Tavern Chairs' Revival

Chair After

Chair Before

A set of four chairs that very much looked like they'd be at home in a 19th Century English Tavern, had been neglected for a long time and needed life breathed back into them. This photo shows the worst of the four, since it looked like it had been left out in the weather. It was in pretty rough shape. 

The original seat and back were black vinyl, with upholstery tacks surrounding the seat area and sides of the top. The seats were torn and the foam was destroyed. Time to renew.

There was a lovely medallion carving in the center of the back, which was almost invisible prior to refinishing. Made of solid (and I mean SOLID) oak, these chairs must have weighed 40 lbs. each. This made the refinishing and reupholstery project tough, because of how many times needed to move the chairs to complete the work.

To save time, Jim removed the black vinyl and got to work. He opted to take them apart so he could access the areas that needed to be re-glued and repaired and that's the best and proper way to do it. Apart, he sanded the pieces down to bare wood then stained them with English Chestnut stain.  Once the new stain was applied, the chairs were put together and "brought back to life." The final step was sprayed the polyurethane, and wow! The chairs were beautiful and that beautiful flower medallion just popped! 

Once he was done working his magic, it was time for me to work mine. The chairs needed new fabric. My customer and I agreed gray would be a nice color. The old padding was not usable, so each chair got new foam and batting on the seats. As I stated before, these chairs were HEAVY! Since adding material requires a lot of moving the chair around, it was necessary to lift them up to put on my work table then down again on the floor for stapling and then up on the table again to continue other parts. You get the picture. 

The curved back portion of the chair was trickier than it first looked, because each chair needed a template which I had to create from the chair's measurements instead of using the old material, since it was so distorted and badly damaged it was unusable. Upholstery has many challenges, one being sometimes you simply do not know what is involved until you get into it. Such was the case with the backs. Once I figured out that part, measuring the material properly was crucial, because if the measurement was incorrect, it wouldn't fit. 

I created templates out of card stock, which gave me the precise size of each fabric section. I had to line up the top edges of the curved portion of the top prior to stitching, so that once it was pulled into position, it would fit snugly to the bottom edge before I could attach the underside with staples. This required a lot of lifting, turning, more lifting, more turning, etc. Good body mechanics is essential when doing this heavy lifting.

The last step in the process was adding the double welt cord around the seat to finish it off with a polished, professional look. I used hot glue on the double welt cord, as it is the most effective way to attach welt cord, but I also like to reinforce welt cord with tiny nails to make sure it doesn't move over time. Needless to say I was extremely happy to finish these heavy, but lovely, tavern chairs.

Oak Dining Table Makeover

Dining Table After

Dining Table Before

A classic oak dining table never goes out of style. One of the more popular tables we refinish are like this very one. Due to time and use, this table had seen some wear for many years and needed a lot of TLC. Basically in great condition, this solid oak table needed to be stabilized prior to refinishing. Some of the original wood components of the table were missing or broken, so Jim reconstructed them to stabilize the table. 

At some point wheels had been added, but they were metal and rusting, so Jim replaced them with new rubber wheels. Traditionally, wheels aren't recommended for dining tables, but sometimes they are useful when the person plans on moving the table's location.

The color had been faded, showing its wear. Our customer chose a lovely stain color, English Chestnut, which worked quite well for the table as well as the chairs it came with.  He used satin polyurethane to give the surface a durable finish and it looked great once it was done.

The chairs and table were not an original set, but once they were finished, the wood actually matched very well. The chairs will appear in a separate blog post titled, "Tavern Chairs' Revival." 

Antique Rocking Chair Revival

Rocking Chair After

Rocking Chair Before

This lovely antique rocking chair had belonged to the original owner of the Mariner Theater and had likely been stored for many decades before seeing the light of day. It had never been worked on, thus had the original leather seat and horsehair and straw stuffing under the leather seat. 

Needless to say, it was pretty nasty. The springs needed to be re-tied, but were in decent shape, meaning they were not rusted. It's an old chair, I estimate at least 150-175 years old based on the construction and the materials used as well as the design and wood, which was solid mahogany.

