Furniture Redesign...Not Just a New Dress

I'm on an upholstery kick. My previous post was a basic upholstery project. Taking fabric off, and putting on new.

Now, I've upped the game and I did it intentionally. I chose an old chair that I bought about 15+ years ago from a garage sale with the intention of upholstering it, but always a bit scared. I am not a novice to craft projects, and I knew that once I opened that chair up, it would be more than just slapping on fabric.

As a disclaimer before anyone says "You kept that in your home as furniture?" I have....with a khaki slipcover. This is the first daylight this ugly beast has seen in a decade.

The next victim....project.

As I starting picking at the piece, it became very clear that a lot of glue was used to put down these edges, and that glue was brittle and cracking. 

And I did. And I was right. Old furniture is like an old house. Once you open up a wall, or look in the attic, you find serious problems that have been there for years that need to be fixed to go forward. During such projects, you ask yourself a few times "Is this worth going forward? Do we cut our losses?" Those thoughts are created out of my need to be done sooner rather than later, and when doing an extensive project...too bad, so sad. It's gonna take some time. And it will pay off.

Here we go.

We are in the initial stages of this project, so I'll tell you where we are so far. I'll be traveling a lot for work this coming week, which will be great for this project. I need to do a lot of painting and I'll be able to lay down a coat, leave for a day or so, lay down another, and so on. It works. I'll show you that plan in this as well.

As I go along, I'll try to insert prices of things so you can get an idea of what this kind of project costs. 

First, let's demo this bad boy.

I knew this chair was old because it weighs about 100 pounds and I kid you not. It has some guts that modern made furniture just does not have. So put a number in your head, I did find out the birth date of the chair, I'll let you know at the end of demo.

I began as one always should, flip it over and take off the dust cloth underneath. I want to stop here and explain another reason I was afraid of this project. In the years I have had this chair, many times I've bent over to reach under this chair to get a sock or a shoe and something sharp from the chair cuts the back of my hand. I also knew it had been reupholstered before, so someone did something odd like sewed in razor blades or something crazy. This chair was not your typical chair. It was actually a little daunting, and might even be in need of an exorcism.

Do you see connectors on the underneath of that jute? No? Trust me, they are there. Several of these need to be replaced, the razors removed. 

Underneath the dust cloth was the stretched out jute that had metal connectors with teeth to attach to the jute and to stabilize, and each of those connectors had four little blades on them to grab the jute. And there were about 20 of those connectors. Through the years they had begun to poke through the dust cloth and grab any dermis that came by looking for a missing sock. Those little demons were exorcised out of this chair. There are much less tetanus-ie ways to stabilize jute than with those tools of evil.

After taking off the dust cloth, then you start with the back of the chair and pull off the back. Keep in mind, most furniture uses a tack strip of some kind and once you leverage that up, it comes right up. Nope. Not only nope, but nope on steroids. This thing has been reupholstered no less than four times by simply putting fabric over fabric...with nails.

A previous era of fabric....plus my son is showing off his sexy leg.

How many times can you reupholster a chair, we're finding out...

Lots of nails....lots and lots of nails. No staples. I didn't think a day would come when I would want staples, but here we are.

Oh lookie, a nail and three different patterns of fabric.

It's was a tornado of fabric and nails at one point.

What does this mean? There is no "base" piece I can use as a pattern to make replacement fabric pieces. The frame looks like it's been hit by buck shot multiple times. In some places, the integrity of the wood frame is compromised because it's been nailed so many times. In between upholstery job number one and two, there was a paint job. What a mess.

I threw out the whole idea of trying to keep track of pieces and where they came from. I kept all the pieces, but I just ripped and put them in a box to deal with later. I am not sure much of it can even be used. After all that ripping, I was a bit overwhelmed at the idea of how to finish this thing.

After the fabric is gone, there was the heavy cotton batting. Then I got down to the seat (the piece under the seat cushion that generally has a lining fabric of some kind connected with upholstery), where the manufacturer's label was. That is the one piece I wanted to keep and is easy to identify. That piece has the chair's birth date. Keep guessing.

Under the seat fabric was a flimsy later of burlap. Burlap also covered springs on the back where I pulled the cotton off. I am keeping all the cotton at this point. I keep going back and forth how I am going to reassemble the back. I have two options. But that is down the road at this point, I will keep my options open.

