Stripping back the antique corner chair
We remove the outer fabric covering this pretty antique corner chair to reveal stuffings underneath. Underneath the top fabric we find a base of webbing, horsehair, wool wadding and hessian. This is worn and sagging and will need to be replaced.
The woodwork and webbing
The wooden frame is delicate but in good condition and we rub this with a mixture of oils to clean and feed the wood and restore the natural shine. The worn webbing needs to be replaced and so we remove everything and re-web chair with jute webbing using a web-stretcher. We tack the webbing firmly in place with 12mm upholstery tacks. We cover this with a layer of hessian, hand tacked and trimmed.
The stuffings
The unsupportive wool stuffing is worn so we replace it with fresh wooden felt, three shaped layers and we create a domed and comfortable seat pad. This we cover with a layer of fire retardant calico, again we hand-tack in place and trim it to fit exactly. It is absolutely essential that all upholstery meets the fire safety standards so we are very careful to make sure that all upholstery fabrics used are fire retardant. Next, we shape several layers of wadding and hand shape it and place it over the calico for additional comfort.
The top fabric
We measure the top fabric for the antique corner chair carefully so that the beautiful design is centred exactly. To begin, we lightly tack the fabric in place with 10mm upholstery tacks. Then, we shape, adjust and tack off the fabric to the underside of the base, making small adjustments in order to create a smooth top layer.
Finishing off the antique corner chair reupholstery
Our client chose this matching light gold braiding to finish the antique corner chair. Lastly, we fix it firmly in place using matching gimp pins and upholstery glue.
Finally, we cover the underside of the chair with a layer of fire retardant calico.
This is just one of the chairs, benches and stools which we have reupholstered recently. Click on the link below to see some of our other projects.