How to Upholster a Chair: Attaching the Outside Back

June 6th, 2011

One of my favorite things about teaching upholstery is de-mystifying some aspect of the craft for an eager student. A process that continually stumps new students is how a piece of fabric is attached to the back of a chair or sofa without a single unfinished edge of fabric showing; all four sides of the back panel folded neatly under and mysteriously attached on the inside.

Back in the dark ages of upholstery, hand stitching would have been the only way to bring two fabric pieces together in a neat, folded, finished edge. Hand stitching is still used today for silks and delicate fabrics, as well as on unusually shaped furniture. But for durable upholstery fabrics, there’s a handy material that makes attaching fabric panels much easier. It’s called ply-grip and it’s used to grab, clamp down and hold fabric in place where the fabric edges need to be neatly folded under and attached.

Ply-grip is a cleated, bendable metal strip that’s attached with staples along curved or straight edges. After it’s stapled in place, fabric is carefully measured and cut that just enough will roll over the top and fit right into the bent strip, get ‘caught’ on the cleats and then pounded closed using a rubber mallet. This holds the fabric tight while enclosing the cut edges of the fabric.

Let’s finish this chair right now.

Here’s what you need:

  • staple gun and staples
  • cardboard tack strip
  • scissors
  • seam guage or ruler
  • chalk
  • ply-grip
  • long needle or flat head screwdriver
  • rubber mallet (with sock to cover it)

    • One thing that needs to be said before continuing is that every upholsterer does things differently. The way I finish the outside edges of the back of a chair could very well be different than the shop down the street. The only thing that really matters is that the finished piece is well done and looks impeccable. In between those two points are many different methods of upholstery.

    Step-by-step:

    1. A piece of fabric needs to be cut approximately 3-4 inches larger all around than the back of the chair.
    2. Make sure the top of the fabric will be at the top of the chair after the fabric is flipped over and attached to the back of the chair. (All fabric has a top and bottom to it. The fabric will look lighter or have more shine when looking at it from top to bottom. From bottom to top, it will appear darker.)
    3. Flip the the fabric over the inside back of the chair so that the cut edge of the wrong side comes down beyond the cord at least 1/2″.
    4. Use cardboard tack strip to push the fabric up against the cording. Secure the outside back fabric with staples at a diagonal all the way across to within an inch of each top corner.

    *Note: You may have to adjust the fabric under the cardboard tack strip so that when flipped over, the back piece is attached, aligned and smooths down over the back of the chair.

    Cut and attach a piece of muslin and dacron batting to cover and ‘close in’ the inside back. Don’t attach the dacron on the sides until the ply-grip is attached.

    5. Here comes the fun part. Ply-grip is a bendable piece of metal strip that is attached down the sides or around curves. It has sharp, little teeth that grab the fabric, but can also grab your skin, so be careful when using it.
    It is cut to length with wire cutters or metal cutters, attached with staples through little holes in the metal tab. The open side of the strip should be attached facing outward with the stapled edge just barely inside the cord, or when you don’t have cord, just inside the corner edge of the frame. See the picture below.

    6. After the ply-grip is attached, take the dull end of something and push the open tabs down so that the opening of the entire strip is bent to a 45 degree angle.

    7. Flip the fabric down over the back of the chair. Attach a staple at the center bottom of the chair to hold the back fabric. Gently pull the sides of the back fabric over the ply-grip and use a piece of chalk to run down the fabric right where you feel the edge of the ply-grip underneath. Next, measure out 1/2″ from that chalked line and cut off the excess fabric from both sides of your back fabric.

    This will give you enough fabric to roll around inside that open ply-grip and hook on those cleats.

    8. Use a long needle or flat head screwdriver to fold both edges into the open ply-grip. You may want to help it onto the cleats every so many inches.

    9. Use your hands to pinch the ply-grip down over the fabric before using the rubber mallet. Make any adjustments right here.

    10. Once you get both edges tucked into the ply-grip, take a rubber mallet and gently, but firmly, pound the ply-grip closed so that it pinches and holds the fabric sides. I normally put a sock on top of that black mallet so it doesn’t mark the fabric. I took it off so you could see the mallet.
    The best motion is to pound it from the inside out towards the cording.

    11. When you’ve got the back secured at both sides, you need to remove the bottom anchor staple and firmly pull and secure the back piece to the under side of the bottom rail.