Lots of fabric, heavy cotton batting....and a big crack in the frame. It's at this moment where you have the "Am I in over my head?"

I also found a significant crack in the frame. But it's a clean crack that a C clamp and wood glue can fix.

We're down to ratty burlap, springs and razor bladed jute. Take a deep breath.

Let's figure out this "shabby chic" paint job that is best described at "shabby".

Once I got this thing down to wood, springs, ratty burlap and jute, I decided to stop and assess.

Here is what needs to get done in the first phase. The first phase is a focus on the frame base.

First, glue, clamp and brace the break. Easy. Use good wood glue and a clamp. We already had the clamp. I had to buy a new bottle of glue because ours was old and unusable. That cost me $3 at Home Depot.

It was a nice day in the Pacific NW, a rarity in March. I dragged this out on the porch and started gluing. Those threads? Hanging off the nails I haven't pulled. This is also a great demonstration of the sheer number of nails this frame has taken. We'll be using staples, hoping this piece doesn't see another upholstery project for decades.

Glue and clamp.

Clamp and glue.

While that dries, work on the cushion. Another adventure in discovering the chair's history.

The 20+ pound cushion. How hard can this be?

Oh look! A fabric I haven't seen before even on the original chair! Good grief! Yes, three layers of fabric on this cushion. I do not like the idea of upholstering over old fabric. There is value in throwing out dirty fabrics if only for the cleanliness factor.

Heavy cotton batting on the outside....but on the inside.....

Box springs! Foam cannot compete with the durability of these babies. We're keeping these springs and cotton. But it needs to be stabilized. To move it is like picking up a puzzle, and I want to keep it together.

"Helping"

We are making a new sleeve for the cushion out of one inch thick upholstery batting. These pieces were made by measuring and cutting the original pieces and adding about an inch around. I started out hot gluing. Two blisters later, I switched to hand stitching. This batting is usually about $16 a yard at JoAnn Fabrics. It is on sale right now for 40% off, plus I used a coupon that gave me an additional 20% off my purchase.

Then I gently laid the cushion inside.

One last look before we close it up.

Final stitching. I just need to make the cushion cover now.

Second, paint the frame--correctly. I'll get that post going next as I begin that today. But it won't be done until later this week.

Third, after painting, we repair jute.

Once the paint and jute is done. Then we reconstruct the cushioning along the back of the frame and the arms in preparation for ...... yes ..... upholstery! Future posts are on the way.

Here's the vision...let this photo be your guide. I can picture it, and it keeps me focused.

I am painting exposed wood parts "carbon" black. I am using this gray/black tweed. I am excited for the smart contrast in these choices. I like that the colors give the piece a masculine and industrial look, but the rounded edges and scroll work design will also bring in a soft and feminine feel. It will also update the whole piece that can be used in a modern decor or a traditional. Planning the redesign of the upholstery and color choices has been fun.

The upholstery was bought at Fabric Depot for about $8 a yard and I bought five yards. The paint supplies include a bonding primer, latex paint and clear coat. That ran about $30 total, but all can also be reused for years to come.

Any guesses on the age of the chair?
Manufacturer's date is 1964.

Baby Wants A New Dress

For years, I have wanted to take a shot at fully upholstering a full piece of furniture from start to finish. I have made pillows, recovered seats of chairs, made cushions and done lots of woodwork. Plus, I know how to sew well. These are all skills that seem to suggest I can do this, but the theory has never been tested.

Until now.

After purchasing tools over the years, finding good deals on upholstery fabric at stores, and forgiving myself in advance for any mistakes that result in a loss of skin, fingernails or fabric...I did it.

In the small journey I am about to lay out, let me give some disclaimers. First, I know how to sew and I have a sewing machine and I push my machine to its limits. If you know how to make a pillow using a sewing machine, you should be fine. I am going to give links to websites I looked to for technical advice. Also, I cannot stress enough...Pinterest. A simple search using "upholster a chair", "upholster wingback", etc will give anyone a wealth of knowledge to get a true idea of such a project.

One thing I don't recommend. Books. Over the years I have bought two standard books for upholstering. I am not going to lie, they scared me more than helped. I blame them for the length of time it took me before I finally embarked on this project. I am sure it had nothing to do with all the other things in my life. Nope. I am sure of it.

