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Upholstery Class: Part 4

Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010

Almost done! I have learned it takes a long time to make upholstery look good but it is definitely worth it to do it right.

Templates for the leg holes to be drilled

Holes drilled so each leg is 1/2" from the front and the side. Must measure each leg so they are all a uniform 1/2" from the side

Whack these little cleats in so the legs have something to screw into

She's got legs - and she knows how to use them!

This is griping and stapling the side fabric - must grip with whole hand. And please, try not to put a staple through your hand

Fabric wrapped around and meeting in the back corner

Cut tack stip to width - note round goes towards the top

Line with cardboard + dacron to prevent the metal from cutting through your fabric when it's pulled tight

Pulled all the fabric and stapled....then I tacked the welt cord around the bottom (fancy pants stuff) and but the cardboard strip pushed up behind it to keep it straight and tight.

I used long staples to everything would stay in place for my grandkids grandkids.

Folded in the black base cover and stapled to make the bottom look good. Also cut holes for where the legs screwed in, and stapled the black fabric around the holes to prevent any tears.

Almost done - had to do a mock up and see how it will look. Still needs more welt cord, the top attached and the inside lined

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Tags: Andy Munson, Bench, Home Made, How to, Second Time Around Upholstery, West Linn

Upholstery Class: Part 3

Tuesday, February 16th, 2010

This was a big class for us! My mom finished her stunning frog ottoman and I got the top of my bench about wrapped up. It should only be another class or so and I will be done.

Using the punch to make 1 1/2" fabric disks for buttons

Button making - round piece fo cloth goes in there, then a metal cap that gets pushed in with the cloth.

Now press the cap into the "button" side that has a loop

Walla! Custom button made!

Drilling through the wood for buttons - this is after we designed a good pattern for the buttons to layout. Mom's putting on the final touches for the ottoman

Success! Way to go mom!

After the pattern is laid out on the fabric, holes are cut in roughly the same spot on back. Then you use a giant needle to thread the string attached to the button through the seat. Then you pull them to desire look and staple.

Note the Z pattern and ton's of staples - you don't want the button coming loose

Buttons finished - almost there!

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Tags: Andy Munson, Ann Munson, Bench, chair, Second Time Around Upholstery, West Linn

Upholstery Class: Part 2

Tuesday, February 9th, 2010

This is my second installment of bench makin’ 101. Tonight I got to make some big progress and by the end I had the top upholstered. It still needs the underside covered and buttons added on top, but it was exciting to finally cover it.

Today started by measuring the top

Once measured, it was time to cut the top pad with this funky saw

We used a Bosch foam cutter to get the job done right. It turns out this funny little tool is over $300 bucks. I'll be watching craigslist...

Now added glue - Dee told me to wait 200 seconds but I can't count that high. So I waited "a bit" and glued the pad to the wood.

Meanwhile Mom's frogs are being tacked into place

Now Dacron on my bench top

Next the piece gets flipped over, tacked once on each side and then pulled tight. Then you tack each respective side pulling the dacron tight. The effect should be a nice, tight, clean edge on the foam pad where the dacron wraps over the bottom and is stapled. The top should have a gentle corner that is even all the way down the side.

Once stapled, it's time to cut the corners and then glue them. The glue quite fun to try and get off your fingers. Silicon spray does the trick

Now measure the top for the fabric cut. The fabric has to wrap over the top, down the sides, and have an extra 2" to pull around the bottom and staple

A small notch is cut on the left and right sides. This notch will match up with a center line on the underside of the board with the pad on it. It is critical that the notch lines up and the fabric is strait to look good in the end.