Upholstery, Fabric, and Cleaning
Upholstery
is the art of covering basic furniture frames with padding and a textile
covering. There are a variety of materials that are used to cover the
padding, but they all start with a basic wooden frame. The quality of
the chair or couch depends entirely on how well the frame is built.
Soft woods have a tendency to break at the joints and are most often
found in low quality furniture. The best furniture is fashioned from
hard woods such as oak, maple, pine, mahogany, alder and other woods
with a tight grain. This allows them to be secured with joints, blocks
and dowels that will last longer than nails, tacks and screws.
Once the frame is built springs have to be attached before any padding
is added. The type of springs used determines how comfortable the couch,
chair or ottoman will be. The most common springs are called standard
springs. They are easy to install, but only flex in an up and down direction
giving them a very firm and flat sitting experience. The best spring
system uses eight way hand tied springs. These offer flex in every direction
giving the person sitting a very custom formed and comfortable seat.
The only disadvantage is that they have to be tied by hand which is
time consuming and thus increases the cost of the furniture.
Other spring systems used are sinuous springs, which are shaped in
a continuously repeating “s” shape and are attached piece
by piece to the frame. Drop in springs are also used on the cheapest
of furniture designs. Both of these types of springs are very cheap,
easy to install, but don’t offer very much comfort. Once the spring
set is installed it is time to pad the furniture.
There are many different types of padding that can be used in furniture
upholstery. On the higher end down is used, most often with a dense
foam core to provide consistent shape. Other fill materials are polyester,
feathers, or buckwheat hulls. Down and feather fills have to be fluffed
to retain their softness and prevent sagging, but they last much longer
than high density foam and polyester padding. Buckwheat hulls are a
good alternative to down if allergies are a problem.
After the padding is in place, a textile has to be chosen to cover
it. Fabric is the most common covering because it is cheap, comes in
many different colors, designs and weaves and can even be printed on.
A tighter weave with a durable material such as cotton or hemp will
last the longest, but sacrifices comfort. Loose weaves are comfortable
but have a tendency to wear out unevenly. Leather is also commonly used
to upholster couches, car seats and chairs. It last longer, ages well,
actually getting more comfortable with age and cleaning is much easier
than fabric. Leather can be tanned to produce many different colors
and textures to match any interior décor. A reputable leather
supplier is often the best place to find high quality leather and the
trimmers who can wrap it around anything.