Eighteenth Century Music Chair Reupholstered

Music Chair
Before

Music Chair
Before

This was one of the oldest projects I had ever worked on, an eighteenth century music chair. It had a unique swivel seat that raised and lowered with each rotation. The original decal was still intact and considering its age, was quite amazing. The back of the chair had a "harp like" shape, perfect for the music theme it portrayed. However, it had definitely seen better days and needed a new seat as the one that was on there had worn off and was torn. 

Once I removed the top fabric I saw that there was yet another fabric beneath it, which I believed was the original material. After two centuries, the material was quite brittle and practically fell apart while I removed it. Once the material was gone, I removed the rest of the seat which had webbing which had lost its stretch and was bowed in the center. Lots of tiny nails to remove which was time consuming. 

I replaced the old webbing with brand new 3" webbing for a secure, strong seat that would support an individual sitting on it. I added a layer of burlap to cover the webbing. This adds more stability to the seat. Then it was time to carefully cover the burlap with raw cotton, which comes on a roll. It was not necessary to use a large amount due to the small size of the seat, but it was plush and soft which served the purpose well. A thin layer of foam and covered with muslin was the last step before I secured the new fabric, which matched the decor of the chair perfectly. I finished the edges with gimp and secure it with bronze upholstery tacks that matched the color of the chair. The chair was once again pretty and ready for future generations to enjoy.

Antique Corner Chair

Corner Chair Before

This adorable corner chair caught me completely off guard as I wasn't searching for a chair when I came across it at a barn sale here in Marine City. The chair is likely over 100 years old, built at the turn of the last century and I simply had to have it. I could see the

Corner Chair After

potential since the chair had a sturdy frame and other than the missing center detail scrollwork, nothing was broken.

The chair had the original seat and the cushion was in amazingly great condition, so I negotiated a price of $18.00 for this little beauty and took it home with a thunder storm and my two grandchildren running ahead of me toward the car. After carefully placing it in the back seat, I headed home with my new treasure.

My original idea of painting the chair gave way to a total strip and restoration as I couldn't imagine covering up that beautiful mahogany and hand carved details on the chair's legs. Stripping took three days, because details such as this chair had took time to get it right. I pulled out all my stripping tools including my wood carving tools to remove the old stain which tends to get trapped in the nooks and crannies of the hand carved areas. It took a lot of scraping and stripper to completely remove the old finish, but once it was down to the bare wood, it was worth all the time it took. I was so happy I made the decision to strip instead of paint!

I marveled at the elegant condition of this fine little gem of a chair. The wood had a luscious sheen and smooth velvety feel. I knew it would take the mahogany stain well, which of course, it did. I chose a soft cloth and carefully applied the stain, then removed the extra stain with an old t-shirt. Old shirts make for great staining because they leave no lint. I try to avoid cloth with the possibility of leftover material on the wood surface.

Corner Chair in Sunroom

Once the chair was completely refinished, I applied two coats of polyurethane. While waiting for the polyurethane to dry, I removed the old seat cushion and replaced it with a piece of fabric I had my eye on. My plan to use this chair in the sunroom dictated that I use fabric to match the "Tame Teal" paint in the sunroom. The fabric was absolutely perfect and matched like a charm. I now have an adorable little chair to rest my feet on when I'm enjoying a good book in my lovely sunroom.