Bedroom Set Gets Updated with Paint

High Boy Dresser
After Paint

High Boy Dresser
Before Paint

This was a well-made high boy dresser which was about fifty years old. It was one of three pieces of furniture in this bedroom set (four if you include the mirror, which is not pictured). This was the high boy, there was also a low dresser and a nightstand. 

My customer had wanted an updated look, so I recommended painting as opposed to refinishing it with stain. After showing her several paint samples, she did her own research and found a lovely neutral creamy beige color, which complemented the design of the furniture, bringing out the details.

Both dressers had plenty of drawers, which each had to be painted individually, thus removed from the dressers so they can be masked off and primed, then ultimately painted. We use a high quality paint that holds up well to daily usage. It’s on the costly side, but is well worth it. Painting requires a lot of prep work, so it’s better to use high quality paint. 

Low Dresser After
Painting

Low Dresser Before
Painting

All in all there were fifteen drawers to mask off. The reason for this masking is so that the non-painted portions of the drawers remain unpainted. 

Our customer had the foresight to label each drawer so that they are easily reinstalled into their proper places in the dressers. You’d think that you could put drawers anywhere within the same dresser, but that’s not always the case. There are times when the drawers only fit in one spot, so marking them ahead of time is a great idea. Just one of those little trick you pick up along the way. A couple of the drawers had lost their bottom tracking, so Jim reinstalled them so they once again worked properly.

Nightstand After

Nightstand Before

Since my customer had opted to use the same hardware, we cleaned them up on the polishing wheel. Since they were made of brass, they polished up nicely and looked great with the newly painted furniture. Brass polishes up great, but if it’s brass plated, using the wheel exposes only the steel, not the brass.

The finished bedroom set looked terrific once it was painted. As refinishers, we love working with “real” wood, because it refinishes much better than some of the newer products which are made nowadays. The wood made a half a century ago was made really well and if preserved properly, will last another half century or more. Antique furniture is by its nature made to last as generations of these special pieces have survived many decades of everyday use with minimum wear. But when they require refinishing or updating, we make it lovely again.

Eastlake Chair Reupholstered

Eastlake Chair After

Eastlake Chair Before

This was a very old Eastlake chair which had been thrown away. My customer saw the potential of this chair and brought it to me to reupholster. Originally he had just wanted the springs to be restrung, as they had been popping through the fabric on the bottom, but upon closer inspection, I realized the chair’s springs were not the only thing this chair needed. The seat was rock hard, which meant that the foam was completely deteriorated beyond usage, so I told him it needed to be completely restrung, with new webbing. 

After I removed the old fabric, as I had guessed, the foam was so deteriorated it resembled a dried out loaf of bread. Yellow dust had sifted out of the chair’s bottom edges as I pried the old fabric off. It was indeed a mess and was simply not usable in its condition. Once I removed all the fabric, I made yet another discovery. The springs were tied to the chair upside-down, meaning they were strung to the bottom of the chair instead of the top of the chair’s seat, as it should have been done. This involved removing all the “guts” of the seat, which was the old deteriorated webbing as well as the springs and strings. 

Plus instead of using webbing to secure the springs to, they had used burlap only, which was definitely inadequate. Webbing is attached to the bottom of the chair then the springs are attached to the webbing. After this step, the springs are tied in the “eight-way” tying technique so that they are secure and do not move as well as adding the proper support and structure to the seat. Retying strings is a time-consuming job and requires accuracy and a bit of upper body work, or they won’t hold up for the long haul. I tend to over-tie springs, erring on the side of extra instead of under-tying them. Better more than less in this application.

New Webbing
With Springs
Ready for Tying

After the springs were securely tied, I stapled burlap to the top of them, snugging them tightly on all sides. A one inch layer of foam was the next layer, followed by a 1/4” layer of foam for added comfort. For the final padding I used loose cotton which is commonly used for upholstery. This is a very soft, comfortable cotton that comes on a roll. In some applications, many layers of this cotton is applied when a seat (or couch) needs more stuffing. 

