Expert: Mark H. Miller - 12/9/2008

Question
QUESTION: Hi Mark: Starting a new project. I just bought a fabulous antique french dining room suite (Andrew Malcolm). Anyway the armchair has fabric on the back. It has welting/piping around the edge - how do I get this off - just pry it off? I've already done the seats but I've never tried to do this before. Would the fabric be attached (glued) to a board or something?

thanx
carolyn

ANSWER: Hi Carolyn,

The double welt currently on the chair should be glued on,  rarely are there also staples,  so yes, just grab the welt with a strong pair of pliers and pull it off,  start where it is joined together which is usually the center of the back bottom or a corner.

When you upholster the chairs I recommend that you not do them with double welt,  any furniture prior to the 1920's should not have double welt since that is when it was first used.  You should use a braid, also called gimp which is glued on,  best is hot melt glue.

The fabric should be stapled or nailed into the frame,  there should not be a board anywhere.

I hope this information helps, have fun.

Mark Miller.



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi Mark - Is there a way of gluing piping to the back of the chair (after fabric has been stapled on) so that you don't see the raw edge of the seam?
tx
carolyn

Answer
Hi Carolyn,

No,  there is no way to do that,  you would need a special foot on the sewing machine to create two side by side welts, called a double welt.   There is no way to glue a single welt,  to do that there has to be a groove in the frame that the fabric was stapled into and then the single welt is glued into that groove.

Mark.