black dust cover fabric. Set these pieces aside.

How to Reupholster a Recliner

2008-02-20T08:49:00.001-08:00

I started with the footrest and the child safety bar. I use an Osborne staple remover to remove the staples, hence the name staple removerThis particular chair will require 7 yards of fabric. Yours may take more or less. The yardage estimate could be varied because of the width of your fabric, if it has a pattern or not and how that pattern is laid out. If you need help with this send me an email @---------with a picture of your chair and fabric and I can give you a pretty good idea of how much fabric will be required. My customer picked out a solid micro fiber fabric that is a standard 54 inch width. The only thing I have to be aware of when applying this fabric is that it has a nap and I want that nap to go all the same direction. I always run the nap down. Before I start to cut my fabric I square the bottom edge of the fabric. The outside edge is square and by putting my square along the one outside edge and my 72 inch yardstick next to the square I will have a fairly straight edge. I mark it with my chalk and cut on the chalk line with my scissors.

How to Reupholster a Recliner

2008-02-20T08:45:00.001-08:00

I then removed the positioning handle.

I then removed the foot rest and child safety bar.

I then removed the mechanism from the arm component. Put all of the bolts, nuts and screws in a safe place as not to lose them

Once when all of the bolts and screws have been removed I lifted the rocker mechanism out and away from the chair. Be careful with this mechanism and watch where you put your fingers least they get pinched. I speak from experience, it hurts like hell. If there are any repairs that need to be made to the mechanism such as replacing rocker springs now is the time to do that. This particular chair is in great shape and does not any type of attention like that. Now we are ready to start to apply the fabric.

How to Reupholster a Recliner

2008-02-20T08:40:00.001-08:00

This is an illustrated step by step on how to reupholster a recliner. Your recliner may be somewhat different than this one but the basics are the same for most any recliner.

Most all recliners are constructed the same. This is a component type of furniture because of the fact that is a motion piece. The components consist of the back, the seat, the arm and the foot rest section. All of these components are connected to a metal recliner unit. Before you can start to reupholster the components you must remove them from the recliner unit. Your recliner may not be exactly as the one I am using for illustration but you will find yours to be very similar.

I start by removing the backs section. On this recliner I had to remove the staples from the bottom of the frame of the outside back. Open up the back enough for you to gain access to the bolts that attach the back to the mechanism. Usually the outside back is attached with a metal tack strip on each side. Be cautious of these tack strips as you remove the outside back as they are sharp. On this recliner there were two bolts on each side of the inside back. I used a 7/16 inch socket with a long extension. I removed the back and set it aside.

How To Install Platform Rocker Springs

2007-12-19T22:55:00.001-08:00

HOW TO INSTALL PLATFORM ROCKER SPRINGS
Hello. The first step is to remove the old platform rocker springs. Sometimes the old screws are missing, bent, broke or the head is stripped out. Remove the screws the best you can with as minimal damage to the frame as possible. Take your new replacement springs and match the holes in the unit to the chair frame. You will notice that the holes, on the rocker frame, don’t match up. You will need to “spread’ the coils in order to get the holes to match. There is a tool that will do this but unless you are replacing many spring units, you can accomplish the same results using a large flat head screwdriver, Jam the screwdriver between the coils. As the picture shows you only need to go down a couple of coils. Now you can maneuver the screwdriver to get one end to match up with the rocker frame. With this accomplished insert a screw and tighten it down. Now go to the opposite end and repeat the process. You will see that when the two ends are attached the middle hole will be lined up. Now go to the other side and repeat the process. Then you are ready to rock.

2007-12-18T19:43:00.000-08:00

Hello again. I hope that you all are surviving the hectic holiday season. I hope that you notice that there are some changes to this blog. One of which is to direct you to my ebay Store to find all the supplies and tools that I use to do the jobs that I describe here. Keep in mind that this is a building process and trying to learn some of this internet stuff “hurts my head” but all things good come in time, kinda like doing furniture upholstery work. Well to this point I have cleaned up the mess that I showed you last post. There were some structural issues that I had to address before I could start to rebuild the deck. So after gluing and clamping the lose frame pieces together I can proceed now. I like to use “Gorilla Glue” to glue up lose frames. I think it is superior to your regular wood glues. I cleaned up all the old tacks and staples that were left in the frame and stretched new webbing on the bottom of the frame rails. You might refer to previous posts showing how I attach seat webbing to a chair. The “copper” coil springs were in excellent condition so I reused them, I attached the springs to the webbing with my “Clinch-It Tool”. This particular spring system had an “edge wire” that was broke on the one side. I wanted to retain this edge wire so I used an edge wire feral, slipped the two broken pieces inside and crimped it together with my dykes, now it is good as new and ready to attach the perimeter springs to the edge wire. I like to use a 3 prong “Baker” clips to attach the springs to the edge wire. These types of clips keep the spring from overriding onto the edge wire. You don’t want metal to metal contact in your spring unit; it can cause a “clicking” sound when a person sits on the chair. I attach the corner springs in the appropriate area of the edge wire. I center the front and sides springs and attach them to the edge wire. Now I have a “clean” unit to start to tie up. I am going to have to approach tying this unit together in a different manner that I have illustrated in earlier posts. Next post will show an “8 way had tie”. Until then “Happy Trails”.

2007-12-11T07:13:00.000-08:00

There are a few things that I would like to point out to you about how this chair was reupholstered. I am sure “Henry” was doing the best he could but he either was inexperienced or limited to what he could do because he underestimated the job. Some of the issues that are with this chair today have been there since it was last reupholstered. Some upholsters try to “cover up” or “hide” these type of issues but that type of upholstery work only delays the inevitable. Stretching webbing over the old webbing isn’t so unusual to raise a drooping seat but the old webbing was deteriorating to the point that it needed to be replaced. Adding some webbing may raise the seat a little but it won’t repair spring ties that are broken. Adding more padding or trying to stretch muslin over the top won’t fix untied springs either. The only thing that will repair an untied spring is to tie it back. Another issue that I would like to point out is that when “Henry’ applied the inside back cover he either didn’t have enough fabric or he didn’t measure correctly. In the one picture I have highlighted with chalk a seam that really shouldn’t be there. Now my point is not to “bad mouth” Henrys work but to illustrate that to elevate your craft to a Master Craftsman level these are the type of techniques that you want to NOT DO.