Once I had the cotton in place, I stapled a layer of high quality muslin to cover everything else I had applied. The muslin makes a nice final surface on which to attach the fabric. Because my customer was on a tight budget and didn’t want to purchase new fabric, I chose a soft gray plush material, which was left over from a previous job, and was just enough to complete this chair. 

The cushion on the arms needed to be replaced as they too were beyond usage. I used the old cushions as templates and cut new ones using my carving knife. It worked quite well and covered the area nicely. The back of the chair needed new webbing and foam. The fabric was applied to both front and back of the upper part of the chair and the entire chair was finished with piping, which I prefer to using decorative nail heads which are difficult to pound into hardwood, such as this. I polished the metal wheels, which were original to the chair. The chair was once again usable.

Desk and Chair Gets Fresh Paint

Antique Desk After Painting

 

Antique Desk Before Painting

This small lovely antique desk was in great shape, but my customer wanted it, along with a matching chair, painted white to surprise his daughter for her birthday. 

This desk had quite a bit of detail, nice features and scalloped edges on the front and rosettes on each side and the center as well as spindled legs. The wood was mahogany, but had seen some wear, so painting was a nice alternative to refinishing. Many people love the natural look of wood, but there are times when painting is a great option. My customer chose a soft white for the set which looked amazing once it was painted. I prefer white for painting furniture because it’s always a fresh, light look that will match any décor.

Antique Desk Open After

Antique Desk Open Before

The desk had an unusual feature; you could use it as is, or flip the top to
expose a hidden area which has a pull-out area and a slots which could be used for stationary storage and supplies. It’s a really unique and valuable feature of this dainty desk.

The chair was a simple school style with narrow spindles and a form fitted seat bottom. This chair was a perfect complement to the desk as it could be used for many activities. The set was adequate to provide a nice work space but small enough to fit into a tight spot or tucked into a corner of a small room. 

Chair Before
Painting

Chair After
Painting

Antique Buffet Rescued and Refinished

Buffet Before Refinishing

This antique buffet had been stored in someone’s garage for many years before we got it. My customer had gotten it from one of her students (she’s a music teacher) in exchange for music lessons. Who knows how long it had been stored in a garage, but it was evident it had taken on some deterioration as a result  of being stored outdoors. 

Buffet After Refinishing

The top veneer was in bad shape, some of it peeling up. We were unable to remove it, so we stripped and sanded it prior to adding stain and polyurethane (3 layers) to protect it from further deterioration.

Portions of the decorative wood pieces had broken off such as the second drawer front center which is a continuation of the design on the top drawer. The far left spindle was also broken off. Luckily they had the piece and Jim was able to reattach it, but there was still another section of this piece missing completely which he had to create and make it fit in the open space. It’s difficult to create a piece that is missing entirely because you can’t measure it against anything.

The first step in the restoration process requires removing all the hardware, drawers, doors and pieces that are easily taken off the piece, such as the top. By removing these sections, it’s easier to work on them as you can reach more areas to strip, sand and stain before re-assembling it. Jim removed the decorative center on the back top as well as the top which he sanded separately, then reattached when completed. He had to create the missing spindle and glue those pieces back into place. The broken drawer sections were re-glued back on. 

This buffet had a “hidden” secret drawer which was the third and bottom drawer that forms the bottom decorative edge. Jim replaced the bottom portion of that drawer because it had a felt lined bottom that was difficult to open and close so he removed and replace it. It was common to store silverware in these drawers and they were frequently lined with felt which is a deterrent for discoloration of silver. The last step for any project such as this one is cleaning and polishing the hardware. This adds that special final touch that really completes the restoration process.

Woven Chair Replacement

Weave Chair After

Weave Chair Before

Caning and weaving are similar, using the natural fibers of cane or rush, but this application has a different technique, using a herringbone weave instead of spline or woven cane. It’s actually quite fun to do, but takes a lot of time and steps that must be followed, or you end up having to remove a lot of rows. This type of weave can be done in many different styles. 

