Upholstery
Upholstery is the work of providing furniture, especially seats, with padding, springs, webbing, and fabric or leather covers. The word "upholstery" comes from the Middle English words up and holden, meaning to hold up. The term is applied to domestic furniture and also to applications in automobiles and boats. A person who works with upholstery is called an upholsterer; an apprentice upholsterer is sometimes called an outsider or trimmer.
Upholstery of domestic furniture
Frames
Spring systems
Cushions, pillows, padding and fills
Fabrics and leathers
Upholstery of domestic furniture
The materials which are important to the quality of an upholstered product, such as a bed, sofa, chair or ottoman, may be considered in four categories: the frame (usually wooden) on which the upholstery is to be constructed; the spring system; the cushioning or padding; and the final fabric or leather covering.
Frames
The life of a piece of upholstered furniture begins with its frame: although the underlying wooden framework cannot be seen in the finished product, the type of wood used to create it will have a bearing on the quality of the final product. Some furniture employs softwoods, but may suffer from its difficulty in supporting the joinery that is required for the best quality furniture. The tight graining of hardwoods allows for pegs, screws and nails to be set securely, reducing the likelihood of their becoming loose over time. Hardwoods used in upholstered furniture include oak, alder and other woods with tight graining. Hardwood laminates are often used for blocks and braces because
laminates are actually stronger than solid wood in these applications. Most wood employed in upholstered furniture is kiln-dried. In this process, the wood is heated in an industrial oven to remove excess sap and moisture (and reduce its tendency for absorbing any moisture in the future), which can cause frames to warp, swell, shrink or change shape, or to succumb to rot or mildew,
during their life. The wood for a piece of upholstered furniture must be assembled into a sturdy frame. Generally, the more rigid the frame the better, because a loose frame can crack or fail, and several craftsman processes can be used to create a good, strong frame. A variety of woods and laminates are used for joining, blocking and doweling and sometimes several techniques are used.
Joints are the places where one piece of frame wood intersects to another part of the frame at an angle. Joints must be reinforced with blocks or dowels for extra support or the frame will be susceptible to loosening over time.
Blocking refers to the process of placing additional blocks of wood behind or diagonal to joints and corners for support in areas where the furniture craftsman believes there may be greater stress. Blocks provide lateral support and a larger area for screws and fasteners to set wood elements securely. This extra bracing at stress points contributes to the lasting integrity of the frame. An alternative to blocking is doweling. Doweling refers to the process whereby one or two dowels are drilled, hammered and glued into the wood at stress-points to provide extra strength and support to the frame. Nails, screws, fasteners and glue may also support many parts of a frame.
Spring systems
Once the frame is constructed, a spring system is installed to support the seating area. Furniture manufacturers employ two main types of spring support systems: standard springs and eight-way hand tied springs. When the spring system is finished with a top layer of padding, it is commonly called the "seat deck".
Standard Springs
Standard Springs provide good support at a lower price than the alternative.
Sinuous Springs
Most manufacturers offer either sinuous springs or drop-in-springs as their standard, depending on how they make their furniture. Both types affix to the frame to support the seat deck. Standard springs have a formal, very firm "sit" and only move in the up/down direction. In contrast, eight-way hand-tied springs, can move in many more directions. Sinuous springs are heavy-gauge steel springs that have been heat formed into continuous "S" shapes. They are cut into lengths and affixed to the frame.
Drop-in Springs
Drop-in Springs are mass-manufactured welded units that are more cheaply manufactured and considered to be of lower quality than sinuous springs.
Hand-tied Springs
Eight-way hand-tied springs have a wide range of movement providing a very even and individual "sit", because they move up and down and side to side. In the construction of these systems, the craftsman individually ties heavy gauge coils from front to back, side to side and diagonally (eight ways) to provide the highest level of quality, comfort and durability. This process costs more because it is time consuming and can only be done by hand.
Cushions, pillows, padding and fills
Once a piece of upholstered furniture has its frame and springs, the next components are the cushions and padding. Seat cushions sit on top of the spring system and seat deck. Back pillows, if present, rest against the back and arms of the piece.
Most cushions are made of a high-density Dacron foam core that is then wrapped with either soft polyester, feather and down, or a hypoallergenic down substitute. Dacron adds resilience so that pillows and seats keep their shape, while the wraps form a soft envelope. Cushions and pillows are usually sewn into cotton cases to ensure smooth upholstering. Feather and down offers the maximum comfort and softness in cushions and pillows that most people desire and designers prefer. Feather and down back pillows and wrapped seat cushions can always be "fluffed-up" to maintain an attractive look. Feather and down fills and wraps require a little more maintenance than polyester and high density-foam but they have greater comfort, durability and resilience. Buckwheat hulls are also used as filling for a variety of upholstered goods, including pillows and zafu. The hulls are durable and do not conduct or reflect heat as much as synthetic fills. They are sometimes marketed as an alternative natural fill to feathers for those with allergies.
Fabrics and Leathers
Textiles, a term used in the furniture industry, encompass both fabrics and leathers and the choice of textiles can account for up to 70% of furniture price. Tightly woven fabrics and blends tend to wear longer than light or loose-weave natural fibres.
Leather is a beautiful, durable and easy-care natural material that gets softer and better with time. To create beautiful leather, top-grain hides are tanned, processed and dyed to give a certain colour or look. Tanning refers to the process in which salts are used to cure the hide and to stabilise its shape. Dying refers to infusing the hide with different colour dyes.
Aniline dying is a high quality process that imparts colour but does not disguise the beautiful, natural character of the hide. Some leathers are further treated with a pattern, texture, or polish.
Natural Leather
With a world full of man made materials, leather is one product which retains its natural unique characteristics.
Hide provides an ageless durable elegance, offers good looks and comfort, and is stylish. A material that, unlike many others, can adapt to contemporary as well as traditional designs.
The leather industry is one of the oldest known to mankind, the methods used have changed little over the years. Although of course more advanced tanning and finishing processes have developed through new technology, making for softer, glove like suppleness that will remain throughout the life of a piece of furniture.
Upholstering in leather is the work of skilled craftsmen, every piece having to be hand finished to compete a distinguished item of furniture.
Leather will always bear the marks of nature, but scars, bush marks, creases or bites, do not attract from its quality and will always remain the signs of authenticity nature enhanced her own handiwork with.
During the first few weeks of use, wrinkles and creases will more than likely form on upholstery, but this is quite normal and should not cause any concern.
Leather will provide many years of service, but should be given regular care and attention.
Vacuum and dust with a very soft cloth a least once a week. The pores on the leather must be kept free of dust particles.
Overall cleaning should be carried out every month, wiping down the furniture with a mild tepid solution of pure soap, such as Lux or Dreft. Use a damp cloth which is not over wet.
Insure leather furniture is never placed to close to a radiator or heat source, the minimum distance should be 30cms.
Protect from direct sunlight.
In the event of an accident or to obtain specific advice, consult your retailer or a specialist.