    Now that the outside back is attached and looking fine, you need to add a long piece of welt cord all around the bottom edge of your chair. After that, cut a piece of remnant fabric or upholsterer’s cambric 1″ larger than the chair bottom, place it on the bottom of the chair, fold the edge under and staple it in place.

    *I like to insert a little time capsule inside the chair somewhere for the brave soul who decides to reupholster this chair years from now.

    Next Week: Upholstering the Problem Child-The Tub Chair

    April 22nd, 2011

    Photo Image: foldingchairsandtables.com

    You think reupholstering a wing chair is a challenge? Hahahahahahaha! I’ll show you a challenge, my friend – a tub chair. It looks easy, it’s not that big, simple lines, right? WRONG!!! The curved inside back will send you to the looney bin. Unless of course, you know the upholsterer’s secret technique for tightening and smoothing the fabric around the inside curve, and getting it anchored snugly while pulling and smoothing with all three of your hands.

    Photo Image: Foldingchairsandtables.com

    Since so many of the 1980′s tub chairs are in need of reupholstering, they’re making their way to thrift stores and garage sales. Cheap to buy, expensive and difficult to upholster, you better know what you’re in for before committing to these potential disasters. Take a deep breath, I’ll walk you the dark tunnel of the inside back. You may want to peruse Craigslist or Goodwill so you’ll be ready for some hands on learning.

    Image: Everythingsimple.com

    Upholstery Exposed: The Inside Story

    April 21st, 2011

    As I was searching for some unbelievably gorgeous piece of upholstered furniture, I came across this handy little visual that shows you exactly what the guts of a chair look like. Not all chairs are alike, but this gives you a good idea of what you’ll find within. Well, not exactly true, because if you’re tearing down a very old piece of furniture, you may find leggings, old candy, old coins, photos, toys and more. And if your piece is really old, you may come across horse hair (don’t get grossed out, it’s the tail and mane), straw, flax tow or any other appropriate stuffing material.

    So, when you get ready to tear down that old antique rocker, have a drop cloth, trash bag and vacuum on hand. It’s a dirty job, but it will teach you more about upholstery than you can learn from online tutorials or anything I tell you. Click here to read the full story of How Furniture is Built.

    Holly’s Shabby Ottoman Makeover

    April 18th, 2011

    Holly has become an upholstery wiz. You barely have to tell her how to get started and she’s off and running. After her mod desk chair makeover, she brought in this torn and tattered ottoman from one of our favorite antique markets, Midland Antique Mall. Midland is one of those partially occupied old factory buildings I would pay money just to be able to investigate the empty floors and basement. However, I’m digressing from the point.

    The ottoman had that horrid pillow top. Holly was eager to make it cleaner and more modern looking. By the way, this girl does her homework. She takes her pieces home, sands, paints and brings them back ready to go.

    You can’t tell from the photo, but the After ottoman has turquoise glossy legs combined with a nice charcoal gray basket weave fabric that has metallic threads running through. The upholstery is superb, but look at that double welt cord application!! Holly moves to the front row of the class.

    Upholstery Pop Quiz

    March 31st, 2011

    Each week I get questions from readers who are elbow deep in a reupholstery project that has them flummoxed and frustrated. If I can see the problem, I can usually talk them right through it. This week’s question is from Melissa in New Orleans.

    She writes:
    Hi, It’s Melissa from New Orleans. I have a little project. I was given two of these barrel chairs that I want to paint glossy white and reupholster. So…I have labored to remove the original brass nailheads…OMG what difficulty so now I am done to a layer of a million staples….my question is “Is there an easier way to remove these staples other than one by one?” I have also included a photo of the tools that I purchased to help remove the nailhead trim…Are these what I should use to remove the staples? Do you push the fabric from the back of the chair? I think this fabric may be a little dry rotted to do that but I could try. I know the staples have to come out but how do I best remove them….Have I told you lately that I wish I lived close enough to come to your classes??
    Thanks for any help you can give me….I will keep you posted on my progress!

    Here are the tools Melissa is using for teardown: snipping pliers and the ripping tool that looks like a torture device. Both are fine.

    These are my very favorite teardown tools, a staple lifter and some nifty little ergonomic pliers to pull out the staples.

    It seems that Melissa has two questions at this stage of the teardown.
    Q: Is there an easier and faster way to remove staples?
    A: It’s hard work. You can’t get around it. What you can do is experiment with different ways of pulling out staples. Sometimes you can get a hold of the fabric with your pliers and then kind of roll your wrist from the loose end of the fabric towards the stapled section, a number of staples may come out at once. Depending on the hardness of the wood, length of staples and number of staples, you have to see what works. Don’t be afraid to try different techniques. Sometimes, I just get so frustrated, I tear the fabric off and go back to do staple clean up.