Herringbone is just one of many. Basketweave is also popular. There is a “radio” weave which looks like the weaves are laid on top of one another. This particular one is my favorite because it is relatively quick and fun to do.

The art and technique of chair caning seems to be a dying, lost art, but with patience and trial and error, you can learn it. I didn’t have this skill until someone had asked me if I knew how to cane a chair. That was about five years ago. I told them that I didn’t know how to cane a chair but would be able to figure it out. The first one I did was frustrating and I swore I would never do it again! Then after the second and third one, I knew the system, became more familiar with the steps involved in doing it right and by the tenth one I was a pro. I’m still learning because each chair has its unique qualities and challenges, but the simplest ones are still my favorite. It’s relaxing and fun to “bond” with an old chair, imagining the stories it could tell me if it could speak. 

Straightback Chair Gets New Cane Seat

Caned Seat After

Caned Seat Broken

This was a relatively simple caning job because it was the seat only, always preferable to the seat and back, which tends to be harder to reach. This is a circa 1930’s chair which had the original caning. One of the disadvantages of caning is that after time, it gets brittle and tends to break or bend. 

This one needed replacement. A trick that you can do if you have a caned chair with a slightly bended seat is to put a damp towel on the seat overnight. The damp towel will soften the caning and once removed, it should tighten up again once dry and the sagging seat problem should be solved. If it’s severely sagging or broken, there’s no fix for it other than a total replacement. 

Caning does come in different thicknesses. You can usually tell what size you require by the size of the holes. The larger the holes, the thicker the caning needed,  however, you can use smaller caning with larger holes but not vice-versa. But either way, a newly caned chair seat is nice and fresh and lends many more years to the life and use of the chair.

Podiatrist Office Chair Seat Fix

Whole Chair Before
New Vinyl

This was a first for me! Last month I received a call from a receptionist at a podiatrist’s office. She inquired if I can reupholster a torn patient chair. Since I had never done this type of upholstery, I told her the truth that “No, I haven’t done this but I’m willing to try.” I asked her a few questions and for her to send me photos. 

Back and Seat After
New Vinyl

Once I saw that it was only the seat that was torn and
the only part of the chair that needed replacing, I realized that it was indeed something I felt that I could tackle and told her so. She asked me to quote two prices; one for just the seat and one for the entire chair. I sent her both quotes and the next day I received a response that the doctor wanted just the seat replaced. I explained to her that although I would likely be unable to match the vinyl exactly, I could come close. Since I had no idea how old the original vinyl was or where it was purchased, I could only go by the photos and order something similar.

Once she brought the torn seat to me, I got to work. The seat, it turned out, was actually connected to the back at the bottom edge with a wide piece of vinyl that was stitched and stapled in place. Replacing the torn vinyl required removing all the attaching pieces of vinyl on the upper and lower portions, as well as peeling up the lower portion of the chair’s back to reveal the sides and access the seat itself. I had to see how it was put together before I could completely take it apart. 

Removing all the components of this chair proved to be quite the challenge, but once I did that, I could clearly see how it was constructed. From experience, I’ve learned to never assume I will remember how something was put together after it’s been taken apart, so I took photos of each removal step which would be repeated in reverse to re-assemble the seat sections. Once I was satisfied with my photos, I carefully marked each piece of vinyl so I would have accurate templates for the new seat. With a lot of notations and marks, the cutting process was a breeze. I kept referring to my original vinyl for accuracy (and those photos which came in handy) until all the sections were cut. I actually re-stitched the old material back together to insure everything would fit with the new vinyl since it was a finite space to attach it to and had to fit precisely. Though an extra step, this made the final new vinyl installation accurate. 

