Have a seat

doift — Sun, 11 May 2008 16:08:59 -0800

I scavenged a chair from the street (oh, how Brooklyn of me) with the overly-ambitious intention of refinishing and reupholstering it. I can figure out how to to remove the seat and replace the fabric, but I'm stuck on several other necessary steps, to the point that I don't even know what terms to Google. Pictures within. This is the chair. Taking off the seat seems to be straightforward, and I'm an old hand with fabric and foam, so replacing that shouldn't be a problem. However, I can't figure out how to take apart the back so I can replace that fabric. How is the back joined to the sides? What is that little wooden post called? Where should I look for information on how to take that apart and put it back together again? Here's a closeup of the intact post, and here's my best attempt at photographing what's inside the hole from the one that's half-missing. The other side of the back also has one intact post and one missing one.

The other step that I'm confused about is the refinishing. I know nothing about varnish, shellac, etc., so I was considering just leaving the wood as it is, but then the finish started to peel and I figured if I'm going to do this thing, I may as well go whole hog. Can anyone tell from these pictures what kind of finish that is, how best to remove it, what I can expect from the wood underneath, and what new finish I should use?

Any instructions or suggestions on where to look for good instructions are most appreciated. I have basic hand tools, and am happy to buy some specialized supplies, but seeing as how I'm broke enough to pick up a chair from the curb, if this is going to end up being expensive and hassle-y, I have no problem taking the thing back from whence it came.

NYC upholsterers, pimp my yard sale sofa!

kenzi23 — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 09:43:26 -0800

Help me find a good upholsterer in NYC, preferably Brooklyn I found a great couch at a yard sale and planned to reupholster it myself but 2 years later it's still sitting in my living room, spitting out its insides, so I am prepared to pay someone to do it. The springs will need to be retied, and it probably needs new stuffing and a new cushion. There may also be some woodwork to fix. I have my fabric picked out so now I just need someone who does good quality work.

Do you have recommendations for a place (preferably in Brooklyn) that does good work of this sort?

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Have a seat

NYC upholsterers, pimp my yard sale sofa!