Brad
1 post
Jan 18, 2008
9:42 AM
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I'm not a designer and I've never attempted to reupholster anything before. That said, I am staunchly DIY, and as such, always prefer to give a project a go on my own before seeking outside help. I realized pretty early on that reupholstering a sofa myself was way more than I was going to be capable of. However, I still decided to proceed with the endeavor as though I were the one who ultimately would be doing the labor. The couch in question is probably somewhere in the area of 40 - 60 years old. It comes from the home of an elderly woman who - so the story goes - never actually sat on it. It was her "company" couch, kept hidden in a parlor, reserved for only the finest visitors (which apparently she didn't have very many of). When she passed, she left the couch to her caretaker. Upon bringing the couch home, the caretaker's cats promptly destroyed the lower corners. Already having a couch of her own, and not wanting the cats to do more damage than they already had, she and her husband put the couch up on craigslist for free, under the condition that it go to a loving home. Cut to my girlfriend and I hunting DWR, eBay, and various other internet mid-century havens for a new sofa. I stumble upon the craigslist ad, calls are made, a showing set-up, and two days later the couch is in my dining room, where it has lived ever since. It's imperative to me that the whole reupholstering process be as eco-friendly as possible (yeah, I'm one of those). For several weeks now I have been researching (and pricing out) "green" materials and supplies, and actually have had some luck. I have been able to locate organically grown upholstery weight fabric, as well as sustainably produced webbing for the bottom of the couch, both for pretty cheap (www.pickhemp.com / www.wildrosefarm.com / www.nearseanaturals.com ). Now I'm trying to do the same with the cushioning. After having asked around at a number of local places, I have come to realize that very few people in this city (Chicago) know anything about environmentally conscious upholstery supplies, and, what's worse, those that do charge exorbitant prices because of the current "green" fad. Not only is the exploitation of being pro-earth stomach turning, it's also asking for money that I simply do not have. As much as I want to be earth friendly throughout this whole undertaking, price is going to play a major role in what materials I ultimately choose. It is my hope that I can find the reconciliation point between sustainable, comfortable, and affordable for cushioning. What do you got?
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Jennifer
6 posts
Jan 18, 2008
12:37 PM
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Hello Brad,
The Pincore (an excellent Top of the line choice by the way!) that I sell is a medium density. I find it to be on the softer side of medium. My point with all this is that its important to me I sell you exactly what you are wanting to end up with, just in case you are not sure what you are buying.
How do you want the cushions to feel? If the softer side concerns you, we can always sandwich a polyurethane foam of a firmer feel in with the Latex and go from there.
Straight pincore would be good for the backrests I think. Again its all 'to taste'.
I also need to know if you are looking for me to have these cut and wrapped (with dacron) for you when they ship? I am thinking yes since you gave me exact measurements.
Foams are cut 1/2" larger than finished cushion size since they do tend to smush in the corners so keep that in mind when ordering sizes also.
I am thinking that much of the sofa itself will not have foam underneath but what is called cotton batt. If there is any foam, it will probably be 1/2" or 1.0" thick with cotton on top of that. I will quote for Latex there too if you like but it's kind of over kill. Just my opinion.I have some good news/badnews for you.
The good news is that there is a polyurethane foam out there that is made from Bio-Polyols. That means along with the petrol base are beans. Beans of the Soy variety!
The industry is moving in that direction but very slowly.
I can sell it to you in a variety of firmnesses, I read your preference for firm but firmness is not the same as quality due to lastability. The 1800 Series is considered a "good" quality foam. The center of the line between 'ok' and 'best'. The more urethane , the better the quality. Thats just the way it is. It will not last 20 years but by the time you need new they will all be half beans anyway so...
All foam is "exorbitant" these days as petrol keeps going up.
Cotton: There may be bad news here for a 'greenhead'. Raw Cotton or yellow cotton also called brown cotton cannot be used with a light colored fabric as the seed oils will eventually bleed through and stain the light colors. It is not generally used for wrapping cushions. The only good white cottons out there are petrol based. Dacron is and that is made of 100 % petrol. That is the proper thing to use for wrapping cushions. Have you considered some sawdust and a burlap sack? hehe just kidding!
Use 100% Jute Webbing. There are alot of upholsterers out there that will use polypropylene webbing or rubber. Thats fine but not preferred by this one. You may get that and you will never know it anyway.
Please let me know if I may be of further assistance Jen
Last Edited on 18-Jan-2008 12:43 PM
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