The seat had badly damaged foam, which was breaking up and out of shape, so it needed to be replaced. The foam construction consisted of one larger piece of 2” foam which covered the entire chair, and a 10 x 10 cut-out section of foam that fit into the center and ended at the back, which nestled inside the larger section of foam. The sections of vinyl that were attached to this area of foam had to get an “extension” of durable fabric so they could be stapled down in between the “valley” created by the cut-out area of foam. By doing this, it created the “clinch” center portion which pulled that area down into the valley and flowed with the double-stitched top seams that tied it all together. 

Once all new vinyl was in place, I recreated the tabs that held the two sections together and reattached the seat to the back. It wasn’t one of the easiest jobs I’ver ever done, but it wasn’t the most difficult either. It was nice to have an opportunity to work on a chair such as this because it gives my new industrial sewing machine and myself a good workout and great experience for future jobs like it.

Boat Interior Cushions Reupholstered

Boat Cushions After

 

Boat Cushions Before

This was my first opportunity to do interior boat cushions. This project involved fifteen (15) cushions for a 32’ sailboat. The original Spartan fabric was quite dated, like popular in the 1970’s or 1980’s but had seen better days and was ready for something different. 

My customer had wanted sailboat fabric to replace the plaid and chose a very cool fabric with various sizes of sailboats on it on a white background, featuring red, white and blue overall. The fabric was a dream to work with and the cushions turned out great.

Unlike standard cushions, these sailboat cushions were quite challenging because they were not only different shapes, meaning some were wide on one end and narrow on the other end, they also took the shape of the sailboat’s interior with angled sides. This required a very detailed, concise cutting, following the pattern pieces which I created by using the original fabric, very closely. I had developed a system in which I completely removed each old cushion fabric, separated all the pieces then used those for templates to create the new cushion covers. This is one way to insure the new cushions would fit. The other way is the create your own templates by carefully measuring each cushion and making a pattern from material specifically used for pattern making which can be purchased. 

I did this for each cushion, completing it before I tackled the next one. This project took me about 3 weeks to finish. It was a challenging job to be sure but I was very happy with the outcome and more importantly, so was my customer.

Seat Cushion Before

Seat Cushion After

The two cushions below were the one on the end of the corner area (shown above). The curve on this cushion went about a pole on the side of the boat, so this cushion had to be cut to accommodate this curve.  This cushion required the foam to be replaced as it was moldy and quite worn. I use a combination of foam cutting tools to make these cuts, an essential part of working with foam.

Long Galley Cushion After

Long Galley Cushion Before

The long cushion was one of the more difficult cushions I made because it was 77” long and 15” on the narrow side and 24” on the wider side. This cushion was also angled on one end so that its shape is consistent with the natural curve of the boat. The smallest cushions were 17 x 12 and the larger ones varied from 77” x 15 x 24 to 56” x 24”. 

The various sizes of these cushions required a lot of attention to detail as well as measuring many times. I also devised a foolproof way to make sure the pattern faced the right direction when cutting. I marked the original cushion with lots of black markers showing arrows to the top, bottom and zippered edge, which helped a great deal when the time came to put those pieces together. I then transferred these marks to the new fabric with indelible ink, that comes off with an iron or over a period of time on its own. These pens, called “Frixion," are one of my favorite tools for sewing! 

By the time I got to the 15th and last cushion, it was a breeze, but I was ready for a break as it was quite the job. I’m so happy to have had the opportunity to add this to my skill set and afterward had gotten a few more cushion jobs (which aren’t posted here) because they were loose cushions with no “before” photos. It’s great when you learn the tricks as you continue to process of upholstery and sewing. It helps to serve you long into the future.

Caned Rocker Repair

 

Rocker After

Rocker Before

This unique rocking chair came from Nicaragua. My customer had been in the air force and brought it back with him on a plane that he flew over to the U.S. after the war. That story was as intriguing as the chair. What made this chair unique was the carvings. The caning on the back and the seat was broken and needed replacing. Other than that, the chair needed nothing.