Tools. Two tools I tried to cheat and not use, but ended up purchasing in the end....A staple remover and pneumatic staple gun with air compressor. Yes, I disassembled my chair with a flathead screwdriver and a pair of pliers, and I won't ever do it again. A staple remover saves a load of time, several chunks of skin, and maybe the utterance of a few words our mothers wouldn't approve of.

Pneumatic stapler. I started with a hand stapler. They do not have the power to drive a staple in wood nor do they use heavy duty staples that are need to really attach fabric to the frame. As soon as I stapled with one of these, the staple popped out. Next, I tried an electric stapler that is seen many times in the upholstery section of stores. Do not be fooled. They are inexpensive and one might think it is all they need. Same thing. It ends up driving a medium duty staple about halfway through wood. Now add a few layers of fabric, and it's a dud. After using actual nails a few times, I took the advice all the Pinterest pages suggested (yes, sometimes lessons are best learned first hand) and bought the pneumatic stapler and small air compressor--at a hardware store, not a fabric store. Be sure to ask the tool geek for the stapler, compressor, hose AND couplers. You're looking at about $100+. That is where the investment in upholstery needs to be decided.

Yep, make the investment. I mean it.

Am I going to upholster enough to make these tools worth this cost? In my case yes. If you're on the fence, keep reading. I'll show you ways to save some money. If you split the cost of tools with a friend or borrow tools for your first project to see if you want to make the investment, I recommend it.

L to R: Rubber mallet, small hammer, staple remover, pliers, needle nose pliers, and sewing scissors.

Fabric. Holy crow, that can be expensive. And inexpensive. You need to know where to shop. In Portland, Fabric Depot used to be the go to place for upholstery fabrics and tools. They have downsized their inventory quite a bit and I was quite disappointed when I visited them recently. They still have some, so it's worth checking out.

However, JoAnn Fabrics surprised the heck out of me when I went recently. Not only did they have a great selection, they had some crazy great clearance fabrics. For either store, take a stroll down the regular price aisles so you can get a good dose of sticker shock for upholstery fabrics. Full price can easily be $20-$30-$40 and on up a yard for fabric. Folks, at $50 a yard, reupholstering furniture is not worth it. It is better to toss the piece of furniture and purchase a new item. I only buy fabric if it is under $10 a yard, and $7-8 is even better.

So after the sticker shock, go to the clearance racks and breath a sigh of relief. Yes, you can find fabrics there you like that are in the price range that makes this whole thing affordable if not downright thrifty. Additionally, at JoAnn, they have a great supply of foam, stuffing and padding that is needed. Plus, if you get on their email list and coupon list you will get a regular supply of 50% and 60% off coupons. Foam can be spendy. Foam at 60% off is thrifty. Bring your coupons and use them!

Another source I am just discovering is an online source. Warehouse Fabrics Inc. is a fun website with lots of discounted fabrics. Plus, for $1.75 I can purchase about a 6 inch square sample of fabric. I ordered a few this week, and got them in a few days. All of my sample choices, of course, are in the $7-$8 a yard range, plus they have free shipping for orders over $35. I will be ordering from them, I am sure of it.

Now here we go....let's do this.

Get a crappy chair. I honestly recommend a basic wingback chair because it is easy and yet you will learn all the basic techniques in one project. You can also make them whatever you want. Modern, classic, or funky.

Where to find crappy chairs? Roadsides, craigslist, garage sales, or thrift stores. Is it just me or do "thrift" stores seem not so thrifty these days? I digress. I used the search words "free chair" on craigslist and I found a couple of winners. I want crappy, but not beyond repair. I do not care one iota what the fabric looks like, I care that the wood parts are in tact. Look for chairs that don't have broken arms or legs, are sturdy, not rotten wood, etc. All the fabric is coming off, so if it's gross and free, it's good.You can absolutely get a couch. It's just a larger version of a chair. But if you're new to this whole thing, let's think baby steps and get a chair.

Look closely....I see remnants of spills on the seat and head grease stains on the back. Yuck! Baby wants a new dress. She's is going to get one.

I love this chair! Why do my pets love it? It has evidence of being loved and claimed by previous pets. This chair is extremely heavy and they don't make them like this anymore. I'm excited to rejuvenate this baby!

