Tips for Choosing a Great Upholsterer

Yesterday, I wrote about choosing the right pieces to reupholster - ensuring that the cost and time is worth the effort.  Today, I will write about choosing the right upholsterer - a rapidly dying art and an important one if we are to save all those well-made upholstered pieces that will be thrown into a dumpster if not saved with fresh new fabrics.

I have been using Song's Upholstery (now owned by Mr. and Mrs. Lee) in Norcross, Georgia, for over twenty years - over eight years to support my business - link to wydeven designs website.  During that time, they have upholstered over 1000 pieces and I have observed the workmanship of about 10 different master upholsterers.  Their work is amazing.

Song's Upholstery in Norcross

Before choosing a shop, it is always wise to get references and to actually stop by the shop and see finished work as well as work in process.   The way the shop is maintained and the respect the shop owners and employees have for the pieces is not irrelevant to the work they perform!

Here are some things to check out/inspect if you can!

• Pattern and directional matching is VERY IMPORTANT!  Once you start looking, any mismatched patterns will just shout at you!

• Careful attention to piping and other details either makes the pieces look tailored or sloppy - you should carefully check out the piping (best seen on contrasting piping) and the quality of the skirts.  The latter should be crisp and correctly and evenly spaced around the piece.

Check out the piping (and skirts) - should be crisp and even!

• Saggy or flat cushions should be replaced or enhanced.  My upholsterer almost always adds a nice layer of Dacron around the cushion just to give it extra bounce and a less flat appearance.  This will work equally well with foam and down/down-composition cushions.   All new cushions are sometimes needed and the upholsterer should have good quality foam on hand to do the job.   This will generally add to the price but if necessary, it is a worthwhile expense.

These cushions were enhanced or replaced by my upholsterer.

• Restoring or refurbishing woodwork is an extra that most upholstery shops can either provide or outsource.  Before I started using Annie Sloan Chalk Paints and refurbishing the woodwork myself, my upholsterer used spray paint to redo the woodwork (at a cost - of course) or had someone else do it.   Like all elements of the job, how well this is done is also important.

Painted Woodwork

• The ability of the upholsterer to do the more challenging upholstery work may be particularly important if you like tufting - which is a demanding (and expensive) treatment or if you want to modify the upholstery treatment of a piece.  I have, for example, occasionally added a skirt where none existed - this needs to be done well to complement the overall design of the piece.  The ability to work well with more difficult fabrics (such as silk which does not stretch) is also the sign of a true master!

Example of detailed tufting.

Working with silk!

Skirts added to "leggy" chairs to give them a softer look!

Well, here are some ideas that will help you choose the right upholsterer.  I hope they work for you and good luck!  Comments and additional ideas would REALLY be welcome on this blog!

Before and After - A Tribute to Great Bones!

Hickory Chair is a brand you can just trust - no further research is necessary to make an informed buying decision!

I am often asked about the upholstery work on my great refurbished pieces and have to humbly admit that I do not do it myself - I use expert upholstery workmanship available at my neighborhood shop - Song's of Norcross, Georgia.  I have been using this shop for over 20 years and through two owners - both Korean.  I have observed that this skill is a dying profession - at least among younger Americans.   For all those years of meeting master upholsterers and observing their expertise, the shop has employed only one person actually born in America.  I have heard the shop owners lament that they have a very hard time finding skilled help and have to do much of the work themselves.

Having said all that, I thought I would review the first of two major issues in this blog:

• What to look for in used furniture to reupholster
• What to look for in selecting an upholsterer and/or upholstery shop

Choosing Furniture to Reupholster

Having made this decision for over a 1000 pieces over the years, I have developed a simple set of rules to live by (with some notable exceptions).

Look for good bones!

Look at the label if available (many already reupholstered pieces no longer have labels).   If the manufacturer is Hickory Chair, Baker, Sherrill, or some others such as vintage Thomasville or Ethan Allen, you don't need to do any additional research on quality.  You can do a basic review yourself to ensure a piece has good bones.  I like to look for hand-tied eight-coil springs in the foundation of most pieces - particularly heavy ones.  You can flip over the piece and look/feel underneath - the coils should be visible or feelable under whatever fabric covers the bottom of the piece.  Some pieces do not need this type of foundational support particularly if they are smaller in scale, but is it is, as I always say, the GOLD standard of upholstered pieces.

Check condition of woodwork!

The woodwork should be adequate to support the size/shape of the piece (e.g., legs not too skimpy or wobbly).  The woodwork should not have any damage or show obvious repairs.  If you are going to redo the woodwork, the integrity of the finish is not as important.  If not, however, make sure that the finish imperfections can be cleaned up and touched up with a finishing pencil and polish.

Check condition of cushions and innards!

It is not that difficult to tell if the innards are in good shape.  The cushion should have some depth to it and some spring.   It can be replaced and/or enhanced by the upholsterer, but it is good to know what they can and cannot do before choosing the piece.  A musty (or other odor such as pet stains) smell can be overcome also by the upholsterer - but you need to know what they will and will not do to replace the stuffings.  My upholsterer is very generous in replacing all dirty and smelly stuffing and bindings and it is important to check this out in advance.

Check for style and overall attractiveness!

Finally, I am willing to compromise some of the above if the style of the piece is exactly what I am looking for and will work well in the setting I have chosen (or, for me, should sell well).  I am willing to buy French style pieces that do not have coil springs (if not too large) and have scarred woodwork because I have been using, and loving, Annie Sloan Chalk Paints (link to site).  Before using these paints, I was very hesitant to buy furniture with uneven finishes.  

That's it for now - I will do another blog on choosing your upholstery wisely soon!  Here are some more before and after from my collection - link to website

This chair and ottoman are photographed in my upholsterer shop - not the best setting.  The chair has hand-tied, eight-way coil springs and down-composition cushions - enhanced by shop!

This Chair had some Fire Damage on Legs - ASCP (Old Ochre) worked well to refinish!