I always begin my caning process by removing the old caning first, decide on the size for the new caning before I weave it. This one was the first time I came across plastic caning instead of the natural reed cane that use mostly used when caning chairs. This proved to be much more difficult to remove because the snippers I use to remove caning didn’t snip the plastic easily. Usually the snippers work very well, quickly cutting the old caning off so I can remove it completely. I prefer using the snips to a utility knife because you have more control over the cane removal than using a knife. If the knife slips, you can damage the wood as well as cut yourself.

Once the old seat caning was removed, I had another challenge which I had only done one other time. The back of this chair had “hidden” tie-offs, covered with a 1/4” wood channel that hid the woven cane by covering it with four wooden pieces that curved around the back of the finished cane. This means that in order to remove the caning, it was necessary to remove the 1/4” wood channel first, which required steaming through the front openings and gently pushing them through with a punch tool. 

The spline removal process involved shooting steam into several holes then tapping them with the punch tool to loosen the glue, thus pushing the wood out enough to remove it. This process took longer than it did to remove the seat caning. It’s an added step to the caning process and very labor intensive. The last time I did this was with a set of four chairs which took two months to complete. Those were curved chairs so they were definitely harder to do work on than normal caned chairs.

After the back caning was completely removed along with the wood splines, I decided to cane the seat first, which turned out great. The much harder process of doing the back involved repositioning the chair many times during the weaving process because it was so large and hard to access because the back was so long. This was a very large chair, thus making it harder to work on the the average sized chair. And, rocking chairs in general are harder to work on than a straight chair because they move. 

After the chair was complete, I was relieved and very glad to have gotten it put back together again, which is also quite a process because I had to reduce the thickness of the original back spline so that it fits into the pre-cut groove which covers the tied-in caning on the back of the chair. 

1970’s Ottoman Overhaul

Ottoman Before New Fabric

Ottoman with new fabric

In the 1970’s, this plaid fabric was quite popular on furniture. Although still functional and in good condition, it was dated. In December, 2021, I made couch cushions for this same customer using the original fabric to create new cushions for a couch. 

They also had a chair and ottoman which needed new fabric to match the rest of the furniture. They chose a nice gray tweed, which looked great with the oversized, hand carved wood. 

The cushion itself was in good shape and didn’t need replacement as the couch cushions did. This cushion basically sat inside the sides of the ottoman, but was still screwed into the angled brackets in the corners for a safe and secure fit. The new top needed little sewing, just enough to fit the corners, which involved a 90 degree cut and sewn sides to create a box. Then the rest was overlapped and attached to the board on the underside of the cushion and stapled to it. No zipper required! Zippered cushions are a lot more work as you need to include boxing on the sides as well as at the zipper placket, which is always larger than the rest of the boxing. 

I love the simplicity of this nice ottoman as well as its sturdy frame. Fabric upgrading is a relatively inexpensive way to make an old piece of furniture look new again.

 

Vintage 1961 Lane Guitar Pick Table

 

Guitar Pick Table Before Stripping

Guitar Pick Table After Stripping

This is a vintage, 1961 Lane Guitar Pick table, well known for its unique shape which resembles a guitar pick (or Ouija board planchette) depending on how you look at it. My customer had found it on the side of the road. 

Someone had decided it was a good idea to spray paint it black. Perhaps it had belonged to someone’s grandmother and when they acquired it, they wanted a “modern” look, not realizing that it was already a mid-century classic without the need for paint. Luckily someone rescued it from the garbage truck and saw the beauty of this table. 

Whomever had dumped this beauty, clearly did not know what they had thrown own or its value. After we had researched this table, we found they were selling on eBay for between $1600-$1700. 

Like Lane cedar chests, you can tell the age of the piece by looking at the serial number (usually found on the bottom) and backward, it tells you the date the furniture was made. This table’s serial number was 610250, which translates to May 20, 1961. This little tidbit of information is fun to know when browsing estate sales or resale shops while looking for or at Lane furniture.

