Bring back to life an old worn out chair, sofa, ottoman and make it look new again

Bringing Old Furniture Back to LifeThere’s something I truly enjoy about taking an old, worn-out chair, sofa, ottoman—or just about anything that needs attention—and bringing it back to life. Seeing a piece that may have been forgotten or overlooked come out looking beautiful again never gets old.
But one of the best parts of what I do isn't seeing the finished piece myself--it's seeing the customer's face when they see it for the first time.
I especially enjoy working on family heirlooms. There have been times when I've finished restoring an old chair that belonged to someone's grandfather or grandmother, and when the customer sees it, they become emotional and say something like, “Grandpa would just love this.”
Those moments mean a lot to me. That's when I know I've done more than just reupholster a piece of furniture. I've helped bring a little piece of someone's family history back to life.
Whether it's a piece of furniture, a boat seat, or even a worn-out aircraft seat, I enjoy the work. But I have always had a special appreciation for antiques.
Many of those older chairs and sofas were handcrafted by what I consider to be true master craftsmen. They were built with techniques and attention to detail that are not always seen in furniture today. For me, it is an honor to take one of those pieces, carefully restore what has been worn or damaged over the years, and give it another opportunity to be enjoyed for generations to come.
Upholstery vs. Recovering—What's the Difference?I’m often asked about upholstery, and there is an important distinction that many people may not realize.
Recovering generally means removing the existing fabric and replacing it with new fabric. That's an important service, and sometimes that's all a piece needs.
True upholstery, however, goes much deeper.
When I upholster a piece, I don't simply replace the outside covering. When necessary, I strip the piece down to the frame and inspect what is underneath. Loose joints may need to be tightened and reglued. Worn webbing can be replaced. Springs may need to be repaired, replaced, or retied. Old padding is removed and replaced, and only then is the new fabric carefully installed.
That's the difference. It's not just about putting new fabric on an old chair—it's about rebuilding what is underneath so the piece can be enjoyed for many more years.
That's the kind of work I do here at Silver Threads Upholstery.
You Can't Always Judge a Piece by Its CoverI'm always happy to provide a quote, but there's one thing to keep in mind when estimating upholstery work:
You never really know what you're going to find underneath the covering.
It's much like the old saying, “Don't judge a book by its cover.”
Take the 1880s Eastlake chair shown in the photo, for example. At first glance, and even when sitting in it, the chair appeared to be in fairly good condition. It had a few stains, some missing tacks, worn padding, and springs that felt weak.
But like many antique pieces, this chair had already been reupholstered several times over the years. Once the layers were removed, the real condition of the chair could finally be seen.
That's why restoring an antique is about more than making it look beautiful again. It's about uncovering what has been hidden, preserving the craftsmanship of the past, and giving that piece a new life.
And that's what I love about this work.

Let's take a look at what I found.

The damaged wood in the last three photo's is the bottom back of the chair. What a surprise! I really wasn't expecting to find that kind of damage. The photo's didn't show it, but someone in the past tried to fill all those gaps and holes with glue! How can you glue what is not there? I could have made a new piece for the seat frame but I wanted to keep as much of the original wood as I could. So I cut out the damaged wood and installed a new oak strip so I would have something strong to staple into.

With a little TLC, repairs, and new fabric, what a beautuful old chair! This is just an example of what you can run into when having an old antique reupholstered. I don't usually see damage to this extreme. But damage like this can change a quote. It's a lot more work to repair damage like this. Regardless of what I'm working on I try to do the best work I can.   I do have fabric & vinyl samples to show you at discounted prices or I can work with your fabric. If you choose to shop for bargan fabrics  please look it over closely before purchasing. Many times these fabrics have flaws that have to be cut around making the work more difficult incurring additional charges referred to as a cutting fee. If I can help you in anyway please call me.

I have hundreds of fabric samples to show you. If you would like to look at fabric samples from Barrow Industries click on the link. If you find a pattern you would like to look at call me. http://barrowindustries.com/webConn1a.asp

Hopefully the chart below will be of help to you in figuring how many yards of fabric you will need.

Note:   Yardage estimates on the chart below are figured on solid patterns and does not account for things like, but not limited to: Cording being cut on the Bias, material with a repeat pattern in one or both directions, Head or arm covers, loose back cushions instead of attached cushions, self-lined skirt, material railroaded or not, and others.

These estimated yardages are based on basic solid fabrics, doing a very basic upholstery job. Please adjust yardages for your specific upholstering style, material being used and design difference in the exact piece you are covering.