I found two in my search. One was a basic chair build probably in the last 20 years that has just been worn out. The second one I found is a gem. It is heavy and old and solid. It has cat scratching damage and other spills on it. But once I redo it, honestly it will be a great piece of furniture.

Before I start trying to "show" you how to do this through the written word and some cell phone pics. Let me tell you the best video to watch. From start to finish, this is hands down the best video I watched on how to do this. How to remove staples, measure, cut, sew, staple, etc. Sailrite is an interesting company that focuses on upholstering but also sailing supplies. I recommend perusing their YouTube channel for various videos on how to make cushions, making piping, etc. More than once during my project, I went to look back at this video for a specific technique. I have not found anything that covers a project from start to finish as well as this one. It's almost two hours long and worth every moment.

Start taking the fabric pieces off in tact. You start with the back and pry and pull the back off, then arms, finally the seat. Keep all pieces, in tact as much as possible, and take a ton of pictures of everything you do. Yes, the collage is a few of those. I referenced my pictures more than once during the reassembly process. You think you'll remember how it came apart only to find that two weeks later you can't remember what you did five minutes ago, let alone if a stinky fabric was over or under the fabric it is joined to.

Yes, there will be tack strips along the back sides. Make sure your tetanus shots are up to date and treat those pieces like hissing snakes, because the teeth on those things bite like a snake. I put all the pieces I took off in a box and I labeled them with a marker where key happenings were. Up, front, left, staple here, right arm chair, etc. Please do that because you will not be able to remember what each of these pieces do when you really need to.

Did you know there are a lot of staples used in upholstery? What are you sitting on right now? Or later when you're home on your couch? A handful of staples? You would think since you don't see a single one, but no. Hundreds of staples. And yes, you will use just as many putting this baby back together. You might even put in a few and take out a few. Be sure to sweep after each day of work, even if you think you've done nothing with staples. Trust me, you have.

By the end of this defrocking process, you should have a chair that looks like this. In my case, the foam insides were in good shape. It still had bounce and shape. Spills had gone through the seat fabric and came off when the fabric came off. The only gross foam was along the front rail. I removed that and used a thicker, more durable upholstery batting to replace it. I also put a layer of upholstery batting over the foam to add a layer of fresh puffiness. A secret in this whole thing. What makes a piece look sharp is puffy fullness. If it doesn't have that, it looks deflated and old. Lots of things in life follow that principle.

You see a true cotton batting sticking out of the arm. I removed that and replaced it with a synthetic upholstery batting that is more durable.

This is actually a thin cotton batting. It wasn't puffy enough for me, so I added another layer of a thicker upholstery batting. You can see where the drooping foam along the front rail where that cat was sitting was replaced. No one is going to see this part of the project. It doesn't need to be perfect.

Now you need to reassemble this in the same order you took it apart. Seat first. Not the cushion. The seat the cushion sits on. It usually has a lining fabric with a manufacturers labels. For that lining fabric you can simply use your upholstery fabric. However, if you have some extras from something else, like I did, use it. A friend had given me denim awhile back from a project. Perfect. Durable, and I save a half a yard of upholstery fabric. 

Use the seat piece you removed to cut out a new piece. Here is where all common sense of sewing goes out the window. You just need a piece of fabric to slap on a frame. Forget precise seams and measuring. So cut it a bit generous to give yourself the ability to move it, stretch it, and make it fit. 

Also, my fabric choice. I bought this fabric three years or so ago. It was a discount fabric and it was about $8 a yard. I also have quite a bit left. I could probably do another chair if I used a contrasting fabric for the cushion. 

The white pieces you see underneath are a kind of flap from the original back piece. I used my extra denim on my piece instead. Those denim flaps are what was used inside the piece to staple down.

The seat is done. Next I did both the back and wings and attached them at the same time. I wanted them work well together. I honestly couldn't remember how they joined together at the arm. I got them on the piece first before stapling.

I had the seat, back and wings done. The wings were not typical from my research of other chairs. They were a sewn sleeve that I pulled over the wing and stapled in the back. I liked how that looked, so I did the sewing to put it together. I like the tailored look of the piping. You can't get that effect by stapling down fabric. This was one of those moments I appreciate that I can sew. However, don't worry if you staple down your wings. Just pay attention to detail and do what the previous upholsterer did, especially for your first project.

