Reupholstering an Irish antique
UpholsteryJournalMag.com | October 4, 2011
By Timothy Perrina
An Irish couple received this circa-1840 chaise longue as a wedding present more than 30 years ago. It needed reupholstery even then, but times were tough in Ireland, and they couldn’t afford it. Shortly after their wedding they came to the United States, bringing the chaise with them. It sat in storage for 30 years before they contacted me.
I had never done anything like this before. This was a challenge.
We removed all the filling and dead mice and left only a bare frame, which we sprayed with bactericide. To remove the 30-year-old shipping stickers that had been placed directly on the finished wood, I put lacquer thinner on them and let it absorb. Thinner softens the adhesive, so with a little effort, the sticker comes off without hurting the finish. This technique I use only on old shellac (don’t use a stripper, as that will hurt the finish). Then I applied oil to the shellac finish.
After the wood was cleaned, we applied new jute webbing to the frame and installed new springs because the old ones were rusted and in poor shape. I hand-tied the springs in eight-way fashion and covered them with hog hair instead of foam. I feel that hog hair deadens the feel of the springs the best, and also gives the piece shape. I prefer to pad this way for pre-1940s pieces.
The hair was then covered in burlap. The burlap was then covered with cotton, and finally, with cut velvet. Tufting was done with number 30 buttons we made. We had taken notes on the original buttons’ spacing and design, and duplicated this. (A digital camera is a handy thing to have in your shop just for this.) The customer requested spaced French natural brass nails with matching gimp to enhance the chaise’s appearance.
The last part of this job involved replacing the broken casters with antiqued brass wheels. The entire project cost about $1,750, and took about 45 hours.
These jobs are never easy but are highly rewarding. You take a basket case and turn it into something magnificent that the customer can use every day. Most people appreciate this and never forget you. This profession is a noble one, and I feel there will always be work in this business with jobs like this.
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Comments are the opinion of individual posters and do not reflect the views of Upholstery Journal or Industrial Fabrics Association International.
6:04 pm CDT
Dont i write nice.
Nice to see this one run again. I am always working on interesting projects at my shop. I have over 30yrs exp and just purchased a new facility for my Business. There are many challenges in a business and this one is no exception but it is extremely rewarding to see restored furniture and happy customers faces. Tim...
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