r/upholstery

Hello, sorry if this is the wrong place for this!
I've had this chair second hand for 20 years. In that time my cats have done significant damage to it.
(Yes I have scratching posts all over the place, but anyone with a cat knows how weird they are.)

I was hoping to fix up the chair, but only the damaged areas, leaving the pillow, backrest, and inner arm sections intact.

I was also wondering if anyone had any fabric suggestions that are nice looking but much tougher, to hopefully prevent this level of damage in the future.

Sorry again if this is the wrong spot for this conversation!

I have a couch and chair set that needs reupholstering and I’d like to find the same fabric. The texture of it is awesome to touch. I’m having a hell of a time trying to find the same fabric (different color is fine). I’m not sure how much the pictures will do it justice but I hope someone will know what this is or lead me in the right direction.

Hi all. I am no furniture expert obviously, but upon investigating the reason why this couch that we purchased second hand a while ago is making clonking noises, I discovered that some of these pieces of timber had come away and were floating around in the bottom.

I may be wrong, but something tells me this must be an aftermarket repair right, because a few bits of 2x1 softwood timber, and what appears to be  literal offcuts of something like 19 x 38 doorstop size timber, but they are hardwood, fitted in such an arbitrary way, with haphazard out of square placement and half rounded out screw heads cannot be standard factory work surely?

I have these dining chairs that are literally ripping with normal use at this point. They are too far gone for any collectors, so I am hoping to restore them by putting new leather. I’m having a hard time finding someone who does this work. Any thoughts?

Hello,

I posted a few weeks back about my springs in my car seat cutting into my legs while driving. I added burlap and need to drive a far distance to test.

How'd i do? It was a pain pushing the metal hog rings through the burlap and getting tension.

Also I'm using a ford fusion cushion as it is much softer than toyotas cushion.

I added what the seat originally looked like

Now I need to make a cover. Anyone know an alternative to this pink foam as a backing for the stitching? It irritates my butt.

Can someone help me date this shield back chair? I'm trying to get it reupholstered but I don't want to do any damage if it is old. Need advance on how to proceed! I believe this is the original upholstery. It had been recovered at least 2 times. Thank you for any help you can give!

dont know if this is the place for it, but this is what i got. (pictured above)

as is, it still works. i dont ride in the rain. i store it on the terrace, and when it does get rained on i squeeze it out with a towel. it doesnt absorb much water anyway. but i would like to repair it, or even seal it back over, if i can.

Does anyone have anyone have any tips for getting this gorgeous stool clean?

I'm on my 5th round using my upholstery cleaner and this is still the colour of the water! The last 2 times been letting Vanish laundry powder soak for about 15 mins beforehand.

The inside of it also smells musty. I've let it air, and also closed it with a pot of baking soda and dehumidifier in. Still the same.

There are these blue dots on my sofa and a brown streak. No clue what caused them as we never wear anything that would cause this and it's in locations that aren't very close to where we sit. Tried cleaning with soap and water but not removing. Scared to use any other products on it. Any suggestions what caused it and how to remove the stains? Genuine leather

Hi all,

I’m wondering if you can help please. My husband had these seats re-trimmed and as you can see from the pictures the vinyl is coming away at the centres. The seats are fibreglass and he’s used spray trim adhesive with bulldog clips to try re-stick them but the vinyl just lifts again.

Can anyone give any advice on what he can use to make the vinyl stick down please?

TIA

I’ve got eight of these in different states of disrepair. Some are peeling worse than this and some are better. I don’t know how much labor would cost or if it’d be more financially prudent to buy new chairs.

I’m helping my dad make a center console for his car, and he trusted me with the upholstery job, I’m lost on how I would sew the top where the cup holders are to the side panels. Would I cut a slit where the console starts to bend/fall? This is also just vinyl, we’re going to try this for a bit and once I get better do the real thing.

P.S. Ignore the bad stitching in the bottom lol, it’s my first project and he just wants me to learn

I'm an upholstery apprentice in Richmond, VA and hoping to learn more about traditional methods. My mentor has a great deal of horsehair that he has removed from projects and hasn't had the chance to use (He's past-retirement age, slowing down and the shop could use a big clean...) I've noticed carpet beetles and took some home to clean and process. I first vaccum sealed the hair then realized that probably wasn't enough. With the help of my dad we made an insulated box and heated the inside to over 120°F with a lightbulb! Read that the heat reliably kills the bugs, eggs and larvae. Feeling optimistic I'll be able to clean and wash the hair and re-use it for projects!

Side note: I've done my best to gather resources but I'd love to hear how anyone in the US has learned traditional upholstery methods. PLEASE reach out with any online resources if you know if them, I am an admirer of Upholstery Education in the US but I sadly couldn't afford their October course and travel costs. Or reach out if you'd be willing to tutor me online! I'm happy to discuss rates for tutelage. )

I’m looking for a rose / rosewood fabric for a bedframe project that’s not too pink or too red. Something that’s as close to West Elm’s “Burnt Umber Astor Velvet” or this beautiful pillow example with a sheen. I need about 13 yards. Your help is so appreciated!

I'd like to reupholster this office chair with a velvety sort of fabric, like in the second picture. Is this a reasonable first upholstery project? I have a sewing machine, which I assume I will need.

What type of fabric should I use (and where to buy it)? I'm nervous to buy a velvety fabric online, in case it's too thin or stretchy for upholstery. Do I need a backer fabric or batting to be able to achieve the sewn lines? Should I ditch the arms? Is this even worth it when chairs on Amazon are under $100? (This isn't a great quality chair, I'm just hoping to upcycle instead of throw it away).

I would truly appreciate some thoughts! Thank you!

I used the machine to make the cover and box corners with plenty of fabric left over at the bottom to wrap under and staple but the corners look shite.
I tucked and folded and trimmed and tucked and folded and trimmed but it stayed so bulky then I think maybe I cut too far or the wrong angle or maybe both.
Can anyone point me to a good tutorial for doing this better or give simple instructions on how to improve next time?

Thoughts on roughly how much it would cost to repair that driver seat upper piece? 18 Acura ILX.