2007-12-10T22:46:00.000-08:00

Geez what a mess this chair is. I could tell just by looking at it that there were some “issues” with this chair but the more I take it apart the more the worse it gets. I was pretty much right on when in my last post I claimed by the look of the fabric it was reupholstered in the late ‘60’s early ‘70’s. On the bottom of the chair was a declaration tag certifying that the materials that were used in the chair were the original materials. This was a requirement at least by the State of California. I can remember my Dad, who always had shops in Oregon, had to fumigate furniture before he reupholstered it. It had everything to do with the type of padding that was used when this age of furniture was built. Bugs could infest early padding such as grasses, horse hair, mosses, pig hair and cottons. With today’s modern padding that process is no longer used. Not to mention the environmental issues that fumigation probably presented. As you can see from my pics the interior of the seat of the chair can only be described as “gross”. All of that “stuff “has to go. The other information on the tag is who reupholstered the chair “Henry” and the date 6-70. See told ya that it was reupholstered in the 60’s or early 70’s.
I am also pretty confident that it was built in the early 40’s probably war era. To comply with the war effort furniture makers and reupholsters were trying to find alternatives to cotton and horse hair. Those items were being rationed at that time. So you find some furniture that had “straw” padding, like this chair has. All of this old dusty crap is going away. Look at all this “stuff”. As I am taking the webbing and the springs out I see that there is some frame issues that I will have to address before I start to put it back together. Well that’s all for now. I need to go have a beer to wash all this dust out of my throat. Until next time Happy Trails.

2007-12-09T16:17:00.000-08:00

Up next this small bedroom chair, to be restored. Probably a chair from the 40’s and has been reupholstered, by the look of the “orange Frazee’” probably in the late 60’ or early 70’s. I will be able to tell a little more when I start to open it up to reupholster. My client has chosen a very high end fabric. This fabric comes from Duralee, another fine fabric wholesaler that I have been working with for many years. Duralee offers the type of fabrics that are offered by professional interior decorators and high quality furniture upholstery shops. This particular fabric can be found by going to Duralee’s web site. You can’t tell by the photos but it is an abbreviated sculptured fabric. The background fabric is a hard face fabric and the pattern is a low nap chenille. It is simply beautiful to the eye and touch. This quality of fabric will retail at around $80-$100 dollars a yard. I estimated the yardage to be 3.5 yards to do the job. You can do the math. There is going to be a pattern match which will be very critical to making this chair a work of art. There is some structural issues and some spring issues that I have to address along the way also. I will be taking you through the entire process illustrating and explaining the entire process. First up tearing in to it. Until next time Happy Trails. Can any of you tell me what team use to say that?

2007-12-08T16:55:00.000-08:00

Before and after.

2007-12-08T16:53:00.000-08:00

Now that I have the covers sewn up it is time to apply. If you recall this cushion is attached to a piece of plywood. I will want to make sure that my boxing is even and the welt cord is straight. On the seat cushion I accomplish this by marking a line on the under side of the plywood that will be an appropriate distance for the boxing. I begin by stapling the corners and then put a couple of staples in the center, front and rear and on the sides. I work from the center to each end, lining up the edge of my fabric to the mark that I made. I am always checking along the way to make sure that the cover is straight and there are no wrinkles or puckers. I also make sure that my welt is all going the same direction. I will reach up inside the cover and make sure that the underside of the welt is going down so you will end up with your welt all going the same way and won’t be crooked. I also make sure that the corners are filled and add a little cotton if needed. The back cushion presents a little different application. The back of the board is exposed so I have to staple to the edge of the plywood. The face of the back cushion is also attached to the edge of the plywood. So I draw my corners down to the appropriate level. In this case the boxing on the back I want to be about 5 inches to the top of the welt all the way around the cushion. Once I get my corners attached I put a couple of staples in the middle, measuring to make sure they are the same as the corners. I then start working from the middle to each corner eyeballing and measuring to make sure that everything is even and straight. Once I am satisfied with the look of the cushion I place it in the frame. This particular piece basically slips into the frame. The back cushion has a few screws that go in from the back side. The seat cushion slides in behind the top rail. I call Kathy at Redmond Memorial Chapel and make arrangements for delivery. My oldest son, Bob, helps me to make the delivery. Kathy is thrilled with her selection of fabric and how with a couple of restyling techniques transformed this wonderful piece of history. Redmond Memorial Chapel is a repeat customer. The last pieces I upholstered for them was about twenty years ago. The two wing backs are still in the chapel and look as though I delivered them yesterday. Nothing like job security huh? Next on the sawhorses is a bedroom chair probably from the 40’s. Until then Happy Trails.

2007-12-08T06:55:00.000-08:00

I have an old Pfaff 545 that I have had for over twenty years. There are other brands out there and there are still some of these old machines out there that are still working and are fairly reasonably priced. What ever type of machine that you prefer learning to sew and to make the end product look professional takes practice, practice, practice. I am still practicing after all these years. I don’t know if you can tell by the pictures but I use a “zipper” foot that I have ground off the outside edge which allows me to get real close to the welt. This makes it so when I am finished sewing the welt and boxing on that when finished it will be even and you will not see any exposed stitching. That means any exposed stitching even around the corners. I like to start and end my welt in a discreet area. I also try to make my welt a continuous length so as to not have too many splices in it. Now this particular machine has a ‘walking foot” which means that the machine is pushing the fabric through as you sew it. The machine won’t do all the work for you so I have to be conscious of how the fabric is laying as I sew it. Here again practice practice and more practice. I am using my left hand to guide the fabric through and my right hand to fold the welt over and guide the fabric into the machine. Yes your fingers are close to the needle but unless you put your finger underneath that needle it isn’t going to jump over and get you. As I approach a corner with my welt I “snip” the welt about ¼ inch before the corner, hold the welt down with my finger and go around the corner. This will make a nice square corner with no bulk or puckers from the fabric. I continue to sew the welt and the boxing to the face piece. Now that I have both the seat and back cushion cover all sewn up it is time to start to apply the covers to the cushions. I don’t know if you noticed that I have said that it takes practice practice and more practice when you are behind the machine. As I have you will learn techniques that you become comfortable with. The bottom line is the finished product and how professional it looks.

