I figured it couldn't be that hard to simply remove fabric and replace it. The task seemed trivial and with great impact. Plus, I loved how much a piece could transform with a simple reupholstering. I found myself drawing inspiration from a place I used to live near in Minneapolis. Movables is a posh home consignment shop that I wish I had thought of first. I used to stop in on occasion to see what project the owner was taking on next. I always thought- How creative! How much a simple change can make such a difference. And oh, how I would love to give that a shot!
She posts a handful of redone pieces to Movable's website: check out the revamps here:
Movables Revamped Furniture
She posts a handful of redone pieces to Movable's website: check out the revamps here:
Movables Revamped Furniture
Here's one of my favorite revamps:
Before
&
After
Gorgeous!
Well here was my chance. Two chairs at $15/piece. Cheap enough where I didn't feel my investment would overpower my pocketbook. It's not like I was just going to walk away with all these ideas that I had already begun dreaming up. I was determined to reinvent these chairs.
I had no idea what I was getting myself into.
I had no idea what I was getting myself into.
It took me several months. Not that I worked painstakingly at them everyday but the more I uncovered as I stripped the layers down, the more work they became.
Here's a list of what I learned while deconstructing and reconstructing:
1. Be aware of how that fabric is attached to the piece. The nails were carefully hidden underneath a bordering trim that had been glued and partially nailed on. These chairs had somewhere around a hundred nails between the two of them where the trim and fabric was pounded into the wood. All of those needed to be removed.
2. After removing the fabric I discovered a disintegrating padding and crisscrossed pattern of burlap to secure the springs and provide structure for the backs of the chairs. I was able to keep the burlap on the top of the chair but the rest of the materials all had to be discarded and replaced.
3. And then came the springs. Spring loaded chairs are not the kind you should start your first reupholstering project on. I had to remove the old rusty springs. But now I had no chair seat...
4. I decided to cut out pieces of 1/2 in. thick particleboard to fit the base of the chair. The base is an irregular shape which required a jigsaw. Always remember- when cutting wood measure twice (or three or four times) and cut once. I made a template from cardboard and traced it onto the wood.
5. I also wanted to highlight the beautiful carved inlays of the wood. I came across this neat site that detailed the process I eventually used (I first spray painted the wood and then mixed a water based glaze with acrylic paint to work into the carvings. It worked great):
http://www.sawdustandembryos.com/2011/08/furniture-glazing-tutorial.html
Here's one of their inspirational beauties:
6. Padding the chair would have gone more smoothly had I determined that I needed a thicker foam beforehand. I ended up adding two layers of 1 inch dense foam and a couple layers of batting to smooth out foam and chair edges.
7. Now (finally!) I could put on the new fabric. I was able to save the old fabric after removing it from the chair and use it as a template for cutting out the new stuff (good trick of the trade). I carefully hammered in the fabric with upholstery tacks working with one corner and it's opposing side to make it as smooth as possible.
8. Then came the trim. I purchased at a strongly adhesive fabric glue for attaching the trim. Along with gluing it down I also hammered in a few small nails in to the corners and curves to hold the trim in place.
And Voila! The chairs are complete!
Here's a view from the top:
If I could go back with this knowledge and decide to reupholster a piece of furniture for the first time I'd definitely scope out a chair like this:
No trim, no springs, no backing = much simpler project to undertake for a beginner. Just remove and replace and you've done.
Don't get me wrong, I have no regrets about the project. I learned a great deal about how much I didn't know. I was challenged with something new every step of the way and employed some creative problem solving.
And it wouldn't be fair to not disclose to you how much this project cost. Here's the breakdown of approximate overall cost:
Chairs ($30) + Fabric ($15) + Glue and Tacks ($10) + Trim ($20) + Spray Paint ($6) + Glaze ($7) + Tools (owned or borrowed) + Time (priceless!) = ~ $90 ($45 per chair)
Most of all I enjoyed the process. It was during the journey I learned the most (and had some help from my partner, Martin, whom I am eternally grateful for helping me through the nail entanglement). All-in-all, I'm pleased with the outcome.
I'd do it again in a heartbeat.
