Sunday, September 12, 2010

reupholstery::the before




here is the chair i've been reupholstering this weekend.  it's been the perfect chair for this beginner for several reasons...

1.  i could take the existing upholstery off and use it as a template for the new fabric i'm using.   
2.  it has a plywood bottom which bypasses the need for springs and real upholstery know-how.  i know this may not make it the cushiest chair but i used a healthy amount of stuffing to pad the chair bottom and it feels pretty good on the butt, i.m.o. 
3.  there is no separate cushion to mess with. 
4.  i didn't have to buy anything to complete the project....of course because of my line of work this wasn't too hard but i think most people could complete this with just a little money and effort.  and junky old chairs can be had for free if you scout around. 

you can see from the second image that this chair was stuffed with some kind of cotton batting and some hay!  awesome.  i recommend working outdoors if possible and wearing a dust mask when you take the old upholstery off.  you will be working in a dust cloud during the first part of the project.  also,  pay attention to how the upholstery was put on as you strip the old off.  i have a reupholstery book but this project was really simple enough to just use my instincts.  plus i'm allergic to technical directions.  last, realize before hand that the deconstruction takes as much time as the reconstruction.  i had to remove a lot of upholstery tacks and wash the frame well before starting over. 

the third image shows bits of old fabric i found mixed in with the batting and the hay. 

tomorrow i'll post pictures of the finished chair.  i kept it real simple and i'm so glad i did.  i'm also planning to start working on a small vintage sofa i've had in the barn.  it's got a great simple sexy shape to it.  and it came from the same 90+ yo woman who once owned this chair.  her name was bernice.

5 comments:

BananaSaurusRex said...

Swoon.
I've been looking at my semi-not-vintage (meaning: I bought it 10 years ago new, but it looks 25, if a day) sofa and having deconstructionist/reconstructionist thoughts. Until now, I've managed to keep these thoughts to myself....

Mandy Behrens said...

Awesome! I can certainly relate to your allergy to technical directions. And the hay...what a fantastic discovery. I just love peeling back the layers of things to discover what's underneath. Can't wait to see your "after" photos. xoxo Mandy

Anonymous said...

can't wait to see! I picked up an old chair for free a while back and have been waiting for a chance to tackle it. It's covered similarly to yours and seems much more complicated than super simple past upholstering projects I have done... but maybe it won't be so hard as I think.

*jean* said...

my very frugal, single, great aunt who was independent and owned her own home when women didn't do that very much, always redid her own furniture...i can't wait to see what you did!! you go, girl!

labonnefemme1 said...

Oh I can't wait!