Restoration of Antique Chairs

By Frank Parker

Genuine fine antique chairs become scarcer as time ticks on due to fatigue with function and unnecessary destruction. Poor and inappropriate furniture repairs due to operators not possessing the necessary skills also increase the scarcity. It is important to always use a reputable and skilled restorer.

Our client approached us with a dining chair from the 1880’s which was bequeathed to her by her maternal grandmother as one was for each granddaughter. After receiving the chair she had it repaired and re-upholstered however within a short time with only gentle use the lower back carved section again broke away. The chair remained in her lounge room as a decorative piece for several decades but constantly annoyed her until we were presented with the repair and re-upholstery task.

The lumbar carved section had broken away for two reasons; only an average quality PVA glue had been used for the repair and where the timber had fractured there was burl grain so it was originally flawed. We chipped away the remaining burl timber then stage by stage rebuilt the carved section in question using two-pack epoxy resin. Each section was masked-up and filled with resin then sanded into shape. After this was completed the re-built section was stained to match the remaining timber work.

The existing upholstery was then completely removed with new jute webbing being fitted, coil springs then laced in and tied down and a hessian overlay fitted. A synthetic thumb roll was then fitted to the seat edges and filled in with high density premium padding then a bonded polyester overlay. The chair was then upholstered in a black cut pile cotton velvet and finished with twin piping. This method reduces the cost for our client but also creates a usable and durable seat however not authentic of the period.

Our client was elated with the finished result especially because the chair would once again become a functional piece of furniture.

Call us Today

Similar Posts

  • Tub Chair Reupholstery

    ByFrank Parker
    tub chairs perth

    These tub chairs were purchased three years ago from a leading WA furniture retailer. The clients paid a high price for these chairs which were sold to them as superior quality Italian made pieces of furniture. The manufacturing labels fixed under the chairs reveal they were made in China.

    The covering which is a very poor quality laminated fabric has delaminated in areas of wear. The frames can only be described as having been ‘slapped together’ by unskilled labour. The poor quality elastic seat webbing was breaking down and the low density foam collapsing.

    As part of the tub chair reupholstery process, a new seat frame was constructed from a single piece of structural grade plywood, laced with heavy duty elastic seat webbing then laminated with high density premium grade cushioning. The furniture recovering of these chairs was finished with a quality Australian made fabric.

    The end result was that the client spent about 70% of the initial purchase price to have their tub chair upholstery problems rectified. This makes a mockery of the old saying “the high purchase price is long forgotten but the bitterness of poor quality remains” as these clients were stung with a high purchase price and left with the bitter taste of poor quality. I guess the moral of the story is “buyer beware” so do your research prior to purchase and maybe look a bit closer to home!

    Call us Today

  • Re-upholster antique chair in linen

    ByFrank Parker

    The use of different upholstery materials can totally transform the appearance of a chair. You may have inherited a chair or just have seen an antique chair where you admire the design but have to use your imagination regarding a suitable fabric for re-upholstery which would suit your décor.  In this situation take your time to investigate the possibilities and possibly consult with an upholsterer experienced in this area of work.   

    A client came to see us from the South West farming town of Boyup Brook as they had inherited chair from the United Kingdom made in the 1880’s. This chair had sadly resided in their shed for many years and was in a dilapidated state having been previously in leather. They wanted this chair to be re-furbished for their bedroom so a Heritage Linen with a matching soft pink cotton velvet for piping.

    The existing upholstery was completely stripped to the frame then structural repairs carried out and the legs re-polished. We then fitted jute webbing, laced and tied down coil springs with hessian overlays. The shapes were then developed utilising modern polyurethane furniture edging instead of fibre fill stitched edges and premium high density foam instead of the traditional flock and fibre. We feel that using this combination of traditional and modern methods of building the upholstery foundation gives an authentic finish with superior comfort.

    The chair was then upholstered a high quality screen printed vat dyed linen with a matching pink cotton velvet piping. This gave a softer appearance to the chair which was required by our client. This chair having been constructed in the 1880’s was now rejuvenated by descendants of the original owners and functional in 2019!

    Call us Today

  • Ethen Allen Furniture – Reupholster

    ByFrank Parker

    This American company was founded in 1932 by two brothers-in-law starting business as a homewares manufacturer. In 1936 they purchased a bankrupt high-end furniture manufacturer in Vermont and adopted the name Ethan Allen in 1939.

    Ethan Allen now a public company and has four manufacturing plants in the USA and one in Mexico with retail outlets across the USA and Canada. Although the company had suffered a severe decline in business over the last few decades the share price is now rebounding with the strong public sentiment towards supporting home grown products and businesses.