2007-12-08T00:36:00.000-08:00

I have decided to “change” the look of the settee by giving the cushions a “boxed” look, instead of the “waterfall” look. This particular cushion was attached to a piece of plywood. One thing that you have to keep in mind when making any type of cushion this long is that the fabric will stretch and when someone sits on it the cushion will start to wrinkle. You have to allow for that when you go to cut your patterns. Each fabric is different and learning how to adjust for that takes practice and experience. The back board was 22 x 64; I cut the ‘face’ of the cushion 23 x 64 ½ inches. The length measurement allowed for the stretch the fabric had. I use a “square” a “72 inch ruler” and dust less chalk held in a chalk chuck. I always square off the fabric before I start to lay out my patterns. I then mark off my cushion faces, the boxing which in this case was 7 inches wide and the appreciate lengths of “welt”. I always use my 72 inch ruler for my lengths of welt; it is just the right width. . I double check all my measurements and proceed to cut out my patterns. Once I have my patterns cut out I go to my sewing machine. The fabric and the change of look are really going to give this classic a whole new look and feel.

2007-12-05T21:24:00.000-08:00

Hello, it has been a while since I have been able to do a new posting on my blog. I have gone through a couple of mundane type of jobs, the kind you just do cause you need to make some quick money. So now I am able to get to this cool antique waiting area settee. I remind you that this piece comes from the Redmond Memorial Chapel and will be placed in the “family” area of the facility. The original padding was a pin core latex foam rubber. As you can see it has hardened to the point that it is absolutely worthless. So I have replaced it with a high quality poly foam. I am not going to get into the various densities and qualities but I have found that if you want a premier finished product that will last for years get the good stuff. Your foam supplier can supply you with qualities and costs. In the case of this job I paid about $140.00 and that would be wholesale mind you. This stuff is very expensive and can have a real impact on how much money that you can make or lose on a job. After getting rid of the distressed latex foam and having swept the floor, I glued the foam to the back board. I am using a soft foam for the back cushion. I use cans of fabric/foam glue. There are other gluing systems out there but over the years I have found that the spray cans do a more than adequate job. I buy it by the case and for a one man shop they last quite awhile. After gluing the foam to the board I cover the foam on all sides with a Dacron poly fiber. This gives the cushion a “fuller” look and feel compared to a flat piece of poly foam. There are different widths, grades and qualities of Dacron wrap on the market. I tend to not to skimp on the quality of supplies that I use on a job. I glue the top, ends and sides of the foam with the Dacron. I then “cut” off remove the excess at the corners. My Client, Kathy, at Redmond Memorial Chapel did a great job of picking out a fabric that looks very appealing, warm and inviting. This autumnal colored, geometric leaf pattern will go perfectly with the setting. This fabric is from “Barrow Industries” one of the many wholesale fabric distributors that I have worked with over the years.

2007-11-26T17:20:00.000-08:00

I made delivery of two beautiful antique chairs to my clients home today. Scott and Cindy have a lovely area of their home set aside for their antique collection. Many pieces of their collection were handed down from family. I want to thank Scott and Cindy for choosing High Desert Upholstery to restore these two fine works of art.

2007-11-23T19:06:00.000-08:00

The chairs are finished and ready to be delivered. I am sure once they are in my clients home that they will look even more beautifull than they do in my shop. I will post photos when I deliver them. Next up is this antique couch. It is actually from the Redmond Memorial Chapel. After it is finished it will go into the "family" waiting area. I am putting new foam in this one so I will explain how I estimated the foam, fabric and labor for this job. The piece will look "way cool" when I am done with it. Also I am going to start that commercial job and will show you how I will approach that job. Until then "Happy Trails".

