AboutMark H. Miller Expertise custom furniture upholsterery. Became journeyman custom upholsterer in 1969. Certified by Upholsterers Intl. Union. Worked at San Francisco`s most prestigious upholstering shop as senior upholsterer. Am now president of Domar Upholstered Furniture Inc. Have upholstered for Presidents Reagan, Nixon, Clinton and the Queen of England. formerly taught classes in custom upholstering at the San Francisco Community College. Happy to answer all your upholstering questions.
Question QUESTION: I am refinishing a chair. I am ready to reupholster the chair but when I sat in the chair it sank a little too low for me. I am not heavy am an worried what it will feel like if a heavier person sits in it. The sinuous springs seem fine. There are were fine metal wires running horizontally through the sinuous spring. These wires also are threaded thru the burlap. Are these wires the problem? They seem rather loose. Could I support the seat by putting 3/8 plywood under the bottom and just remove the springs? Help!
ANSWER: Hi Montina, I just answered your question but think it did not go through, if you have not received my answer please let me know so that I can send it again.
Thanks,
Mark Miller.
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QUESTION: Your answer did not come through. I turned chair over and there are 2 paper covered wires that are attached with metal clamps to the sinuous springs. One of these paper covered wires is broken. I think this must be the problem. What do I call this wire and the clamps? I'll need to call local upholstery shops that sells supplies to find this . Am I on the right track? Thanks for the quick response. This is awesome.
Answer Hi Monita,
I'm sorry that my original answer did not come, so I will write it again for you.
The problem you have is in the springs, properly called no-sag springs, The wires connected with the paper do nothing to make the seat firmer they are designed to prevent the padding material from working their way to the bottom through the space between the springs.
I will give you two methods for making the seat firmer, the first is the best. You need rubber bands that are about 3 or 4 inches in diameter about 1 inch wide, you should be able to purchase those from an upholstery supplier who sells no-sag springs, that is the correct name for the springs in your seat. Picture them as the inner tube of a bicycle tire cut in 1 inch rubber bands, they should be much thicker and stronger than an inner tube though, the bicycle inner tube is only to give you an idea of what the rubber bands should look like.
Hook the rubber band around the loop of a spring and then hook it over the corresponding loop on the next springs that runs parallel, it is ok if the rubber bands are at an angle, if you do that to every other loop that will connect all the springs so that they work as a single unit. For the outside edge use a very strong twine - hook that around each loop creating a zig-zag patter one end around a spring and the other nailed against the side of the frame to straighten the springs back to their original shape that it was before placing the rubber bands, the rubber bands will be tight and pull the springs toward the center - so you need the twine to straighten and re-align them back to a straight line as they are now. You will create a solid web of springs connected by rubber bands which will be very firm and should solve your problem.
Then, over the springs place a layer of padding and then the burlap. Eliminating the wires that are there now since they will damage or cut the rubber bands.
The second method is less professional, you would need to turn the chair upside down and fill the cavity spacer under the springs with poly-urethane foam. Then staple or tack strips of webbing to hold the foam in place, doing that will prevent the springs from coming down and bottoming out - the foam padding will hold them up - but there will still be some give to make the seat comfortable.
You can also hold the foam in place by putting the plywood on the bottom of the chair with screws and very large washers - that will resolve your problem but eventually the plywood will break away - and if a heavy person sits on the seat it could do so right away which would be very embarrassing.
Your own suggestion of replacing the springs with 3/8 plywood and covering that with padding will also work but is the least comfortable since the chair will be hard and not comfortable for long time sitting, hard like a restaurant seat which are often designed so that diners will not sit long and linger.
You could try the two methods I suggest before upholstering the chair to see if it has solved your problem the way you would like it to.
Please don't hesitate to contact me if you need further clarification. I hope this helps.