    And yes, you do need to remove all of those staples. If you leave staples in the wood, during the reupholstery process new staples will hit the old ones and crumple up. One end may go in the wood, but the other end will fold up like an accordian, or stick out. Either way, that new staple will have to be removed and replaced. It’s best to have a clean slate to start.

    Q: How do you remove the fabric on the back of the chair?

    A: The fabric on the back of the chair is attached, facing outward from the inside of the chair before the padding and inside back fabric is attached.
    Once you remove the the inside back (sewn in three sections), it will reveal padding, probably cotton. When you remove the padding, you will see the back piece stretched and stapled to the chair frame. You’ll be looking at the wrong side of the fabric. If you can remove those staples without tearing the fabric, you’ll have a good piece to use as your pattern. If it does tear, it’s not the end of the world, you can still use it for a pattern by carefully piecing it together.

    The bright side of teardown is that it’s the worst part of the reupholstery process.

    This is a crucial point for Melissa: Do not cut out your new fabric from the pieces you removed. Most of those pieces were trimmed after they were upholstered onto the chair frame. The only place you cut the fabric exactly like the pattern (old pieces) is where the fabric has been stitched to fit the chair, like the inside back seams on this chair. Those three pieces were fit, cut, and stitched to fit the inside back of that chair. Cut the new fabric exactly like the old pattern where there are seams. Other than that, I tell my students to cut 2″ to 3″ bigger all around the old pieces so you have enough fabric to grab a hold of and smooth, pull and staple in place on the frame.

    Another tricky place on this chair, and all barrel chairs, is getting the inside back fabric smoothed, pulled and completely free of wrinkles on that big inside curve. I’ll explain that in another Upholstery Pop Quiz.

    My Rockin’ Moroccan Spool Ottoman in ReadyMade Magazine

    March 29th, 2011

    Once upon a time there was an old wooden electrical spool from Lowes that was transformed into the Rockin’ Moroccan upholstered ottoman. By the way, not my golf shoes and not my dog.

    Whether it’s a shortsighted goal or not, one of my goals when I started creating and restyling furniture was to one day have a project appear in ReadyMade Magazine. It’s happened. My little Rockin’ Moroccan Spool Ottoman makes her debut not once, but TWICE, on the pages of the April/May 2011 issue of ReadyMade.

    You can read all about the ReadyMade100 contest here, but I’ll give you some highlights.

    Between Thanksgiving and Christmas 2010, I was dragging my feet with the thought of designing something for the ReadyMade100 contest. Honestly, I was feeling intimidated by all of the ultra clever ReadyMade readers who create, make and design. They all seem so tech and electrical savvy, I shrank at the thought of competing with them.

    As the deadline of December 15th approached, I reconsidered. There WAS the Rockin’ Moroccan Spool Ottoman I made but had not yet posted on any blogs; and there was a furniture category.
    Hmmmmm…well, what the heck? I set up my camera and began snapping away. (I’ve learned that a good contest really gets the competitive juices flowing.)

    I wrote up the project and sent in the above photo. Not a word from ReadyMade until one cloudy day in mid-January, or thereabouts. I received an email from Alexa at ReadyMade. They asked me to ship my baby out to their Iowa offices. With as much excitement as I could muster at the end of January, I slushed over to Kinko’s and sent her on her way. Two days later, Alexa confirmed her arrival and said she looked better in person. Phewww! She was on her own now.

    A month ago she was dropped back off on my door step. What did that mean??? I kept Googling the contest to see if they had a contest winner. They must threaten to behead employees if they leak info, because I’m pretty good at digging up info, but there was NOTHIN’.

    Yesterday I found out RM (Get it- – ReadyMade and Rockin’ Moroccan) was a finalist. They congratulated me and told me I’d receive a copy in the mail.

    Pfffft! Do you honestly think I was going to wait for the US Postal Service?
    I was at Barnes and Noble first thing this morning. TA DA! She looks swell, don’t you think?

    So, if you have the chance, enter your creative work in a contest. DO IT! It adds exciting anticipation to your days, especially the dreary days of January and February, and you get your stuff out there. It’s a thrilling shot in the arm to mix it up with other like minded folks. I’ll always remember this past winter as The ReadyMade100 Winter.