2007-11-23T09:20:00.000-08:00

I hope that all of you had a great Thanksgiving. In the last couple of days my client and I were able to come up with what I think is a very complimentary gimp color. I make sure all my excess fabric has been trimmed from the chair. Try to get as many strings or loose thread out of the way. I use this small hot glue gun to attach the gimp to the chair. I like the smaller one because it can get into tight spots and I have more control over the volume of glue that the gun puts out compared to the standard size hot glue guns. They are relative inexpensive. I use the clear glue sticks that fit this size gun. You have to pay attention to how you use this tool around fabric and finishes on the frame. It is hot and can do damage and if you have oozing from too much glue it is hard to disguise. On the seat potion of the frame the gimp starts and stops between the front arm/leg and the rear leg/rail. So the ends of each section have to be finished. I do this by putting a little glue on one end and folding it over say a ½ or so. Putting a little spot of glue there will make it lay flat. I then put a spot of glue on the front of the chair and glue the gimp making sure that I am flush with the edge of the trim rail. You want to make sure that your gimp is straight and you don’t want to have any exposed staples. I then use my “gimp” gun and place one staple near the edge of the frame. A gimp staple gun uses a small crown staple making the staple easier to conceal than a wider crown staple. There are also gimp tacks that can be used for this type of application. More than likely the hot glue will be enough to hold the gimp but I like to put that little bit extra assurance into the job. Particularly when you have so many start and stop points. So I continue gluing the gimp down along the front. I normally only glue a 5 to 6 inch section at a time. I want to continually check my progress and make any adjustments that may be needed. I continue around the perimeter of the chair frame. I then move on to the inside back. This application is a continues piece with one start and stop point. I begin by applying a spot of glue in a bottom corner. I don’t fold the gimp here. I will fold over the other end and overlap where I started at. I continue gluing and checking all along the perimeter of the inside back. Scroll gimp is woven to be able to go around curves. Right angle corners sometimes have to be addressed with a 45 degree fold in the gimp. Try to make this look as professional as you can. Continue around the inside back until you are back at the start point. Fold the end over and glue and staple down like I discussed earlier. Repeat this same process on the outside back. When the gimp is applied I then turn the chair over so that the bottom is facing up, cut off an appropriate amount of “dust cover” and start to apply it to the bottom of the frame. You may remember that in one of my first posts about applying the webbing I mentioned to start the edge of the webbing in the center of the rail. We are at the point where doing that will pay off. Doing this will give you just enough space to staple down the dust cover and hide the edge of the webbing. I then fold over the dust cover material and start to stretch and staple the dust cover to the frame. When the dust cover is completed I then turn the chair over and inspect it, clip any exposed threads and polish the exposed wood with a little wax. That chair is done. In the meantime I have finished the other chair and will make arrangements with my client to make delivery. I will post pictures of the chair and the clients in their setting. Next up, I have a commercial job to go over with you and another antique to show you.

2007-11-18T18:20:00.001-08:00

Hello. I have had a little delay on gong ahead with applying the gimp. I t took me awhile to get in contact with my client to verify the color that was picked out a month or so ago. So tomorrow I will visit with them and pick the right color for the chair. I personally don’t like to much contrast but that is just me. I am sure that my client will pick the right one. So in the meantime I started on the other chair. I also have picked a couple small jobs and an office waiting room job. So it does not take much to keep me busy. I suppose that is the jest of my conversation with you is that in this business you never know where it might come from. As you learn this “art” you will want to make sure that you are always willing to broaden your horizons. That will mean that you become comfortable working with different fabrics, vinyls, leathers, padding and techniques. That can be one of the benefits of working in this trade is that a lot of the work is custom, one of a kind. Of course there are always exceptions. Take for instance this office job that I picked up, a previous customer actually. You have to take in to consideration that they have a business too and the chairs are part of there operation so you will have to be realistic with how long it will take you. So my customer and I have come to terms, we have negotiated a price and a time schedule. I will be posting that job to illustrate how I made the estimate. How to work with multiples of the same item. How to lay out your fabric to get the maximum usage out of it. Until then I hope you all have been well.

2007-11-15T22:55:00.000-08:00

Before I move on to applying the gimp I would like to share with you a little of my history of how I got into the upholstery trade. My bio states that I am a second generation upholster. My Father was an upholster as far back as I can remember. I also had an Uncle who was in the business. Both of these Master Craftsmen have “moved on”. So I was around this business since I was a kid. But I didn’t follow in my fathers footsteps until later in my life. I actually took a job while I was in high school, in the local grocery store as an apprentice meat cutter. Upon graduating from good ol’ Coquille High School I was a full fledged journeyman meat cutter. I pursued that career, managing meat departments in the Portland Oregon area. My parents had since left Coquille and moved to Redmond. Coming over here to visit the folk and having a desire to change careers my first wife (yes I have had two) and I moved to Redmond. So at the age of 30 I went to work for my Dad. I really must have wanted to learn the trade. But I dove right into it, paying attention, listening to the ol man and his other employee, Bud Osborne. Glenn, my dad, had a full service shop offering not only furniture but also auto, boat, and commercial. There was also a lot of learning on my own. It was a great training ground that few get access to when they want to enter this field. Self motivation, a creative bent and a real strong desire will take you along ways if you want to get into this trade. Some other time I will share with you my next step in my upholstery career. Going out on my own and starting my own shop. Until then “Happy Trails”

2007-11-14T17:27:00.000-08:00

I hope that all of you have been well. I have gone ahead and made any adjustments that needed to be done and trimmed the fabric so we can start to apply the “gimp”. Everything is looking sip shape on the chair. Scroll Gimp has been a method off trimming off raw edges for a long long long time. Here let me add another long time to that. Two other methods that could be options would be “double welt and decorative tacks”. We will get into those options in future posts. Most gimp is ½ inch wide so you need to be careful of where you put your staples and how you trim the fabric. You want the staple to get enough of a bite on the fabric to it is stable but not in an area where they will show after the gimp is applied. I trim the fabric, with my handy dandy pocket knife, along the edge of the “Lip” where the finished wood meets with the tack rail. You want to be extra careful doing this as not to mar the finished wood or harm the fabric in an area that will show. That is why I like to use my pocket knife because I feel that I have more control of my cuts compared to using a razor blade. Scroll Gimp comes in many attractive colors. I like to pick something that will complement the fabric and the chair. I don’t like to have too much of a contrast, unless my customer requests it. Conso Co. is one of the major suppliers of gimp and other trims to the industry. Gimp comes packaged in 36 yd “skeins” costing wholesale around $30 or so depending on who you buy from. Some suppliers will sell you “cuts” of gimp. Next up, Appling the “gimp”.

