New furniture from old

Last week we mentioned that slipcovers were a good alternative to buying a new piece of furniture. Reupholstering is also a great way to avoid spending huge amounts on new furniture for your dining room, living room, or bedroom. You can reupholster almost any type of furniture that has been covered in fabric, and, if you are up to the challenge, you can save a lot of money by doing it yourself. Many people decide to take up the challenge of reupholstering because it:

• saves time spent on ordering custom furniture
• allows you to choose the exact type of fabric and cushioning you want in your piece
• allows you to salvage antique furniture or furniture that has sentimental value

Choosing a Fabric

Before you can take on the task of reupholstering, you will first need to decide on the type of fabric you want your chair, cushion, or sofa to have. It is important that you choose upholstery-quality fabric, and not regular fabric. Upholstery fabric is much more durable and will stand up to the test of time, unlike regular fabric. Most upholstery fabrics are stain-resistant too, which means that you don’t have to worry too much if you spill that cup of coffee!

Be sure to choose a fabric that you like and that will match the other furniture in the room. However, the thicker and stiffer the fabric is that you select, the more difficult the reupholstery process will be. It is typically not recommended that amateur upholsters try to reupholster leather or suede furniture.

Necessary Tools
In order to begin your reupholstery project, you will need to collect a few reupholstery supplies. It is important that you have:

• a pair of needle nose pliers
• a staple gun (with staples) or upholstery tacks
• a rubber mallet
• a pair of sharp scissors
• welting (cloth used to trim along the edges of furniture)
• glue gun
• cotton batting (to make the furniture soft to sit on)

Depending upon the piece of furniture that you are reupholstering, you may also want to find a friend to help you out. It can sometimes be tricky to tackle reupholstering on your own.

At Fabric and Textile Warehouse you can get not only all the tools that you need and the best-quality  upholstery fabrics from major fabric books, but also all the advice and assistance you require from our well-trained and knowledgeable staff. Email us or call 0861 322 839 (0861 Fab Tex) to find all that you'll need!

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