In theory, recovering should only involve the removal of old fabric and the application of new fabric.
If only.
In practice a lot more happens. Current legislation requires the inclusion of a fire retardant (FR) layer – either treated cover fabric or something under the cover fabric such as FR polyester wadding or a natural material resistant to burning. So, where needed, this layer also called a barrier cloth will be added to ensure conformance to fire safety legislation.
It makes sense to buff up the polish work while recovering – ideally after the old fabric has been removed but before the new material is added. If there have been knocks and scrapes – which must be expected if the item has been used – then they generally need to be improved rather than repaired – allowing the character formed over time to stay with the piece.
Frame joints might be failing and that can be felt – even heard – when the item is examined. Dependent on where the problem lies and how serious it is, this can often be repaired with the outer cover removed and access gained by temporarily undoing the upholstery. But not always!
Often old webbing will sag – the addition of new webbing might help. Where damage has occurred to other layers then the job becomes one of restoration, not recovering.
Old stuffings can have a character of their own but there comes a time where they simply fall apart or collapse. Ancient hessian becomes brittle, calico rips. Hair, coir and grass (often used as a cheap substitute earlier in the 20th Century) compresses and may simply mean the shape is not what it should be. Again, this means it should be seen as reupholstery.
But some tweaking can be applied – a little extra padding on top of seats and arms, a little to the back or ‘back stuffing’ into joins (such as between seat and arms or back) can be an easy way to keep a good shape under the heading of “recovering”.
The project files include recovering jobs – some of these give clear examples where recovering is interpreted more generously than maybe it should!
JBerryUpholstery will apply a generous definition when recovering items. Make it part of your discussion when you contact us.
Return to the Recovering page.
JBerryUpholstery has many examples of furniture Recovering and Restoration and also Soft Furnishings to add to or complement the finished items. You can see pictures of these in the Galleries– Recovering Gallery, Restoration Gallery, Soft Furnishings Gallery and Transformations.
If you have some upholstery that is in need of a bit of TLC or you are interested in Soft Furnishings then please contact us.
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