Chair for a Friend

Chair After

Chair Before

My guess is that this chair was approximately one hundred and fifty years old, give or take. The seat springs were poking though the bottom, making it something you would not be able to sit on without falling through! Not a good scenario. But when my friend of fifty-plus years had asked me if I could reupholster this chair, I said, "Of course!" I would welcome the challenge, especially since I have mastered re-tying seat springs so they can be functional. 

Spring tying is a skill that you must have if you tackle upholstery projects and doing it right is essential to the future life of the chair. (Check out the springs in the photo to see what they looked like before they were repaired.)

So once I had removed all the tacks and nails, I stripped the fabric from the chair. The seat had the original horsehair. Next step, I replaced the old webbing with new webbing and re-tied those old springs. I began the process of building up the chair's seat by covering the springs with burlap to keep them in place. I added a one inch layer of foam over the burlap and stapled it. Next I added a couple layers of raw cotton to soften the foam and shape the seat. Finally, I covered the raw cotton with a high thread count muslin to keep it all smooth and soft before I stapled on the new ticking material that my friend had selected. The material was great to work with and looked terrific. Whenever I work with patterns, I make sure I find center of the seat before securing the fabric to the chair to keep it even and appealing to the eye.

Stripes all lined up, I worked on the top. The old webbing was not attached very well, so I replaced it with new webbing for strength and comfort, as well as long-lasting wear. I covered the webbing with thin foam and raw cotton before I attached the new fabric. The back of the chair needed a little bit of raw cotton before I could cover it with the final ticking fabric. Once all the fabric was stapled in place, I cut fabric for the welt cord to replace the old upholstery tacks used on the chair originally. I attached the welt cord to the seat, back front and back and made sure I had enough material for the armrests, which I did last. For the armrests I replaced the horsehair with foam and cotton and covered it with the ticking and finished it off with the welt cording. What a difference this reupholstery made in this antique chair. And it is as comfortable as it is pretty.

Springs Poking Through

Before repair