UPHOLSTERY FURNITURE REPAIR
Upholstery is a prominent feature of many types of contemporary and antique furniture. In addition to making chairs, sofas and other kinds of seats more comfortable, this furniture-makingLos Angeles Furniture Upholsterytechnique can greatly increase the beauty of your pieces and help you customize the look of your home. Unfortunately, upholstery typically decreases in appearance and quality when used over time. A professional reupholstering job can restore your furniture to its former look, or give you the chance to try out new looks and change your décor. The refurbishing experts at Rahn’s Furniture Refinishing can help you every step of the way as you reupholster your pieces or add upholstery to bare furniture.
What Is Upholstery?
Upholstery is the term used to describe the structures and materials added to the frame of a couch, chair or any other type of furniture in order to increase the comfort of sitting. These structures and materials commonly include items such as webbing, springs, fillers and cushions. As a rule, the exterior of an upholstered furniture piece is finished with fabric, leather or some other covering that keeps the upholstery materials in place and (in many cases) improves the piece’s aesthetic appearance. A professional known as an upholsterer has the skills required to work with the inner upholstery materials, as well as upholstery coverings.
Furniture manufacturers have used upholstering techniques for hundreds of years. At one time, all upholstery work was done by skilled artisans who worked by hand. In modern times, many manufacturers now use partially or completely automated processes to create mass-produced upholstered furniture. Since upholstery has been popular for centuries, it may appear as a design feature of almost any antique or contemporary chair, sofa or couch in your household.
Why Upholster or Reupholster Your Furniture?
There are a number of reasons for reupholstering your contemporary or antique furniture. In many cases, the decision is mainly a matter of wanting to restore a piece of beloved furniture to its former glory. You can also use the reupholstering process to keep the look of your furniture in line with changes in your personal taste, to match the appearance of your furniture to other design elements in a room or household, to make your furniture more comfortable, or to increase your furniture’s resale value. At Rahn’s Furniture Refinishing, our expert staff can help you determine whether an upholstery project fits your needs.
Which Pieces Are Suitable?
You can upholster or reupholster almost any piece of furniture in your house that has a seat. However, several factors tend to make a sofa, couch or chair a more suitable candidate for the process. First, upholstery and reupholstery typically work best with solid-wood furniture, not plywood furniture or furniture with a veneered surface. That’s because solid-wood pieces usually last long enough to make the upholstery process worth the time and effort. (Of course, you can also upholster plywood or veneered furniture if you wish.)
In addition, the best candidates for upholstery and reupholstery are in generally good condition and lack glaring defects such as uneven legs, loose joints, broken joints or excessive squeakiness. Antique furniture pieces commonly make excellent targets for an upholstering job, especially when they have received good care over the years. Many contemporary pieces also meet the general requirements for upholstery work.
The professionals at Rahn’s Furniture Refinishing can help you with any upholstering or reupholstering project, regardless of size. If your furniture pieces are already in suitable condition, we can move straight to the upholstering process. Since we’re experts at furniture repair, we can also prepare your damaged or substandard pieces for upholstery by identifying and correcting any serious underlying issues.
The Upholstery Process
Upholstering and reupholstering are complex jobs that rely extensively on training and real-world experience. For this reason, only a professional upholsterer can reliably discuss the nature of your project and devise an appropriate plan of action. In addition, only a professional has the skill set needed to satisfactorily carry out each step of the process. Rahn’s Furniture Refinishing employs a team of experts with the exact knowledge base needed to do an excellent job.
A reupholstering job starts with removal of the covering that holds the inner materials in place. This may be a delicate undertaking, especially if you wish to reuse the covering later on. If you only want to change out the covering layer, an upholsterer will use its measurements to create a properly sized replacement. If you want to remove any damaged or substandard materials beneath the covering layer, an upholsterer will carefully examine all existing springs, webbing, cushions and filler. After completing this examination, he/she will discard any unwanted materials and save any materials that can be reused. Removal of upholstery provides the perfect opportunity to assess the condition of the furniture frame, make minor or major repairs, and do any required painting or staining.
Next, the upholsterer will rebuild the piece’s inner structure, using new materials wherever required. The specifics of the rebuilding process vary according to a number of factors, including the type of furniture under consideration and the furniture’s desired final appearance. After rebuilding is complete, the upholsterer will reattach the original upholstery covering or attach a new covering of your choice. Products used to hold upholstery in place include furniture staples and furniture nails.
Skilled upholsterers have experience working with a broad range of projects that include a variety of furniture types, as well as furniture from different time periods. This experience gives them the confidence, knowledge base and abilities needed to properly assess each job, make a coordinated plan that follows the customer’s wishes, and create an end product that upholds the highest aesthetic and practical standards. When you bring your projects to Rahn’s Furniture Refinishing, you can rest assured that our expert staff has the skills needed to get the job done right and maximize the lifespan and value of your furniture.
The Upholstery Experts
Over four decades of hard work, the experts at Rahn’s Furniture Refinishing have developed a well-deserved reputation as a Southern California leader in upholstery and reupholstery. When you contact us for your project, you will receive the very best in materials, workmanship and customer service. You will also receive a finished product that restores and heightens the appearance and value of your fine furniture. Call us today to find out more about our services and schedule an in-home pickup.