Last week I took my first upholstery class as part of a month long series. And…uh it was hard! But it also felt good using my hands and power tools. For this class we are each making our own ottoman from scratch, meaning we each were given a wooden frame to start with. This first class dealt mostly with adding the webbing and springs for the ottoman.

After the first class, I’ve already begun to appreciate the art of well done upholstery work.  It definitely feels like an older craft…like basket weaving or something. But I digress. The best part of this class is that we get to use these cool air-compressed staple guns. These babies are awesome! And they will make anyone feel like a macho man. The teacher is cool if not a little intimidating. And the people in my class seem nice, although there is one “know-it-all” that I can already tell will drive me nuts. Grrr! But, I did pick up some good tips.

Different Types of Springs
A major difference between a quality piece of furniture and mass-produced “crap” is the kind of springs it uses. The best kind are coil springs (which we are installing in our ottomans). Spring coils will last 10-15 years. Next is the zig zag springs, which is very common in mass produced pieces because it is fast to install. This kind is ok. Then there is elastic webbing, which is basically just stretchy fabric. This is the worst as it will stretch out after only about 4 years. You can generally tell what kind of springs are used by following this rule of thumb: If the bottom of the furniture is solid then it is probably coil springs, if the bottom is hollow than it is either zigzag or elastic webbing. Of course, I can’t afford custom pieces, so I don’t have anything that is new that uses spring coils, but it is just good to know what you are getting into.

Tip: When Buying Vintage Look Underneath
When thinking about buying a vintage piece of furniture check underneath. If the bottom is sagging that means that the springs and webbing are worn and need to be replaced. This means that the chair would need to be stripped to its wood frame which is both mega expensive and time consuming.