I removed the seat and the straw and horsehair, which was quite the job. It was pretty nasty, filled with dirt and who knows what else. Then I worked on the springs, removing all the old ties and webbing that barely held those springs in place. The previous upholsterer used only nails to secure the spring ties so it took several hours to remove all the nails that were imbedded into the chair's seat. After everything was removed, I gave it a thorough cleaning so Jim could work on refreshing the stain. First he gave it a good cleaning and the water was black. 

All those years of grime showed up in the water. Once it was cleaned and he touched up the stain, the chair looked really good, its natural beauty coming through. There was no damage on any part of this chair, all details were still in tact including the hard-carving on the back panel. The front arm detail was carved into the curve and the feet were ball and claw, a traditional detail commonly used in the nineteenth century.

Once the chair was cleaned up, secured new webbing to the underside of the chair and I attached the springs securely with waxed thread to the webbing. Then I re-tied the springs using the eight-way tie method which is the proper way to tied springs for upholstery. Next step was attaching the burlap over the springs to hold them securely in place. A layer of Dacron was positioned over the burlap, building up the "crown" of the seat. Two layers of raw cotton were the next step before the final step of the 1" foam which made a nice crown and gave this chair a soft, comfortable sitting area. The original chair was very flat, without much stuffing, therefore it was hard and not very comfortable. With the new padding, it was quite soft and easy to sit on. 

The final feature was a leather panel which was sewn by using four 13" section, stitched together in the center then I added an accent top stitch on each side of the seams for a decorative finish. The bronze tacks created a nice contrast to finish off the chair. This was not one of my easier projects, but definitely one of the most rewarding finished products.

Antique Desk Refinish

Desk After

Desk Before

A beautiful antique walnut desk used by our customer's grandfather for his practice as a physician. It had been kept near a window and had a little sun damage, but other than that it was in great shape. 

The top was a bit worn as it had been used for many years. But overall, this desk/table served a great purpose for the owner's business use. In front is a drawer which is difficult to see in the photographs, but it was a nice feature of this lovely piece of furniture. 

Jim stripped it down to bare wood and sanded it carefully, maintaining the original details at the bottom edge. It had a sturdy base with two sidebar supports which made this desk a very stable piece of furniture. He chose dark walnut stain and satin polyurethane for protection. This makes a great family heirloom and can be used for many more years to come, serving the future generations well.

Octagon Sorrento Table with Inlaid Wood

Table Before

A small table with a big personality! What a beautiful work of art this was! This table was comprised of thousands of tiny pieces of inlaid wood to create a pointed star design in the center that extends outward in overlapping chevrons. Each section uses contrasting colors of wood tones in beautiful variations, complementing the overall design. The design really draws you in, begging for a close-up view. 

Table top after

The border also more dimension and each border is made up of a different design, some of the tiniest pieces measuring 1/8" x 1/8" in continuous lines that circle the gorgeous centerpiece.  The pedestal itself complemented the tabletop with its own unique detailed design (It's difficult to see that detail in this photo).

We believe the origin of this table is from Naples, Italy in a "Sorrento" style. This type of inlaid wood is known for its inlay wood tradition originating from Naples,  dating as far back as the 15th century. This unique, high specialized craft of art of inlay is made by inserting different materials into wood. This technique creates highly intricate designs and the process requires precision, patience and determination as well as attention to detail. Sorrento is the hub of the Italian inlay furniture and is known for its exquisite craftsmanship with woodworking. Some of these tables can cost upwards from $2,500 to $11,000, depending on design and size.

Once Jim had the table sanded, he used a natural stain since it didn't require a color change. The beautiful original colors of the surface are the true star of this show making it a true work of art.

Antique Chair Revival

Chair After

Chair Before

This chair was a challenge. Not only because there was a lot of fabric to replace, the chair was also very heavy. My estimate for this chair was that it was made in the late 1920's to early 1930's, based on the original material of which I found a small scrap on either side of the arm padding. The wood was cherry.

