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Collectibles-General (Antiques)/How to put leather seat replacement on chair with upholstery tacks????
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Question
I have an old rocker that had a leather seat. I have purchased a leather seat replacement and upholstery tacks. How do I attach this to the seat, what I really mean is how far apart should the tacks be and how far from the edge should they be? Also, the seat is the correct size, just a little larger that the circle for seat, do I trim or fold under the edges of the leather (leather piece is thick) or just let the raw edge show? Thanks for your expert help!!!
Thanks for your question,
The leather should be trimmed to be smooth. Do not try to fold it under as it will be too thick and crack over time. The nails can be placed any distance apart. Some use the continuous band which is fake nails heads with a opening @ every 5th nail so you can use a real upholstery nail. The way I do it sometimes is to place the leather where it will be, use tape to hold in place if necessary and try to have the rocker as level as you can by putting a book under the back of the rocker.Get some dimes and place them around the seat a few inches apart. See if it looks right and if not, move closer together or father apart till you are satisfied, then measure how far apart the dimes are and lay out the seat with the same distance. Another trick you may want to use is to place some regular tacks at the 12-3-6-9 spots of the circle to give extra strength, then place your detractive nails where the head will cover the tack.
Good Luck with your project,
Rob
http://www.andersonsrestorations.com
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| Comment | Thanks for your advise, that helped a lot to get the right distance between tacks. It looks great! This was my great~great grandmother's rocker so I wanted it to look nice and it does. Thanks again!!! | ||
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Anderson's Restorations-Rob Anderson
Expertise
We can answer questions about wicker repair and restoration, chair seating[caning-rush-splint-danish cord] furniture refinishing and repair, brass and copper polishing, veneering and veneer repair. WE WILL NOT GIVE APPRAISALS or answer "WHATS IT WORTH" questions. If you want a value, contact us for our current costs for this service.
Experience
Just entered our 40th year doing this work. We started in Fl and have been in NC for the last 15 years. We have a web site www.andersonsrestorations.com where we have alot of information about us and a blog at www.andersons-restorations.blogspot.com where we have many before and after photos of our work.We also are experienced in Fiat Jolly Seats and other automobile seating and work on Horse Drawn Carriage pieces.
Organizations
Past president of a historical museum
Publications
Antique Shoppe Newspaper, Yadkin Valley Living Magazine, Antique Lynks Newspaper
Education/Credentials
Seminole HS in Seminole FL class of 1965 and some college before entering service. US Army
Awards and Honors
Asked to demonstrate seat weaving at the NC Musuem of History, Paleigh, for 3 days. Demonstrated at the Mountain Heritage Festival, Sparta,NC.
Past/Present Clients
Restoring 35 pieces of wicker for the Governors Mansion, Raleigh,NC paid through private funding.
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