BEHIND THE SEAMS

Above Photo Courtesy of Phil’s Upholstery

How reupholstering transforms your beloved furniture

Perhaps at one point in time you found THE couch: the one that perfectly suits the layout and design of your family room; and then, life happened. General wear and tear, stains, pets, the children! — all of it can lead to a point of decision: is it better to search for a brand-new piece, or should you consider reupholstering the existing one that works so well in your home? Fortunately, local experts Chris Curd of Your Choice Chairs and Tim Martin of Phil’s Upholstery take us “behind the seams” to understand how their craft can update your style while preserving beloved pieces for years to come. 

Photos Courtesy of Your Choice Chairs

When to reupholster?
When reupholstering a piece, first assess whether it’s well-built or holds sentimental value. “You should consider reupholstering a piece of furniture when the frame is still in good condition, but the fabric is worn, stained or has become outdated,” Martin says. “If you have a piece of furniture with sentimental value, reupholstering can help preserve it while giving it a fresh look.” Curd rightly points out that heirlooms are irreplaceable: “You can’t just go to the store and buy something that belonged to your mom or grandmother.” 

FABRIC DURABILITY

When selecting reupholstery fabric, consider the furniture’s usage. If the piece resides in a family room where children and pets play, choose a durable leather or performance synthetic that cleans easily. If it lives in a formal living room garnering minimal traffic, opt for a delicate silk. Curd explains, “You should consider usage. If pieces are going to be used daily, get a durable, thicker material that has a high rub count that will last for day-to-day use.”

The Wyzenbeek test measures a fabric’s durability. In this abrasion resistance exam, a machine rubs the fabric and calculates the number of double rubs it takes before the fabric frays. The higher the double rub count, the greater the fabric’s performance. Martin says, “I recommend at least 10,000 for a less used piece; 20,000 for a daily used piece, and 75,000 for commercial or heavy use at home.”

Photos Courtesy of Your Choice Chairs

What to reupholster?
Experts staunchly believe that antique and vintage furniture is better built than modern pieces, making them prime candidates for reupholstering. Curd says, “A lot of your newer stuff is not made like the older stuff. Some of the older pieces I’ve reupholstered three times. But your newer frames that are presswood can’t be reupholstered over and over.” Martin agrees: “Reupholster furniture with a solid wood, well-built frame and good structural integrity with 8-way hand-tied springs. Do not reupholster low-quality furniture, pieces where the cost of reupholstering it exceeds replacing it.” Furniture items to consider for reupholstery can be couches, dining chairs, ottomans, small benches or stools, accent chairs and more.

Stylish options
Reupholstering affords the ideal opportunity to take fresh eyes to your décor. Try a different color, go from a solid to a pattern or change the pattern motif. Ensure your fabric style complements your furniture’s size and shape: for example, a large-scale, bold pattern suits a spacious sofa but can overwhelm an accent chair which needs a smaller design.

Throw pillows can splash color and pattern on neutral fabrics while mixing patterns and textures brighten a room’s ambiance. Options are nearly endless Martin says. “You can do a solid, neutral fabric on the furniture and add color with pillows. Or you can mix patterns, with the insides of the chair out of a pattern, and the outsides in a solid.” Martin elaborates, “It’s also fun to mix leather and fabric. Do the seat in a nice leather that complements the fabric on the rest of the chair or sofa.”

Design elements to choose from

• Adding nails
• Contrasting welting
• Double welting
• Varying types of fabric
• Adding a skirted bottom
• Pattern mixing

Photo Courtesy of Your Choice Chairs

Photo Courtesy of Phil’s Upholstery

Photos Courtesy of Your Choice Chairs

Fabrics — where to source?
Martin looks for fabric qualities like “durability, colorfastness, cleanability and fabric content.” Fabric content comes in natural and synthetic varieties. Natural fabrics include cotton, silk, wool, linen and leather, lauded for their luxurious texture and sophisticated appearance. Synthetic fabrics include polyester, polypropylene or olefin, nylon, acrylic and rayon, known for their durability, cleanability and affordability.

Curd emphasizes the importance of sourcing quality fabrics — “durable and thicker material from a reputable manufacturer,” he says. Revolution Fabrics and Sunbrella Fabrics are noted purveyors of performance fabrics. Options can run the gamut from storied Scalamandré, which offers exquisite fabrics that have even graced the White House, to a local treasure in Forest like Moore and Giles, which is a national distributor of fine leather. The Second Yard, Bargain Barn Discounted Fabrics and Schoolhouse Fabrics all sell quality fabrics at reasonable prices.

Photo Courtesy of Phil’s Upholstery

Photos Courtesy of Your Choice Chairs

To reupholster or no?
For Curd, the answer is clear: “As far as reupholstering, it is better to reupholster than to buy new these days. You’re going to have better quality as far as upholstery goes, and that chair will last you a lot longer than the new stuff.”

The reupholstering timeline
Reupholstering follows a specific timeline. First, send a picture of your furniture to your reupholsterer who can quote the yardage needed (often using a Fabric Yardage Calculator) and order the fabric. Always request a fabric swatch and live with it to ensure it complements your aesthetic.

The process
1 Strip the upholstery, remove the old fabric pieces and use them to measure the new fabric.
“After we pick it up, the furniture is torn down,” Curd says. “The old fabric is taken off and used to make patterns to apply the new material.”

2 Restore the frame and replace batting, springs and webbing as needed.
“If there’s any padding that needs to be replaced or freshened up, we add that,” Curd says. “We check for any broken frame issue before starting the chair.”

Did you know? Batting is the soft padding material between the foam and the outer fabric. Webbing is the woven fabric strips, either natural or synthetic, which form the base layer of the seating.

3 Attach the new fabric.
“After patterns are cut out and sewn up, we start applying the new material,” Curd explains. “We make sure the corners are tight, and the pattern is matched up.”

4 Add welting and other finishing touches.
“Your welting or piping is the material [the] customer picks out that is folded around a cord and sewn together,” Curd says. “It’s functional and decorative. Some chairs have double welts, which are two pieces of cording sewn together with the customer’s material. Double welts give it a finished look.” ✦