Cabinets, Furniture, Woodworks/"old loveseat"

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Expert: - 7/28/2009


Question

loveseat
Mr. Miller,
 I recently inherited this loveseat, which I know was stripped down of the old red dye stain, for the most part, but when I took the old upholstery off of the back I discovered the split back, as you can see the center had some sort of carving in the middle. The seat had been re-upholstered over what I believe was possibly the original fabric, it was stuffed with straw, which I have removed along with some signs of some mice making it their home. I am wondering if these springs could still be good and just need to be re-tied. I really would like to take it back to the original split back, but I'm not sure how to do the upholstery on that part, since I am just learning. I would love to know the time period of this piece, I also have a platform rocker that matches this piece. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Answer
Hi,  the love seat you inherited is a wonderful piece, I would treasure it.  Your love seat dates back to between 1930 and 1940 in my opinion - soon to be an antique

My recommendation is that you strip the piece completely down to the bare wood.  Save nothing.  There is no value in the original coil springs.  Coil springs loose their tension over time and should be replaced.  

You were wise to dispose of the old straw since that is a tremendous fire hazard and now illegal in most states and some people have allergies to straw.  

After you strip the frame down to the bare wood deal with any issue that regard the frame first -such as gluing the frame where it is loose,  making certain there are corner blocks and re-glue them or make new if there are none - corner blocks should be both glued and screwed in for strength.  Then deal with the finish, a compound of lemon oil and bee's wax with the finest steel wool should restore the wood without refinishing it.  

Replace the webbing and coil springs with new, you can purchase those on line from upholstery suppliers and use extra firm foam padding.  If you have never upholstered a seat like this love seat you may need guidance - upholstery is hands on learning, I suggest you invest in a good book on upholstering techniques to give you visual guidance.

The back should be upholstered in three sections,  a split back just as you would like it to be -an upholstered section on the left and right separated by the wood section in the center,  the center wood should never be covered - from your writing I gather it had been so there may be some nail holes that need patching.   The same goes for the front of the back as for the back - there should be two upholstered sections separated by the decorative wood.  

The love seat you have was most likely upholstered in velvet, since a busy pattern would take away from the nice lines and wood and decorative center panel.  For trim you should use a braid or gimp that matches the fabric and that is glued on at the very end - double welt trim does not go with the period of your piece.

I can't say anything about the rocker since you do not pose a direct question - other than that platform rockers are probably a little older than your love seat dating between the 1860's and 1920's.   I have never seen a platform rocker that I did not like - they are wonderful.

I hope these answers will help you into making a start.   I would rather answer specific question than try to second guess as to what information you need.  So please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any further questions.  You have inherited two very nice pieces of furniture that you are lucky to have.

Mark Miller.
    Questioner's Rating
    Rating(1-10)Knowledgeability = 9Clarity of Response = 10Politeness = 10
    CommentThank you so much, this forum is new to me, so I wasn't sure how much information to give. Thanks again. Tammie


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Mark 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.

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