Finding the chase and cutting to it

0Having started my upholstery odyssey a few weeks ago, I have reached the magic half way stage and this is what I have learnt.

1. A staple removal tool is worth its weight in gold.  I stripped four chairs in less than three hours.
2. A staple gun is not enough, you need around 4,000 odd staples for a set of six chairs as for every single staple you successfully put in there are 10 which die through not going in properly, being ejected as test subjects, jam in the machine and come out as a second or even third which cannot be tapped in so need to be ripped out.
3. You do get faster and generally better, even with the staple gun.
4. There are upholstery shops in Ipswich that will cut the foam you need to replace to size and will sell you back fabric.
5. You can get to the stage where going from the calico stage to the seat being screwed back into the chair in three hours.
6. It is well worth making a template for the backing layer. It takes 30-45 minutes to install this last step if the piece is pre-cut.
7. The tools list is as follows:
   • staple gun
   • staples – 8mm (calico and fabric) and 10mm (backing and corners)
   • metal hammer
   • pen knife (for pulling the staple gun apart when it jams)
   • long nosed pilers (generally for pulling out broken staples
   • staple remover
   • ceramic magnet (for collecting the discarded staples)

Pictures below:

In the lounge

In the hallway

The next steps are to finish the last chair, it is currently sitting looking pretty in its calico layer so needs the gold fabric cut and stapled in and the backing layer applied.  The last step is then to screw the seat into the chair.

I then need to strip the foam off the two carvers and apply the new foam, calico, damask and backing layers.  The last three steps should take half a day each.

I am not too sure how difficult it is going to be to remove the old foam.

Putting in the new depends on a smooth surface being left and then spraying in a strip of vinyl floor adhesive.  Stick that strip then work backwards to do the rest.  The glue is very fast drying so doing it in stages should allow for accuracy 🙂