Instructions To Reupholster Furniture

Thrifty Flair: Happy anniversary to us

Hi again. Please come in. It’s good to see you. I can’t believe it’s been a whole year since you were first here.

Thrifty Flair is celebrating its birthday this week. Thank you for reading this column, liking it on Facebook and following it on Twitter. I’ve really enjoyed writing it, and I hope that you’ve found it to be a great source for ideas, how-tos and information. I have a few plans for future columns, and I’d like your advice.

Have a seat. There’s the lovely reupholstered armchair, or the divan covered with printed fabric that now makes it look completely out of place.

When I began writing Thrifty Flair, I had a list of things I’d like to try (sewing my own shower curtain, learning to successfully grow plants, finding a hornet’s nest to display) and things I’d like to have done (getting my dining room chairs reupholstered, finding someone to make new wood bookshelves, ordering up one-of-a-kind lampshades).

There were also a few surprises along the way (discovering the fun of assemblage, transporting a vintage chair across the country, sharing my love of lomography). I’ve thought a lot about my decorating philosophy, the joy of creating a space for myself that’s simple, but creative, inexpensive, but well-made. I’m happier in my home than I’ve ever been.

You should have seen this place a week ago. Books, CDs and knick-knacks were stacked on the dining room table and floor while I painted a bunch of furniture. It’s nice to have everything looking normal again.

I’m still working away and planning various projects.

I finally found some eco-friendly paint and got around to making over several pieces: a small end table, a piano stool, a bookshelf and a little cabinet. It took a whole day (a couple coats of primer, a couple coats of paint and drying time in between), but I now have beautiful glossy black furniture in my foyer and living room and a lovely white cabinet with gold stenciling in my bathroom.

I also bought a book on tiling that includes instructions for making mosaics. My plan is to repurpose old, chipped teacups and saucers to turn a couple of terra cotta pots into works of art for the plants in my office. While I’m searching for mosaic materials during half-price days at my local thrift store, I’m also going to pick up a big pot. I’ve been reading up on making natural dyes, and I have at least one project I’d like to try. I’ll tell you how all of this turns out later.

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My furniture is beginning to show its age. It is time to purchase new furniture or to reupholster it. This is not a difficult decision to make. First, I love my furniture. It is over-sized and great for sleeping. One sofa can fit my family of four with a little twisting, turning and entangling. So if it were possible, I would really love to keep my current furniture and possibly reupholster it. But is it worth it?

Is the furniture structurally sound? Before the decision is made to reupholster furniture, there are a few things I need to consider. Does your furniture make a thudding sound when you sit down? Does it provide adequate support for your back? Do you find that your furniture has sucked you into it making it hard to get up? If the answer to any of these questions is yes, your furniture has structural problems and needs to be replaced. If you are in doubt as to whether or not your furniture is salvageable, take off the bottom cover and look inside. Furniture with broken supports and inferior woods are not worth the effort to reupholster.

Do I have the time and patience to reupholster it myself? Reupholstering furniture is not rocket science, but to do it yourself, you need to carefully follow instructions and take it one-step at a time, or you will waste a lot of time and money on fabrics.

Do I have the money to pay for reupholsters, and if so would if be cost effective over buying new. If doing the job yourself is not your idea of time well spent, you will need to get quotes on how much it will take a professional to do the job for you. Unless the furniture is antique or has sentimental value, you should purchase new furniture is the quote is close to the cost of new furniture.

Have your tastes changed? If your current tastes no longer match they style of your own furniture, you will want to go ahead and purchase new furniture. This is especially true if home accessories purchased in recent years clashes with your old furniture. In my case, most of my home decor accents screams for the purchase of new leather furniture.

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