2007-11-12T21:43:00.000-08:00

I apply a layer of cotton. In this case I used up some of the excess when I was padding the front. Make sure that you butt two edges together. I try to make them equal size pieces. You don’t feather the cotton in the middle but you do along the outside edge. Here again you don’t want cotton on this outside edge where you are going to staple it down to the frame. The back of this chair is heart shaped like the front. It would have been neat to be able to trim my fabric to that shape but I am unable to because I have to hide “tack holes” that appear to have been the original line. So I will have to be satisfied with having it squared off like it was to hide those holes. Here again you want to make sure where you are aware of where you are stapling. All time I was applying the front and rear I have tried to be conscience of how my pattern was laying. The back is turning out fine and with a couple of adjustments so will the front. After I have made the needed adjustments I will finish stapling the fabric down and then trim it of any excess. The invaluable tool that I will use for this purpose is my handy dandy pocket knife and a small hand held whetstone. I use my pocket knife for many reasons. I keep it sharp and prefer it over a razor blade. When using a razor blade and you run it across a staple it is pretty much useless. If I do that with my knife I simply sharpen it. You don’t need an expensive one. I think I paid around 5 bucks for this one at NAPA. I will finish off the seat and the back, make the needed adjustments and then I will talk to you about how we are going to “finish” the trimmed edges and hide the staples.

2007-11-12T20:40:00.000-08:00

I add two other layers making sure to “feather the edges” as I discussed with you in earlier posts. When I have the padding where I want it I cut an appropriate size piece of fabric. Allow yourself plenty. I start at the bottom of the seat back frame rail. On this antique there is a slightly recessed, unfinished edge of the frame. You want to make sure that your staples don’t go outside of this area and into the “finished” portion of the frame. It is very difficult to pull staple out of the finished wood without causing some type of distress. Having to repair it is not impossible but very difficult. If you have to hire the repairs out it can be an expensive mistake. So be aware of where you staple gun is before you pull the trigger. Even if you are pulling a staple out that is in the correct area you must be very aware and not “slip” and gouge the finished wood. Doing this may lead to cursing. I get the inside back cushion fabric ‘tacked” in. I see where I need to make a couple of adjustments but I then move on to the back of the chair.

2007-11-12T20:37:00.000-08:00

Because this is my blog I made the executive decision to go on to the back and come back and finish the seat later. You are allowed and I highly recommend that is when you come across a difficult area of your project, move on to another area. This will let your brain rest from that area of the chair and perhaps give you a different perspective on how you will approach it when you go back to it. I guess its kinda a “Zen” thing or somethin’. I first stapled some webbing to the top and bottom of the inside frame of the back cushion of the chair. Now in this case you don’t need a webbing stretcher to apply the webbing. One thing that I have failed to mention in past posts is that I am using a 3/8 inch staple to apply the fabric and this back cushion webbing. My bad. I attach the webbing by first folding the webbing over about an inch. I staple the webbing down with the fold facing the inside of the chair. I repeat this same procedure on the inside of the seat frame side rails. Again this webbing only has to be hand tight. I then cut an appropriate size piece of burlap and staple it over the webbing to the inside of the rails. I also fold the burlap over and trim it off. Now what I have is the ability to put my first layer of cotton even with the frame. Letting me add more padding without to much bulk.

2007-11-11T09:56:00.000-08:00

I would like to spend a little time here talking to you about the value of creating solid relationships with suppliers and vendors. If you are a hobbyist or you want to take your acquired skills to a different level you will need to find vendors that will sell to you. There may be some vendors located near you. Some smaller suppliers will sell to some at the retail level. There are also fabric outlets that sometimes carry not only fabrics but supplies i.e. cotton, poly foams, thread, twine etc. Of course there is the internet where you can purchase items. But if you are going to want to make some kind of “profit” from your work you will need to buy wholesale. Today the supplies are expensive even at the wholesale level. There are various ways to contact suppliers. Most, particularly if you are a “new” account the vendor is going to require the usual information from you i.e. DBA or business name, location of your shop, bank account information, some may even want to do a credit check on you. To start you out the supplier may request payment by a credit card, cash or a money order or COD. If you can, get them to at least accept your check. Begin to cultivate this relationship. A solid relationship with your vendors will be a valuable tool. I have been dealing with my vendors for over 28 years. Some of the same vendors did business with my Father before that. They know me by name. They know that I am not going to boink a check on them. They know that I am a little cranky at times but on the other hand they know that I am going to be a consistent customer. The vendors supply me with the tools, fabrics, supplies and at a price that is competive. Some vendors that I deal with, schedule either monthly or bi-monthly delivery visits to my area. With a minimum purchase they will deliver the products that you need at little or no charge. Saving me a ton of money on UPS fees. Because most every product that you deal with in this industry is a petro-chemical product the prices continue to go up. I have found most vendors are very competitively priced. I believe the value with the vendor is the relationship that you cultivate compared to shopping around to save a nickel. Be very aware of the cost of supplies to do the job. The cost of those supplies can add a substantial cost to the job, especially if you’re purchasing poly foam for the job. In subsequent posts I will talk to you about estimating a job. Next up finishing the seat cushion and on to the back.

2007-11-10T20:44:00.000-08:00

The chair is coming along

2007-11-10T20:41:00.000-08:00

The other tool that comes in handy is the Jiffy Steamer. This model I believe is the Jr. Model with a one gallon water tank. It is more than adequate to do the job. Now this tool won’t cure all your ills but it does help to sometimes smooth thing out. Of course its primary purpose is to make steam. You have to be careful when applying steam to some fabrics, particularly velvets or other fabrics that have a “nap”. Another thing you have to be mindful of when using this tool is that because it is making steam it is HOT. I recommend an investment in both of these tools.

2007-11-10T20:38:00.000-08:00

. Before I can take care of the problems on that particular side I will need to “open the side up by removing the staples that I put in. This is why I try to keep stapling to a minimum as I am fitting the fabric to the frame. The tool that I use to remove the staples is this CS Osborne staple remover. In my 28 years as a furniture upholster I have found this to be my staple remover of choice. They very seldom break, most of the time you “lose” them. Most of the ones I have lost are probably sitting in the inside back of some customers couch or chair.