    A couple were referred to us to have their two Ethan Allen ‘Restocrat Recliners’ re-upholstered. They purchased these recliner chairs in the mid 70’s while living in the U.S. Their present home still reflected the architecture and furnishings from the 70’s so it was the preferable option.

    These recliner chairs were stripped back to the bare frames and the mechanisms were removed. The quality of the mechanisms were outstanding, we just cleaned them up with the timber frames only requiring minor repairs. The frames were re-sprung and new cushioning was fabricated from premium foam and encased with bonded polyester fibre. The fabric selected by our client was a 70’s pin stripe velvet which was a prefect replacement.

    What could we say, these recliner chairs looked like they had just been purchased from an Ethan Allen store forty five years ago! However the important thing was that our clients just loved their rejuvenated recliner chairs.

    Call us Today

  • Refurbish Lincoln Furniture

    ByFrank Parker

    The Background to Lincoln Furniture Nedlands W.A.

    Richard Laurence the founder of Lincoln Furniture worked in the upholstered furniture industry in California USA and immigrated with his family to Perth Western Australia in the late 1960’s. He initially worked with Perth furniture retailers for several years to gain an understanding of the local industry then commenced Lincoln Furniture.

    Reupholstering a Lincoln Lounge Suite

    This Lincoln lounge suite consisting of 2 x 2 ½ seater settees and 2 x chairs was purchased in 1978 from the Perth furniture store – Lincoln Furniture. Lincoln Furniture was established in Perth in the early 1970’s and the company operated until the early 1990’s. This Nedlands based furniture manufacturer used to produce high quality traditional American style furniture. Parker Furniture had the privledge to beautifully reupholstered this lounge furniture to restore it for its appreciative Western Australian owners. The lounge was originally constructed with a unique sprung edge utilising no sag springs which was an American system and had previously not used by Australian lounge furniture manufacturers.

     

    Call us To Have Your Old Lounge Suite Reupholstered

  • Re-styled 1940’s chairs

    ByFrank Parker

    Occasionally clients are unhappy with the style of the chairs presented to us for repair and re-upholstery. This can be as a result of either initial design flaws, poor re-upholstery or poor reconstruction as a result of previous damage or sometimes a combination of these factors. The idea is not necessarily to bring a chair back its purest original form but occasionally compromise with slight re-styling to compliment the client’s décor.

    These two 1940’s chairs were presented to us by a client as they had been passed down to her through the family. She wanted the chairs to be re-upholstered however she wanted the arms modified on one chair and the wings to be altered on the other chair. This re-styling was required partially due to initial design flaws but also due to past re-upholstery exaggerating these flaws.

    We completely stripped the existing upholstery on both chairs down to the bare frames. The top arms on one chair were then cut down to a cigar shaped arm in keeping with the design while the other chair had a plywood strip removed from the inside wings which improvised as a thumb roll. The two modified chair frames were then re-upholstered using a combination of traditional and contemporary methods.

    When these re-styled chairs were delivered to our client she was ecstatic with the outcome. We trust the chairs will be enjoyed and continued to be passed down to future generations.

    Call us Today

  • Re-upholster leather Tessa furniture

    ByFrank Parker

    Tessa Furniture is an iconic name in Australian furniture manufacturing being a prolific name during the heydays of local furniture industry. Although refurbished mid-century modernist furniture with a Scandinavian influence is a niche market the interest not only resides with those who have been fortunate to have witnessed this period of design history. Some discerning members of younger generations are purchasing or inheriting this furniture and having it restored.  

    A client approached us with her much loved Tessa leather lounge suite which she had inherited from her parents. She wanted the lounge fully restored as she remembered it growing up on the family farm.

    We completely removed all existing upholstery then sanded the frame back to bare timber. Several timber rails were re-glued then the frame was finely sanded. The Tasmanian Myrtle timber frame was then stained back to the original finish and given three coats of lacquer being lightly sanded between coats.

    The original springing systems were fine in the backs and the settee seat however new premium quality elastic webbing was fitted to the chair seats to conform to the original specifications. New channelled and quilted polyester back cushion inners were fabricated likewise new polyester encased premium polyurethane seat cushion inners. The quality of the seat and back cushion inners however far exceeded the original upholstery componentry.

    It is extremely important to use a high quality leather for the upholstery and we used the Tasman ‘Matisse Manuka’ which is a superior quality semi-aniline leather from New Zealand. All the detailed stitching was replicated and needless to say that our client was elated at the family lounge suite being returned to its former glory days.

    Call us Today