I like finding furniture at flea markets, Facebook Marketplace or even Craigslist that need a little help but have a great structure. Pieces that you know could look so much better if given a little love. The settee here was found for $30 and it was in great condition though it looked a bit shabby and had a not-so-attractive fabric on it. But I loved it curves and I figure I could give it a little upgrade so I brought it home and started removing the fabric.
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And let me tell you, this was no easy task. Just removing the tacks you see all around the edges of the fabric was a shore and you’ll need special tools for doing this job.
I first tried using a screwdriver and some pliers to remove the tacks to no avail. I ended up getting this tack puller tool to make the job ”easier”. This job required a lot of patience and hand strength to finish it. Also a must is protection glasses because the tacks sometimes fly as you remove them.
So consider yourself warned that if you decide to do a project that has lots of tacks on it, at one moment or another, you will want to throw the whole thing in the garbage can. But if you are patient, you can truly transform an ugly duckling into a beautiful swan. So hang in there!
Here’s a list of the items you will need to tackle a project like this:
Batting and/or upholstery foam, if needed
Staplers
When I finished removing all the tacks, I realized that now it had staples all around under the tacks... and this is the moment where I wanted to quit and throw the the whole thing in the trash can. I did take a few days off at this time to rest my sore hands before tackling the staples.
The settee stared at me for a week or two telling me to get it finished. Yes I know I’m crazy to think that the settee was talking to me but there it was every time I passed by staring at me and saying “I’m not going anywhere”.
Finally, the day came and I removed all the staples and the fabric was off.
Then I decided to paint the piece and give it a new life. I used this white chalk paint and then sanded it smooth when dried and then sanded it more to give it a distressed look. And if you ever worked with chalk paint, you know that you don’t need to prime the piece; you just paint it and when dry, you sand it. I finished the wood with clear wax to seal the paint.
Now for the upholstery, I decided to use two different fabrics on it. One on the seat and back side of the front of the settee and another on the back of the piece. I had a grain-sack looking fabric and a blue toile fabric to work with. It was now time to staple the fabric onto the wood.
Now you must have an air compressor or pneumatic stapler or nailer for this project. Believe me, the hand or electrical stapler won’t do the job. I did try both and failed; and the electrical stapler simply does not have the power to nail on hard wood.
You can also rent a compressor and a stapler at your home improvement center but I decided to purchase mine since I can use it for many projects at home. It seemed more cost effective to me to purchase instead of renting it too. This is the one I purchased, it has a stapler and two type of nailers. I highly recommend this one since you get more for your money than buying all these separately. If you already have a air compressor, then just get a pneumatic stapler.
The first fabric I stapled was for the back of the settee. Please make sure you face the right side of the fabric facing out as you see in the pictures below. Also pay attention to make sure the design is straight if you’re looking at it from the back of the settee. My tip for you here is to staple the center top first on the folded edge of the fabric, then the center bottom, then each side as you stretch the fabric. Check to see if the design is straight on the back of the settee. If not, remove the side staples, and if needed, the bottom staple too and start again.
Another thing you need to be aware of here is to make sure that the staples are not coming out of the back side of the furniture when you are stapling. Make sure you are using the correct size staples for your project.
Try not to trim the fabric before you are done stapling, so if you make a mistake, you can remove staples and reposition the fabric. After you have stapled all around, trim the excess fabric.
Now a piece of hard cardboard is stapled after, on top of the fabric I just stapled. I used the same cardboard it had so I did not need to replaced it. If you need to replace it, you can use batting instead.
The foam then goes on top of the cardboard, which if you notice on this top picture, I forgot to put the foam in between and I started stapling the top fabric. So yes, I had to remove the fabric and start again.
I used tape to hold the foam while I stapled the top fabric here since I did not want to use staples on the foam and make it look lumpy. Once I was close to where the tape was, I removed the tape. If you have someone helping you, you don’t need to use tape, of course. I used the same foam here since it was still in good condition but here is a source for you if you need to replace it.
The fabric I used here had stripes so I had to be careful to line it up correctly and I did have todo this a few times until the fabric was straight.
Trim the excess fabric once you are sure you have positioned it correctly.
The process goes a little quicker at this point once you get the hang of what you are doing.
If you notice on the above picture, the staples are not very close together but once I stapled all around I went back and added more staples in between. The staples eventually will be covered by the piping I will be sewing. Stay tune for that blogpost.
When you reach the four spots, where the back of the settee is attached to the bottom seat, it can get a little tricky. You will need to trim the fabric carefully and fold it under as you stretch each side and staple. Note that you won’t be able to staple on the inside of the arm and that is ok. Later when I add the pipping or the decorative trim to cover the staples, I will show you how to use hot glue for this area.
And here is the settee all finished and looking pretty.
And here is the back side.
So bring a new life to an old piece of furniture by using chalk paint, new fabric, great tools and some patience. And don’t forget to come back later to show you how to sew and add the piping to this piece.
Thank you for stopping by,