2007-11-10T20:29:00.000-08:00

Approaching the cuts around the arm is a different approach yet using the same methods as described earlier. I had to be aware of the shape of the interior of the arm. Since it has a curve in it you have to be part curly conscience of how you are making your cuts. So consequently there will be a lot of pulling, sniping, adding or subtracting padding to get this corner right. Take your time and again err on the side of your cuts being to shallow. This is a difficult area to be able to “hide” a too deep cut. As I was working this front corner and the side, I am looking for smoothness and the pattern looking as it should. With lines, curves, frame measurements and the dynamics of pulling and stretching of fabric the lines start to get distorted, when going over the edge of the seat. I like to end up with my lines having a nice arc where the lines are not wiggly. As I was working this front corner and the adjacent side I am not only being aware of the pattern but also the smoothness of the padding. I am finding that there are some issues that need to be addressed to this side before I finish this it off. Primarily it needs some additional padding. Not only along the side but also in the front corner. So I decide to come back to this side and go on to the other side. Now this side comes together very quickly. Nice and smooth, even, no lumps, and the pattern looks as if a Master Craftsman applied it. I then go to work on the adjacent front corner. Keep in mind I have not “finished” the side. The front corner is looking professional also. The other side will come together also when I add some more padding.

Antique Chair, part 12

2007-11-10T06:21:00.000-08:00

Before I get to the front corners I want to talk a little about “pride in workmanship”. Taking “pride” in your work will take you along ways in this profession. Over the years I have developed a reputation for doing high quality work. My customers know that by taking their furniture to me that they may pay more and it might take a little longer but the final product is going to be superior. Reaching “Master craftsman” level in this profession takes years of commitment, dedication and just plain hard work. By striving for that level of professionalism you will always be asking yourself how can I do this work better. Along the way you will discover little “tricks” that will make your final product look superior. Over the years I have tried to not just do upholstery work but turn it into an “art” form. Furniture is my “medium”. As the saying goes “art is in the eye of the beholder”. That is what I am trying to get across to you in my descriptions of restoring this chair. Your client will be the one “beholding” it. If you see something that isn’t quite right so will they. Keep in mind also that your client won’t be viewing the furniture sitting up on a pair of sawhorses; it will be on the floor. Your client also won’t have their head “stuck” inside this chair like you will when working on it. Of course then your friends will say “well I guess it’s better than having your head stuck somewhere else ha ha ha”. But then on the other hand you may have a better caliber of friends than I do. I suppose my point being is that as long as you are doing the very best that you can and are always striving to make it better you will to become recognized for it. So with these words of wisdom and $4 to $5 dollars go get yourself a latte. Now back to work.

Additional photots of the rear corner

2007-11-09T06:24:00.000-08:00

Additional photots of the rear corner.

Antique Chair, part 11

2007-11-09T06:20:00.000-08:00

The fabric that my customer chooses is a high quality fabric from my supplier, Duralee Fabrics. After consulting with my client they made the decision based on quality, color to go with their décor and texture and pattern to compliment the beauty of the chair. Allow yourself plenty. In this case I cut out a 34 x34 inch piece. This will allow me to have some excess to hold on to when I stretch the fabric to the chair. I “tacked” each side to the frame. Notice how after tacking the fabric to the side rails I folded the fabric over just touching the front and rear uprights. This fabric has an overall type of pattern. But if you look closely there are lines and a red dot that runs through it. I always prefer running any lines vertically, which I have done here. Make sure your fabric is straight on the chair. Notice the underside of the fabric with its red thread running horizontally. That line should be equal on both sides of the chair. Cutting the fabric around the uprights is critical. You don’t want to see any padding, unfinished frame, or frayed edges because the cut was too deep or puckers because the cut was to shallow. I have marked the back side of the fabric with my chalk to show where I am going to make my cut. I tend to err on the side of to much fabric. I can slays go back and snip the cuts to make it fit. Notice also that my cut is a Y shape. This cut allows enough fabric to go around the corner and to be able to fold over and tuck between the padding and the frame. On the “I” part of the “Y” there will be flaps of fabric that you will have to trim. Allow yourself plenty but not so much as to add to much bulk in the corner. At this point you may have to add or remove some of the padding. I added a little to this corner. Work the fabric to make it fit and “tack” the corners down. While working this corner I was also mindful of what the pattern was doing. There will always be a little distortion of lines when you are going around uprights and corners. But that needs to be kept at a minimum. When you focus from the center of the chair you want to make sure that vertical lines are straight and symmetrical. So I have to make sure that when working on this one corner is that I don’t “pull” the fabric over so much as to distort the line on the other corner. After I worked the one corner to where I liked it, I tacked it down and moved to the next corner and repeated the process. All the while I am checking my fabric front to rear and side to side pulling and smoothing the fabric to see if I am going to run into any problems along the way. Time, patience and a critical eye will pay off in professional looking results. Now move to the front corners.

Antique Chair, part 10

2007-11-08T20:47:00.000-08:00

Now for the padding. I use cotton batting. This particular cotton is a 50/50 blend. I try to stay away from using foam on a chair like this one. Using foam could be an option for you. But since this is my blog were going to use cotton. Now if you use cotton, and you have saved some scraps, this is the time to use ‘em up. I save most of mine because this stuff is so dang expensive ya hate to throw it away. I start to fill the area between the inside of the edge roll to the top of the springs. Even though you are using scrap you still need to lay it out flat and level. Around the arms and the back rails I have added even more cotton. I do this because those areas are where the fabric will be pulled the tightest and you need to allow for that. Now I start to layer the cushion. In this case I applied three layers of cotton to the top. The first couple of layers I feathered off the cotton to the outside edge of the edge roll. While working with cotton you will do a lot of feathering. You don’t want edges that will show when you start to apply the fabric. Nice and smooth is what you want. As I start to apply the fabric, I will make adjustments to the padding as I go. Adding here, subtracting there. One thing when working with cotton is that you don’t want to have it where you staple the cover to the frame. Make sure that the cotton is feathered out just above the frame rails. If there is too much bulk where you staple it will be lumpy. This is one of the reasons why I attach the edge roll to the frame rails. I can feather the cotton out a little higher and have a smoother more pleasing look. Now I am ready to start cutting expensive fabric.