Once I removed all the sections of the chair, (you start on the back, which is the last section added to a chair) I removed the seat stuffing, which consisted of horse hair and straw. This is another clue as to the age of this chair. Prior to modern-day foam and fiber fill, upholsterers used horse hair and straw for the seat. Once I removed the nasty chair stuffing, it exposed the springs. The seat springs were in pretty good shape, but needed some overall tightening and re-tying, but not a complete eight-way tie. The back of the chair also had springs, which were in good condition. 

The chair had the original webbing on the underside, but the most recent upholsterer attached new webbing to the bottom to strengthen the integrity of the springs without removing the springs. I usually remove the chair's springs and replace the webbing when necessary, but this chair was in good enough shape with the original springs, thus needed a bit of extra tying. Once the springs were secured, I covered them with premium muslin instead of burlap. This allowed me to really pull and tighten the springs to keep them in place for the next step, which is adding the padding. Since this particular chair had a bit of wood showing, I touched up the wood with matching stain and used satin polyurethane to protect it. This is done prior to adding material.

The first layer of padding was a section of raw cotton, which comes on a large roll and can be pulled apart and placed directly on the chair's seat. The next layer was a 1" section of premium foam, then another layer of raw cotton. All these seat toppers were finished with another section of muslin which holds everything together and gives the chair its "crown," where it is higher in the middle section. The springs were held tightly and the bounce was perfect.

Fabric was next. My customer chose a lovely Kelly Ripa Home fabric with a nice design. After careful measuring, I covered the seat first with the material. Once I was satisfied with the seat, I chose to do the arms next. I stapled foam to the top of the arms and Dacron to the sides. This formed a nice cushion to support the arms without a lot of bulk. Using the chair's arms for measurement, I cut the right amount of material to each arm, attaching it from the back side to the front of the arm then pulling it back before attaching it to the back of the chair. I chose to do the arms prior to doing the interior back so that I had easy access to it. 

The back proved challenging because this chair was fairly large, so a generous section of fabric was required to cover it. I wrapped the fabric around to the back of the chair, curving at the top edges instead of the original style which was made with side inserts and welting. Each upholsterer does things a little differently. Once the fabric was firmly in place, the buttons were next. I made each button using a button kit that covers the metal button fixtures with the same fabric as the rest of the item. 

The buttons are pulled through the thick front to the back using extra long needles, then tied off in the back of the chair through the webbing. This is a tricky procedure because you are going through about 6"-8" of material and padding to reach the back. I use a strong waxed thread for added strength. I chose to put the buttons in a different configuration than the original (personal choice) which I felt matched the design of the chair better.  

After the buttons were in place, I stapled and nailed "curve ease" to the back edge of the chair so that I could attach the fabric, then it gets hammered it in place to cover the hardware that attaches it. I glued double welting to the arm fronts for clean finish. Once the entire chair was done, I stapled chambray to the underside. This is a "dust cover" to protect the chair from dirt and debris that can enter from the underside of the seat. It's a good way to finish off a chair. I love the way it turned out and boy, was it comfortable!

Dad's Old Desk Fixed and Cleaned Up

Desk After

Desk Before

My customer's father had owned this desk many years ago and during cleaning out his mother's home after she had passed away. He had wanted this desk restored in memory of his father and keep the desk in the family. The desk had a broken lower drawer, which Jim repaired, otherwise the desk was in pretty good condition. 

Jim removed the hardware then proceeded to strip, sand and re-stain the desk using walnut stain. He applied three coats of satin polyurethane which finished the surface nicely. The handles got a great polish and the desk was once again beautiful. A perfect size desk for anyone's use.

Curb Find Chair Makeover

Chair After

Chair Before

This was a set of four chairs that were found on the side of the road along with a matching dining room table. My customer saw them and immediately grabbed them. The chairs were a classic mission, craftsman style and in excellent condition except for the seats, which needed new fabric and cushions. 

The wood was in pretty good shape but needed a good cleaning. Once Jim had finished cleaning the wood, he removed the seats and material (saving me time) so I could replace the cushions and install the new fabric my customer had selected. It was a nice navy blue which looked great with the color of the wood. 