The unique two-tone, notched top characteristic was still visible, despite the paint. Luckily its tell-tale markings could still be seen beneath the thin layer of black spray paint. This table needed plenty of stripping and sanding to reveal the beautiful wood covered by the paint. Once that was removed, it revealed the beauty hidden for so many years. The two-tone wood was a perfect complement to the original cut and style of this table, making it a masterpiece for many years to come.

Grandmother’s Antique Chair Gets New Upholstery

 

Antique Chair Before

Antique Chair After

This was an antique chair had a lovely harp design on the back also had a heart-warming history. This chair was my customer’s husband’s grandmother’s chair and was given to the couple as a wedding present. Although grandma passed away twenty-seven years ago, the chair had been kept by family members and had been well cared for. The chair had come to us refinished, but needed new fabric, as well as spring tightening. 

The previous upholsterer used inadequate material on the springs as you could see them right through the seat fabric. When I sat on the the chair, I felt as though I would fall right through, that’s how bad it was. Everything was so thin, the springs popped right through, so I got to work and stripped it all off. Once I removed the old fabric, was what revealed was; the springs had been covered with a thin layer of shabby white fabric a rusty ring outlining each spring beneath. Next was a thin layer of raw cotton and a super thin layer of foam. That was it! The common denominator was “thin.” 

After I removed all the fabric, thin foam and the rest, I removed the springs. There were only four strips of webbing beneath the springs, which was inadequate. I replaced them with six strips of webbing, which I criss-crossed, making the webbing tight which lends proper support for the springs and a much better feel for the chair’s seat. 

The springs were pretty rusty and greasy, so I used my grinder’s brass wheel and cleaned and polished each spring, removing the grime and rust, revealing the nice metal beneath. It made them easier to work with and of course, much nicer looking. Evening though nobody will see these newly cleaned springs, I knew they were clean and that made me happy. Having the right tools for this type of work is essential! This spring cleaning step was not necessary, but a good idea to clean the interior parts of the chair. Plus, it gives me a feeling of doing it right.

Once the springs were cleaned, I hand sewed each one into place with strong waxed upholstery thread. Each spring was marked with a black sharpie, 2 inches away from the chair’s inner frame. This is a very important step, keeping the springs in line with each other for equal support. Once this is complete, the springs receive an eight-way tie. You start with the horizontal rows and tie each spring together, secured to the chair’s frame with staples (or nails) depending on the condition of the wood. If the wood is damaged from too many nails from previous reupholstering, staples are preferable. They are my personal favorite as I feel they are much faster and easier to use. Repeat the process with vertical ties, again securing each row, looping the string around each spring to keep them tight and the same height. Once the horizontal and verticals are secured, you repeat the process, now from corner to corner, in the shape of an “X” until you have eight strings overlapping one another. I added a couple more rows on the edges of the outer springs for extra strength. 

The next step is securing all the freshly tied springs with a layer of burlap, secured with staples to the edge of the chair’s frame. After the burlap, I added a 1” layer of high density foam, a thick layer of raw cotton batting, a thick layer of dacron and a layer of batting. I finished this with a layer of muslin to keep it all in place before I finished it with the fabric. After sitting on the newly finished seat, I no longer felt the springs, a good indication of a properly layered seat.

This chair was finished with decorative trim, or gimp, which was used to cover the staples that secured the fabric to the top of the chair. The back of the chair also needed to be reupholstered. The previous upholsterer used no webbing for the back, so I added a couple of strips for extra support and strength. Then I added a thin layer of closed cell foam and batting, which was appropriate for the back of the chair (unlike the seat, the needs a lot more layers of multiple materials so you don’t feel the springs.) Again, I used gimp trim to cover the staples which finished it off nicely. The gimp complemented the fabric, adding a decorative, finished look to the chair.

Check out the photos below to see the before and after springs and you can see the way an 8-way tie is properly done with chairs that have springs.

Chair Before Proper
Spring Tying and Less Webbing

Chair After Proper Spring
Tying and Six Strips of Webbing