As you can see, I also did the cushion at this point. I was healing from the stapling. You can make the cushion anywhere in the process. Again, I cannot stress enough two things. If you can sew a pillow, you can make a cushion. If you need a boost to your confidence, then I recommend Sailrite's YouTube channel again. They have a whole lesson in how to make a cushion. You do not have to make your cushion with the piping. You can also take it up a notch and make a contrasting piping. If I had used a burgundy or black fabric for the piping, it would have been a great contrast. If I had made the cushion out of a contrasting fabric, same thing. If you like furniture design, this is your chance to shake it up with details and simple fabric choices.

Cushions. I used the foam from the original chair. If I couldn't I would have used it for the template to make one by purchasing the foam at JoAnn Fabrics and cutting it. Easy to do. 

Okay, the arms had me worried. Getting that fabric to wrap around the end of the arm and look anything other than a bad DIY job is tricky. And you have to do it twice. Again, I had the convo with myself about forgiving mistakes, it's okay if a piece of fabric is sacrificed, etc. It is also at this point that I gave up on the electric stapler. To do the pucker on the end of the arm through eight layers of fabric and grab onto the wood permanently...only compressed air can do that. I ended up putting one nail into all the fabrics. You'll see on the original picture there is a geometric detail on the front of that pucker. I was all ready to do the geometric piece, but the family said they liked it without. Less work, and it looks good--works for me. 

This is the piece that had me the most worried.

Lots of tucking, folding, etc. This will be one of the most visible parts of the chair. Pay attention to detail and don't staple it down until you're ready.

It looks done, right? Ha. No. The section under the arm rests and the back are up next. And that is where I needed to put aside my fear of tack strip. The nasty metal piece that allows you to nail down pieces with no staples showing. Again, took my time on the pieces under the arm rests. Even then, I pulled out several staples and was sweating profusely at one point.

Laying the yucky old pieces over the area to get an idea of how this goes together. Old pieces are essential. Stinky but essential.

The same area above but about to be tacked down with cardboard strip. It isn't pretty in process.

I took this picture so I could match the angle of the fabric when I did the other side.

This area below the arm had me stressed out!

The sides under the arm rests were done, and I needed a cup of coffee and a break. But not for long! It is almost done! The only thing left is the back. Again, I can't take great pics of this and do it well at the same time. Please go back to the Sailrite video and see how to use cardboard strips along the top of the back and tack strips along the side. Those two upholstery methods make for a seamless, no staples showing, tight back to your chair. 

Lean the chair over a desk or table. You are going to start at the top.

See the cardboard strip? Staple that like crazy then flip the fabric back and it's seamless and the cardboard makes it a smooth not choppy where you can see where each staple is.

 

Tack strip down the side. Again, sorry for the lack of pics. I cannot work with those dangerous things and take pics at the same time. The rubber mallet on the right is essential. You do need to hammer the fabric and you want a softer head to hit the fabric with or you'll damage the fabric. These are really inexpensive at hardware stores.

You're not done! But at this point, take an inventory of your tools. Make sure you have not left one inside the piece, because you're about to wrap up the project and we don't want any scissors or pliers trapped inside.

The dust cover on the underneath. I forgot to mention it at the beginning because mine was so frayed and disintegrated when I got the chair, it was simpler to just rip it off. I will say, it truly is the only piece you don't need to keep. But you do want one on your piece. It keeps dust and ick out of your furniture and covers up springs. I had a couch in my college days that didn't have one and I had a cat that would get into the furniture. She used up a few of her nine lives doing that too. 

See the denim? This is the underneath of the seat, and I stapled it tight against the frame.

Dust ruffle down. Folded and stapled to the edge. Covers all the imperfections only I know about.

The box of disgusting original fabric can now get out of my house.

All done.

Finished! See the pucker on the end of the arm rests? I didn't put the geometric piece based upon feedback from the family. We declare it completed.

The dust cover is the indicator you are done unless you procrastinated on the cushion or decide to do the geometric piece. I also texted the person I got this chair from a few weeks ago and sent them this picture showing them what their chair now looks like. They answered they liked the paisley and thanked me for letting me know. 

That is my first full bore upholstery project. I recommend it!