Jim also refinished the table that came along with the chairs (not pictured) and it looked fabulous. Sometimes the best furniture is the kind you find on the curb! It was still less expensive 

New Cushion Covers for Dining Chairs

Old Cushion Cover

New Cushion Fabric

My customer had wanted new cushion covers for her dining room set and selected the fabric. It was an updated material, but the fabric was considerably thicker and durable for this application. The cushions measured 18" x 17". 

I installed new zippers on each one of them in addition to new welting all the way around. The fabric was directional, so I had to be very conscious of the cutting and layout. An advantage of non-directional fabric is that it really doesn't matter how you lay out the template, but in this case, I had to pay close attention to that.

The results were great! The pattern flowed nicely with the cushion and gave it the updated look my customer had wanted.

Grandfather’s Chair Refinished and Reupholstered

Rocking Chair After

 

Rocking Chair Before

This was a very old rocking chair that belonged to my customer’s grandfather. It had plenty of use and had seen better days, so it was in need of some TLC. The right arm had broken off the spindle and needed to be glued back into place prior to any refinishing work being done. 

She had wanted to keep the same color, so we decided to go with traditional walnut, which brought out the beauty of the solid oak wood, refreshing the overall look and making it once again a beautiful piece of furniture.

Like most old rocking chairs, this one had a very badly worn seat which had the original horsehair stuffing and some very unusable other materials. The dust was enough to make me sneeze! My customer had chosen a fabric similar in color to the original, which was a lovely dark olive velour, to keep the original look and feel of the chair. Jim was kind enough to remove the old fabric, since I was still recovering from my stomach surgery and he took plenty of photos for reference. I have found taking photos to be an essential part of reupholstery disassembly, because you need to know how it was put together, before you take it apart and reassemble it properly, and photos are a great way to accomplish this.

The springs on this seat were installed from the bottom side, downward. I have worked on a few chairs like this and always wondered the reason for this type of installation of springs. For a chair to be comfortable, you have to have a “crown,” which is a curved top so that the springs are underneath you, covered by layers of various materials so you don’t feel the springs. Installed from the underside of the seat seems backward and puts more stress on the springs, since they can’t really support you properly. Since I have been doing reupholstery, I have learned the proper way to attach webbing to the underside of the chair and hand-stitch each spring to the webbing using a curved needle, then using the 8-way tie  to keep the springs tight, creating the “crown” chairs should have for support. 

After the springs are tied up and in securely in place, they get covered with upholstery burlap. This is the first layer to cover the springs. Since this chair had only five springs, I built-up the in-between spring area with a bit of raw cotton to keep everything level and soft. Next I covered the springs with a one inch layer of foam, which gets stapled to the chair’s seat edges, covering the springs. On top of the foam, I covered everything with a 1” layer of Dacron. This is a more dense material and really does a great job of covering the springs so you don’t feel them at all. My last covering was a high-quality layer of muslin. This keeps everything neat and makes it easier to attach the fabric, the last step in the process.

This chair originally had tacks along the bottom edge, but they weren’t the correct upholstery tacks. Someone used regular tacks that you’d use on a bulletin board, which are not adequate for chair use. I used brass upholstery tacks on the folded underside edge of the material so it will not fray. My final step for the fabric was to finish it with a double-cording on the chair’s arms and back spindles. This adds a nice finishing touch and secures the edges of the material.

The last step of the process is to cover the underside of the chair with chambray to cover the webbing and keep the dust out. It is also referred to as the dust cover on chairs and couches. This finishes off the chair and looks great.

Below I have a few photos of the springs’ underside tying and correct 8-way tying so you can see how much better it looks. I’m not really sure what the reason is to do it the underside way, but the way I’ve been self-taught is to use the 8-way tie on the topside of the chair.

Underseat tying,
incorrect way

        

8-way tie
correct way

Updated 1980’s Dining Room Set

Dining Chair After

Dining Chair Before

A simple, yet functional dining room set made well never goes out of style, but the fabric sure does. My customer had wanted an updated look for her 1980’s style dining set and decided to go lighter. Sometimes this isn’t possible, depending on the wood, but in this case it was achievable. 

