Upholstery 101 (week 7)
Hello everyone! In case you are new, here, this is an on-going upholstery tutorial....to start at the beginning, go here.
To refresh your memory, this is where we left off
To build-up the center-back of the chair, I applied 2" foam following the same steps as the seat. This is what the chair looks like so far
To refresh your memory, this is where we left off
To build-up the center-back of the chair, I applied 2" foam following the same steps as the seat. This is what the chair looks like so far
Now for the inside-sides and the arms....using a double layer of dacron (batting)
Tack it into place along the side of the center foam...making sure there is overlap everywhere (it is easy to trim, impossible to add more)
Trim off the extra where it meets the foam
Next, tuck the bottom portion through the frame...
..and out the bottom-side
The front edge of the inside arm needs to be stapled
being extra careful not to nail into the finished frame portion, nail just before it
Here is what it looks like so far
Trim off the excess from the inside edge...now the shaped arm...tuck and fold while stapling under the arm
....work all the way up and down the arm...
....trim off excess
Take the bottom portion of the batting and pull it up around the frame and staple...trim off excess
Here is one arm complete
I will repeat all of this for the other arm. Hope to see you next week!
Oh, wait...come back tomorrow for a SUPER EXCITING post! Here is a hint....it won't be on this blog?
Upholstery 101 (week 5)
.....continuing on with the challenge, this is day 26 of 31....for all 31, go here
If you are new to upholstery 101, start here.
So, this is where we left off
Since then, I added burlap to the inside arms. The same way I did the back
With a pen, pencil, marker, crayons.....trace the inside area onto the paper and cut the template
Re-install the edge-roll that was saved from the original chair. The purpose of this is to help keep stuffing, horsehair, foam into shape. It is also there to give a finished look to the front edge of the chair
You want to make sure that the middle of the roll covers the edge of the chair
Once you like the position, tack it down
Place the template back on the chair. The foam should meet the front end of the edge-roll. I will add 1" to the front of this template
Place the template on the foam and trace around it. Note, it is much better to cut it too large, and trim to fit!
I am sure that you have seen people cutting foam with a turkey carver, well that is because it works the best. However, again...if this is only a one time thing for you, use what you have
Once the foam is cut, I like to bevel the edge all the way around with a razor blade. If you are looking for a crisp square edge, then don't do this
On the FRONT EDGE only, I flip the foam and bevel the underside
Don't worry about imperfections...it will be fine
The under bevel helps allow the foam to sit nicely on top of the edge-roll. The top is beveled too, the photo is not showing it. Next, place a sheet of dacron (batting) onto the foam. This is what will help hold the foam into shape and take some of the pressure off of the fabric
Again, I like to work off of the bolt, but if it is easier for you, trim a piece that is manageable for you. FIRMLY pressing down on the foam, staple along the edge into the wood frame. Be extra careful not to staple into the finished area
Trim off excess
You can see that it is looking softer along the front edge. Tuck the dacron all around the chair, and push and staple....I had my son sit on the foam while I stapled the back. It was not possible to push down and staple from that angle
Here is the seat, slowly gaining it's shape back
Here is a side view
If you are new to upholstery 101, start here.
So, this is where we left off
Since then, I added burlap to the inside arms. The same way I did the back
I can't find my craft paper, so I am using wrapping paper to make a template for the foam
With a pen, pencil, marker, crayons.....trace the inside area onto the paper and cut the template
Re-install the edge-roll that was saved from the original chair. The purpose of this is to help keep stuffing, horsehair, foam into shape. It is also there to give a finished look to the front edge of the chair
You want to make sure that the middle of the roll covers the edge of the chair
Once you like the position, tack it down
Place the template back on the chair. The foam should meet the front end of the edge-roll. I will add 1" to the front of this template
Place the template on the foam and trace around it. Note, it is much better to cut it too large, and trim to fit!
I am sure that you have seen people cutting foam with a turkey carver, well that is because it works the best. However, again...if this is only a one time thing for you, use what you have
Once the foam is cut, I like to bevel the edge all the way around with a razor blade. If you are looking for a crisp square edge, then don't do this
On the FRONT EDGE only, I flip the foam and bevel the underside
Don't worry about imperfections...it will be fine
The under bevel helps allow the foam to sit nicely on top of the edge-roll. The top is beveled too, the photo is not showing it. Next, place a sheet of dacron (batting) onto the foam. This is what will help hold the foam into shape and take some of the pressure off of the fabric
Again, I like to work off of the bolt, but if it is easier for you, trim a piece that is manageable for you. FIRMLY pressing down on the foam, staple along the edge into the wood frame. Be extra careful not to staple into the finished area
Trim off excess
You can see that it is looking softer along the front edge. Tuck the dacron all around the chair, and push and staple....I had my son sit on the foam while I stapled the back. It was not possible to push down and staple from that angle
Here is the seat, slowly gaining it's shape back
Here is a side view
I will l repeat these steps for the inside back of the chair. Note, since my foam is so thick, I will look at the chair tomorrow, and possibly add another layer of dacron over this one if the seat is not holding the shape.
Thanks for joining me. Hope to see you again, next Wednesday. If you have a DIY upholstery project, I would love to hear about it!
Just Sit on IT!
......continuing with the challenge, this is day 25 of 31....for all 31, go here
While preparing for tomorrow's upholstery tutorial, I realized that I did not tell you enough about foam.
How much cush for you tush?
It is very scientific....not really, you just SIT ON IT! Let me show you. Here is the chair with just springs and burlap
Starting with 1" High Density foam
Too hard
Next up, 2"
Better, still a bit hard for my derriere
The Papa Bear, 3"
Yes!
The foam will have a layer of dacron, so I'll test it that way....
It is a plush seat, my personal preference.
Same method for the back
This is the winning combo; a 3" High Density foam for the seat, with a 2" High Density foam for the back.....your bum may have a different preference.
Do you prefer a plush chair, or a firm chair?
While preparing for tomorrow's upholstery tutorial, I realized that I did not tell you enough about foam.
How much cush for you tush?
It is very scientific....not really, you just SIT ON IT! Let me show you. Here is the chair with just springs and burlap
Starting with 1" High Density foam
Next up, 2"
The Papa Bear, 3"
The foam will have a layer of dacron, so I'll test it that way....
Same method for the back
Do you prefer a plush chair, or a firm chair?