Antique Chair, part 9

2007-11-08T20:34:00.001-08:00

I have then applied a piece of burlap over the springs. I leave enough of the burlap to be able to fold it over and then staple it to the rails. Any excess can be trimmed off. To this point, I have described different tools that I use. If you want to be more than a hobbyist and feel that you might want to take your experience and knowledge to a different level. I can’t express enough of how important it is to invest in proper tools. This will make your job less complicated and your finished product more professional. One investment is a really good pair of shears. I have found that this particular shear, made from high carbon stainless steel, is one of the best I have used in over 28 years in the upholstery business. I believe they cost me, through one of my vendors, 94 smackers. Worth every penny.
Now on with applying the padding. But before I get to that, one little technique that I have found (through trail and error) is attaching, to the top of the rails is a piece of 1 ½ inch edge roll. Now this technique may or may not work for you on the piece that you may tackle. But what it does for me is that it raises the rail, it provides me with a smooth hard edge, and to be able to pull the fabric and padding down over it and consequently makes for a nicer, rounder edge, front, side and rear. I cut the pieces to fit between the uprights. I use a hack saw to cut the edge roll. Use what is convenient for you. I then stapled the edge roll to the frame rails. Placing the salvage edge towards the inside of the frame and stapling it to the frame rails. Make sure that the outside edge, of the roll, doesn’t go over the outside edge of the rails. They should be flush, if not a hair back. Now for the padding.

Antique Chair, part 8

2007-11-07T21:17:00.000-08:00

Now that the springs are secured to the webbing it is time to “tie” the springs. I prefer jute spring tying twine. There are synthetic twines out there that will do the job. I just prefer the jute mainly because I am old and in a rut J. I then cut off a piece of the twine; I allow about 1 ½ times the width of the frame, your better off having plenty and trimming it off. Here again I am going to use a 9/16 inch staple to attach the twine to the frame. Again I am using the staples because of the condition of the rails. The other alternative to the staples would be a # 16 upholstery tack. Start tying the center row of springs, rear rail to front rail. Hold the twine to the frame while allowing enough to fold back the twine (2 to 3 inches), shoot a couple staples over the twine. Fold the twine back over and shoot a couple more staples in and then fold it back over itself and shoot a couple more staples. Using the staples to attach the twine is perhaps not the “best” way to attach the spring ties to the frame. But taking into consideration of the age, condition of the rails, and how my customer is going to use this chair, I felt it was the best way to approach this restoration.
The next step is to start to tie the springs. This step can be frustrating to even an experienced upholster. I will try to describe to you these steps. Sometimes it is trail and error until you get it. Take your time, don’t try to get into a hurry, find a clean empty spot on your work bench in case you have to bang your head a couple times. My first tie is going to go on the second or in some cases the third coil of the spring. Run the twine up through the top of the spring. I then hold the twine and the coil between my thumb and finger at the same time pushing the spring towards the back of the chair. Now this is where the trail and error come in. Through experience you will be able to determine how far back you push the spring. When you get the spring to the right position loop the twine under the coil and the twine and back through. Some would call this knot a half hitch some would call it a granny knot. You may be wondering why push the spring backward. Patience Grasshopper. The next knot will be to the front top coil of the same spring. Tie the knot the same as you did before. Run your twine over to the next spring, run the twine under the coil with the twine and coil between your thumb and finger. Pull this spring back to within about an inch of the previous spring, tie it off. Go to the front of that spring and tie it off. Go to the back top coil of the front spring, repeat as described before (don’t forget to push the spring back). Then run your twine down to the second coil of the front spring, tie it off. Now this next step takes a little hand strength. Hook two fingers of your left hand over the coil that you just tied off. Hook your thumb to the front of the chair frame. Hold the twine with your free hand and pull the springs forward. Remember leaning all the springs backward. As you pull the springs forward you will want them to be pretty much upright. At the same time as you pull the spring forward you will also be bringing them down to a level that is appropriate with the chair. Not to high, not to low, just right. Hold the twine down to the frame with your thumb of your left hand, grab your staple gun and secure the twine. Finish it off like you did with the rear rail. Now repeat this process to the other rows of springs. You will want all the springs to be even, level and spaced fairly equally. Now repeat this same process going from side rail to side rail. When you are finished the spring system should be level, even, secure and tight. If it is not it will be difficult to have a professional looking seat.
Next posting “applying the padding”.

Additional photos illustrate the clinch it clips

2007-11-07T19:21:00.000-08:00

These additional photos illustrate the clinch it clips and a sample of how to use the button twine to attach the springs.

Antique Chair, part 7

2007-11-07T19:11:00.000-08:00

In this case, I am not going to use the springs that were on the chair. There are a couple of reasons why I have decided to use new springs. First off my customer is paying me a lot of money to restore these chairs. I want to make sure that they will receive the best, when the chair is complete. I also want to add an additional row of springs. I feel that by adding the additional springs will give better support and I will have a better base to start with when I go to applying the padding and the fabric. So with all new springs I will know that they are all the same height, condition and strength. Ten inch coil springs are relatively inexpensive. They are generally sold by the pound. They would be available through wholesalers, your local upholstery shop or I can, for a small fee, provide them to you. The project that you may be working on may not need new springs.
I use, what is called, a “Clinch-it” tool to attach the springs. A very handy tool to have when attaching springs to the webbing. This tool makes the job easier, faster and I think better than hand sewing them to the deck. The down side is that the tool is expensive. If you are thinking of doing upholstery work for something other than a hobby, I would recommend an investment in one of these tools.
The other alternative to using the clinch it tool is to hand sew the springs to the webbing. This is a tried and true method of attaching the springs, just a little more time consuming. The down side being that the chance of a spring slipping is greater and twine has known to break or deteriorate over time.
I would use a large curved upholstery needle and some button twine to hand sew the springs to the base. As you would, using the clinch it tool, arrange the springs accordingly. Making sure that the springs are equally spaced and not to close to either edge to the chair frame. Run your needle and twine up and over and back under the first spring. Tie off the twine under the first spring. Run the needle up through the webbing and up and over another area on the first spring. I try to attach the spring in a “Y” shape on the bottom of the spring. I use this same “Y” pattern when using my clinch it tool. This pattern will help to keep the spring stable and secure. You don’t have to tie off each loop, just loop it over a couple times at each location. Try to end your last loop where you can go on to the next spring at its nearest location. On a chair I would allow myself enough twine to make it a continues run. If you run short just tie it off and start again. You want to make sure that that the twine is run on the bottom side of the webbing. When complete all you will want to see, from the top, is the loops that go over the spring. All the knots and excess twine will be hidden under the dust cover. If you do not have access to the upholstery needles and the button twine, for a small fee, I can provide those products to you.
Next posting. Tying the springs. Remember when working with antique furniture “patience is a virtue”. If it gets frustrating, walk away from it. Feel free to email me if you have questions.