The four chairs all had rollers, which had to be removed prior to stripping. Once Jim had stripped everything, chairs and table alike, he began carefully sanding all surfaces and applied the new stain, golden pecan. This gave it a perfectly suitable color for the customer, lighter and updated. 

Originally she had not wanted to replace the fabric (based on budget) but once the staining and finishing was done, I thought I’d suggest she splurge and get the fabric updated as well and because I had given her a great price she agreed. I provided her with resources for the fabric and she chose a gorgeous Hillary Farr Design with an aqua chevron nap. It was the perfect accompaniment for the newly stained lighter wood. Had she not chosen new fabric, the old fabric would have been okay, but without the feel and touch of fresh new fabric. I probably would have chosen the same fabric since I am a fan of that color!

Dining Set After

Dining Set Before

The table had some damage due to her husband’s wheel chair, which Jim was able to sand out and make invisible. Magic happens when you sand furniture. You remove the old and expose the beauty buried beneath the years and grime. The table was solid wood, always a great thing to work on. 

When they say, “They just don’t make ‘em like they used to,” furniture would be a prime example of the truth of that statement. Not to say you can’t get that same quality, but the cost is much higher by comparison. But if you have that special piece of furniture that belonged to a grandparent or great-grandparent many times over, you  have a priceless piece of history that is worth keeping and definitely worth restoring.

Curved Back Chair Updated Fabric

 

Chair After

Chair Before

This was probably the fastest completion of a chair job I’ve ever done so far in my 14 years of reupholstering. The original fabric was actually in amazing condition, but my customer just wanted to update it to a more modern, contemporary look and chose a lovely beige fabric with a postage stamp design.

This is the first chair I’ve done that had two different boxings. It also had three levels of welting; top edge of seat cushion, beneath the first boxing and at the bottom edge. The back of the chair had an inner and outer back, two separate sections. 

I began this project by removing the inner back first, then the cotton filling, cardboard backing for support and the outer back of the chair. As with most upholstery projects, this one had a lot of staples. Once the staples and fabric was removed, I starting removing the seat area and all its components. I used the original fabric to create templates for the new fabric. This was the most accurate way to get the proper dimensions and measurements, which made the assembly a lot easier.

Surprisingly, the single welting I sewed to the seat went around the tight curves pretty easily. The trick on sewing single welting in place is to pivot at the 90 degree corners and snip the fabric to ease it in place. This worked great! After the single welting was firmly in place, I stitched the upper boxing very close to the seat welting. The seat was then ready to attach to the chair. Once I had the seat all lined up, I stapled it in place and used hot glue to attach the welting to the arms and leg sections. (It’s important to NOT touch the tip of the hot glue gun because it will burn you on contact. I can’t stress this enough. One split nano-second can scorch your fingers!)

After measuring the circumference of the chair, I cut the fabric and sewed the single welting to the second boxing level. I attached the boxing to the chair with a cardboard strip, which got stapled to the underside of the material, then folded it into place and stapled it at the lower edge. The very bottom of the boxing was held in place with heavy duty upholstery tacks on strips. They get attached to the underside of the fabric, then nailed in place right into the body of the chair. This keeps the fabric securely in place and gives a clean, finished look for the chair. The bottom edge was stapled and covered with double welting. That edge was then complete.

I attached the upper back of the chair the reverse of how I removed it. I stapled the outer back in place, allowing for the curve back style of the chair, followed by a curved cardboard to keep it stiff and securely in place then laid a thick layer of raw cotton over the cardboard. Finally I settled the new fabric in place and stapled the edges so that it touched the inset wooden channel of the chair. This area was finished off with double welting, which I hot glued into place. Hot glue is invaluable for this process as it really keeps the welting in place on the fabric. 

Combining my sewing and design skills, I was able to tear this chair apart and put it back together with new fabric from the templates I created in only four days. This was indeed a record for me! But I was quite motivated since the next day I’d be in the hospital for surgery and wanted to complete this job before that happened. That way my customer didn’t have to wait until my recovery to get her chair and I could have a clean slate before my surgery. All in all, a productive few days.

Side by side