Furniture is prone to get worn out and be downright uncomfortable as they age. Some are uncomfortable, to begin with. If you are fed up with this, you need to upholster your furniture and breathe some new life in them. There are two ways to go from here; either contact a local upholstery shop near your location and pay them cash or learn to upholster on your own. Learning how to do furniture upholstery and repair will save you a subsequent amount of cash and then you can have no problem doing it every time you feel the need for any of your furniture.
What Is Furniture Upholstery Repair?
Upholstery is the enhancement of the furniture by adding some leather, cloth, padding or fabric depending upon the choice. Upholstered furniture is much in demand these days for their aesthetic and the ambiance they bring. The material you use in an upholster can make it look visually appealing but as far as comfort is concerned, the insides need to be of quality too.
Upholstery can be done on many materials including wood, steel, leather or fabric. Usage is a big factor that plays in the life of the furniture. If you are getting furniture for your living room where there will be a constant usage of the furniture by your family or guests then you should go for the long-lasting choices like wooden frames and steel.
There are different types of furniture upholstery repair:
- Traditional upholstery: The traditional way of upholstering that has been followed since centuries before the invention of sewing machines.
- Automobile upholstery: The car frames that are manufactured in the factory and delivered to coachbuilders.
- Commercial upholstery: The furniture of offices, restaurants or hospitals upholstered to repair the seats or cushions.
Why Is Furniture Upholstery and Repair Important?
The upholstery cleaning of your furniture is just as important as floor cleaning because the furniture gets the same number of germs and dirt than a floor. The vacuum cleaning is considered enough for the upholstered furniture but there are a lot of contaminants that are deep down in the cushion of your sofa which includes allergens like smoke residue. A regular cleaning routine is important to keep it safe and clean.
Appearance plays a huge role in the whole motivation aspect of regularly and responsibly. The cleaner your furniture is, the more it is likely to have a better lifespan and look better in your home or office. Furniture upholstery and repair also prevents it from getting infected by mold, fleas or bacteria which are a health hazard to humans. The leather and the fabric don’t age too well if they are not taken care of properly. Aesthetics of the furniture is one thing, but the ergonomics are just as crucial. You would want a piece of functioning furniture which is equally aesthetic as well as comfortable which is a feat only achieved by upholstering.
Tools Used for Upholstery – Furniture Upholstery Repair Kit
The tools used for furniture upholstery repair haven’t changed much. They are more or less the same that were used centuries ago with some modern tweaking. Use of sewing machine is the big change from ancient tradition. The art of upholstery doesn’t require much change in tools as long as you have the proper tools, to begin with – a furniture upholstery repair near me told. The tools used for upholstery are actually special. Here are a few:
The tools used for furniture upholstery repair haven’t changed much. They are more or less the same that were used centuries ago with some modern tweaking. Use of sewing machine is the big change from ancient tradition. The art of upholstery doesn’t require much change in tools as long as you have the proper tools, to begin with – a furniture upholstery repair near me told. The tools used for upholstery are actually special. Here are a few:
1. Tack Hammer and Electrical Stapler
Spitting tack is somewhat stereotypical when it comes to carpenters. Those tacks in the mouth which are retrieved by the magnetic hammer and then hammered down on the furniture frame. There was a hazard where the tack would get stuck to your lip and it would hurt. Thankfully, the invention of electrical staplers or staple gun has proven very handy. Electrical staplers are considered one of the top must-have tools for furniture upholstery and repair. They are also the most common item in furniture upholstery repair kit. Staple guns are used to embed material to the frame of the furniture. Tack hammer is used to hammer the tacks down and has a small magnetic head to keep the tacks in place.
2. Claw Tool
A useful tool to pull the end of broken staples and tacks. They don’t damage the wood or other material when you do the teardown process and go for removing the old fabric.
3. Two Pairs of Scissors
Have a couple of good scissors at your disposal. One used to cut through the fabric and only fabric. The other used to cut other stuff like burlap, thin foam, batting or threads. The separation of the use of two scissors is essential.
4. Upholstery Needle
A longer and heavier needle that is made of steel, unlike the regular sewing needle. It is mainly used for creating rolled edges. Very useful to go through the heavy fabric.
5. Webbing Stretcher
Another important upholstering tool is webbing stretcher. This tool is used to stretch and tighten the webbing of the chair. It removes the man’s effort. It has spikes on the end of its handle. The handle than grips the webbing and allows you to staple the webbing to the fabric.
Same with the tools, upholstery supplies, if bought rightly, will cause no problems. Here are a few supplies that are essential for furniture upholstery repair.
1. Webbings
The webbings used in furniture upholstery and repair have many types. Burlaps are the common fabric used as a covering for your support system.
Another webbing is the jute webbing. They are a branch of burlaps that are environment-friendly and quite fashionable these days. Jute webbing is common for sofas and pillow or cushions. When buying furniture upholstery supplies, do more reasons
2. Polyester
The Dacron polyester is actually called polyethylene terephthalate. It is the most commonly used polyester in the world of upholstery. They are much like a Velcro. Comes in different forms; loose form and stitched form.
3. Piping
The most commonly used meshing material used in furniture upholstery repair. A fiber flex welt cord is stiff inside but still a little flexible. It can be bent where it needs to be and straighten up as well. Fiber flex is used for cushions. Cotton welt is used for a pillow if they are in washed form. Before buying a cotton welt cord, make sure it is in a net not and not where the strands are wrapped around the net.
If all this is complicated for you, a great way to get your furniture upholstered by simply searching for furniture upholstery repair near me and choosing one good upholstery service. Moreover, if you are searching for a reliable upholstery service in Fairfax, you should check out Simple Upholstery, as they are excellent at what they do.