Antique Chair, part 6

2007-11-07T19:00:00.001-08:00

When completed you will have a tight, flat, professional deck. This process, depending on the condition of the frame rails, shouldn’t take but an hour or two. But, I have always felt, especially when working with antiques, is that your better off doing it right than doing it to fast.

Next posting “attaching the springs”.

Antique Chair, part 5

2007-11-07T18:54:00.000-08:00

Before I begin to attach the webbing, I mark the center of each rail. Don’t cut the webbing to size. Take the end of the roll, fold it over an inch of so and attach it to the bottom of one of the side rails. Make sure that the edge of the webbing doesn’t hang past the outside edge. I try to put the edge in about the center of the rail, placing the staples as close to the edge of the webbing as possible. Doing this tends to flatten out the webbing on the outside edge. By doing it this way you will have less bulk and you will have enough space on the outside edge to adequately cover the webbing with the dust cover. I will discuss the dust cover in later postings.
Once the one edge is attached, run the webbing to the opposite rail, finding the center mark on the rail and the center of the webbing. Take your webbing stretcher and place the protective rubber edge against the outside of the rail and poke the sharp prongs of the stretcher into the webbing. Pull back on the handle, of the stretcher. Don’t pull back so much as to harm or distort the frame. Be aware of any ornamental woodwork on the outside of the frame. Pull the webbing tight, shoot some staples into the webbing, remove the stretcher, cut the webbing a couple of inches from the edge of the frame, fold the edge over and finish it off the same as the other side. Now apply the webbing to the back rail, repeating the process that was described as to the side rails. When this action is complete you can start to attach the adjacent webbing pieces. To add strength, to the deck, “weave” the webbing. Front to rear, side to side, alternating over and under. Attach and finish each webbing strap as described above. more to come......

Antique Chair, part 4

2007-11-07T18:32:00.000-08:00

So the filler is dry and I am going to now apply the seat webbing to the bottom of the chair. The materials and supplies that are required to do this task are: Required yardage of 3 ½ inch blue stripe jute webbing. There are two types of jute webbing available to the furniture upholstery trade, blue and red stripe jute. The red stripe is generally for back applications; it is lighter and doesn’t have the adequate strength for a deck application. Get enough yardage to allow for weaving, stretching and folding back. I am using a “goose neck” webbing stretcher. I have found it to be, the best tool for the job. These items are available in my eBay store ANu Direction, http://stores.ebay.com/ANu-Direction_W0QQssPageNameZl2QQtZkm under upholstery supplies.

Because of the damage to the rails, I have opted to use 9/16 inch staples to attach the webbing. The option of using #16 upholstery tacks, to attach the webbing, is certainly a viable option. Pneumatic staple guns are widely used in the upholstery trade. There are also some hand and electric guns and on the market. I have found that the later types are inadequate to do the job. I highly recommend an investment in the pneumatic system. More to come......

Antique Chair, part 3

2007-11-06T19:22:00.000-08:00

There is even a chunk missing on the inside of the side rail. I have applied the wood filler to the top and bottom of the side and back rails. The front rail was in good enough shape to not have to fill. After I spread the filler, I wet my fingers and smooth out the filler. By doing this it tends to make the filler soak down into the cracks and old nail holes. Set the chair aside and let it dry. Wipe off any excess filler from the chair. more to come.....

Antique Chair, part 2

2007-11-06T19:18:00.001-08:00

Now with that it is time to get to work. The first thing I have done to this chair is to carefully remove the existing webbing and springs. You must be careful, especially when working with a chair that is as old as this one. One problem when working with an antique piece of furniture is that the wood is old, dry and in some cases brittle. Using a number 16 tack to attach the webbing can cause distress to the wood, particularly to the side and back rails because they are generally thinner than the front rail. As the pictures show the side rails are split in some areas because of the large tacks that were used. more to come.....

Antique Chair

2007-11-06T18:14:00.000-08:00

Before I get to the tips and techniques on how to restore this beautiful piece of history I want to share with you a little information about the word "upholstery". It is actually a very old word, derived from the word "upholder". You must keep in mind that only "royalty" had what we would call furniture. All other folks of that time probably sat on a stump. The Kings and Queens of that time didn't go down to the local "Mega Furniture Store" and pick out furniture and have it delivered. First they would have the local woodworker build the frame. Then they would contact the local "Upholder" to apply the padding (straw, horsehair, grasses) and then apply the "upholstery", which at that time textiles were limited to silks, wools, fine woven cottons. The "Upholder" was a highly respected craftsman in the community. So today we are called "Upholsters". Now you can take that information and $4 to 5 dollars and get yourself a latté at most any Starbucks. more to come............

New Blog for Do It Yourself Upholsterers

2007-11-06T12:21:00.000-08:00

This is a test blog entry. We are starting a new blog that will feature upholstery tips and techniques by a Master Upholsterer.