    Before and After: DIY Upholstery Classes Yield Big Results

    March 23rd, 2011

    Kate takes upholstery classes at my studio. She began collecting furniture to outfit her son’s apartment. Before she knew it, she had an entire garage full of living room furniture that needed updating. She decided to take upholstery classes to learn how to do it herself.

    As classes progressed, she didn’t stop her Craigslist shopping for affordable Mid Century Modern pieces. Prices for this era of furniture are still very reasonable around these parts. In addition to finding great deals, she’s met some interesting and crazy furniture folks, a side benefit to thrifting and hunting for unique pieces.

    The chair seat and back came out as separate upholstered pieces which made spray painting the cane frame as easy as pie.

    The red fabric and black frame turned out clean, modern and perfect for a college student’s first pad.

    Now let’s take a look at her first chair. She brought in this Martha Washington open armed side chair. She sharpened it up by painting the wood a glossy black. Surprisingly, the arms on these chairs can cause some frustration. It’s trickier than it looks to get the fabric tight, smooth and attached at the front and the back while keeping the design aligned. It was a learning experience and Kate gained some valuable upholstery savvy in the process. Now she’s unstoppable.

    Restoring 1963 Scandinavian Twin Sofas

    March 14th, 2011

    Not one, but two 1963 Scandinavian sofas came for a visit and a makeover. You can see the full project at IndyStar.com, but here’s a sneak peek, as well as the follow up to my Sofa Rescue series.

    Remove the old fabric coverings
    Chisel (yes, I said chisel) off the old foam from the back cushion mounting boards
    Cut new foam and wrap them with dacron
    Glue the new back cushions on to the mounting boards
    Measure, cut, sew and topstitch the new cushion covers
    Stuff the new seat cushions in the covers, and
    Upholster the fabric coverings on the new back cushions
    Carefully attach the back piece of fabric to the mounting boards

    It wasn’t that hard, it just took a lot of time and patience.


    Before and After: Modern Office Chair Refresher

    February 17th, 2011

    To start things off on this warm February morning, here’s the sad Before state of Holly’s thrifted office chair. As you can see, whatever is supposed to support the seat is not doing its job. After removing the seat cushion and taking a quick glance at the frame, it was obvious that old, dried out, rubberized webbing was the culprit.

    After rewebbing and cutting new foam, Holly got to be the first one in class to try out the OLD industrial Consew sewing machine we purchased from the previous tenant. She handily sewed her new cushion cover, upholstered the seat and Voila’.

    How To Fix Saggy Chair Springs

    February 10th, 2011


    Here’s how it went down. Upholstery student Val had already attached the sewn seat cover to her lovely little chair being reupholstered in an apple green velvet-ish fabric. She missed a class. During that class, I decided to test her chair for comfort. Well, it was bad. It was REAL bad. The front rail just cut into the back of you legs. She had added some padding, but there was a bigger problem and we needed to solve it.

    First, I peeled off the front fabric and tried to reinforce it with more and more cotton batting.
    I carefully reattached the front of the seat, but it was still all wrong.

    I knew what had to be done. I had to take everything off the top to take a good look at the springs. She didn’t want to spend the time or energy on re-webbing and re-tying the springs, so we had to figure out another way, a simpler way, to solve the problem.

    It turned out that some spring binding had come loose so the burlap at the front of the chair had torn and the spring was popping through. Additionally, the webbing was saggy and loose from the underneath side.

    Solution: Re-web on top of the existing webbing, tighten the springs and rebuild the seat base.

    I removed the fabric.

    And found this:

    I tightened the springs in a conventional and unconventional way.

    The next step was to stretch and weave webbing on top of the existing webbing to ‘lift’ the springs up that were well attached to webbing, but saggy webbing.

    Stretching and weaving webbing is fun. You feel like you’ve accomplished something in a relatively short period of time. If you can hoist up the saggy springs by reinforcing the existing webbing with a second layer, then do it, especially if you haven’t spent very much money on the chair and fabric.

    Springs are lifted up like a good bottom lift.

    Almost finished. Stretch and staple a piece of burlap over the springs, pulling tightly. Reattach the front edge roll, add some cotton. Spray adhesive on the burlap, add a cut piece of foam and then cover the foam with cotton batting or dacron. Now it’s ready to upholster. Again.

    *If you took this to a professional to repair, they would take it down to the bare bones. For the most part, students taking 6 week class don’t necessarily want to learn how to spring tie. Some do, but most don’t.

    What used to look like the bottom of a forty five year old chair now looks like the bottom of a twenty one year old chair. Get it?

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