Friday, June 23, 2017

Furniture Refinishing in West Hartford CT: Fixing Your Uncomfortable Couch


Furniture refinishing in West Hartford, Connecticut can improve your furnishings by restoring them to new condition. After long periods of wear and use, not only will fabrics begin to fade or become soiled beyond recovery, but cushions of chairs and couches will tend to degrade, leaving lumpy or uneven surfaces to sit upon. Professional restorative processes can return your furnishings to almost new condition and allow you to once again sit comfortably in your favorite antique chair or lounge on your heirloom antique couch. Here are the things that will be done to return your piece to its former glory…read on!

Padding Your Seat
As mentioned previously, after several years of use, the foam or padding used for the cushions in your favorite couch or chair can become damaged, either pilling or ripping to create a lumpy surface, or becoming compressed, which makes cushions uneven and less comfortable to sit on. A furniture refinishing expert will be able to replace the worn and damaged padding with new, more sanitary and stable materials that should withstand many more years of use. If you are having a couch restored, you should consider having all of the cushions’ padding replaced at the same time, regardless of their condition, so that you will have an even surface to sit on and know exactly when the last time your cushions received services.

Putting Spring In Your…Seat
In the case of older couches, some of the springs that support your cushions may have become loose or damaged over the years. This can lead to sagging seats and a lack of support when you sit on your favorite couch. A furniture refinishing specialist can replace or tighten the springs, re-establishing their effectiveness in supporting you when you use your furnishings. New springs will also be less noisy, and more resilient for many years to come.

Complete Recovery
Sometimes the fabric that has been covering your cushions has seen better days. Between stains, rips, wear and tear, the fabric that once covered your chair and couch cushions may need to be replaced. If this is the case, your furniture refinishing expert will let you know and help you select a new upholstery fabric to recover your new padding and/or springs. Some antique restoration experts will have fabric samples or an online gallery showroom full of new fabric samples from the top manufacturers for you to review. And upon request, some of these restoration experts will allow you to check out sample books to take home so that you can see what a particular fabric will look like with your home’s interior design scheme before you make a firm selection.

For more information about furniture refinishing in West Hartford CT and restoring antique furnishings to near new condition, call 860-232-2277 or click on the provided link.


Friday, April 28, 2017

Furniture Refinishing in West Hartford CT: Re-upholstery and Chairs


Furniture refinishing in West Hartford, Connecticut can save some of the furnishings in your home that would otherwise have to be replaced. For example, chairs with cane seats that have been damaged are useless without a skilled re-upholstery specialist that has the knowledge and skill set to weave a new seat. And even upholstered chairs that have saggy, broken down cushions become uncomfortable, unsightly and hard to justify keeping in your home. However, any of these problems can be fixed by a specialty restoration company that has the experience and knowledge to be able to make the necessary repairs and restore your piece. Here are some tidbits of information about the different types of seats and what can be done to repair them…read on!

Traditional Caning
Thin, but sturdy strips of veneer-like wood are woven together for a traditional caned chair. These types of seats are durable, but not indestructible and, after time, may need some repair work to continue using the chair. With this particular type of seat, once even a small section gets damaged, the integrity of the entire chair weakens and will, at times, rip entirely away from the frame. A furniture repair specialist that is well acquainted with cane weaving techniques will be able to completely restore this type of seat so that it is as good as new when it comes back to you from the re-upholstery company.

Other Woven Seats
Besides the traditional, honeycomb style of most caned chair seats, three other weaving patterns are common. Rush, Shaker and Danish Cord are all styles of woven seats that are found in older chairs. Over time, cords and wood can become worn, loosening the points of contact with the frame and causing damage. Discolorations are also common since all of the materials used for these woven seats are very porous and cannot be effectively sealed with a stain resistant coating. For any of these problems, calling around to the local re-upholstery shops and asking about furniture refinishing services for woven chairs is your best choice. And before you make any commitment to bring in your piece, be sure to ask if the restoration specialists on hand are able to weave the particular pattern of your chair.

Complete Re-upholstery
When you have a chair with an upholstered foam pad for a seat and it begins to droop, the reason is that the cushion inside the material has been too compressed from years of usage. Restorative processes for this type of chair is to carefully remove the upholstery fabric to replace the foam insert. A furniture refinishing specialist can match up the cushion exactly and reuse the original fabric if it isn’t damaged. And if the fabric is too soiled, ripped or otherwise damaged, complete re-upholstery with special pattern matching techniques will restore your chair to better than new.


For more information about furniture refinishing in West Hartford CT and re-upholstery of damaged chairs, call 860-232-2277 or click on the provided link. 

Wednesday, April 5, 2017

Furniture Refinishing in West Hartford CT: DIY vs. Professional Re-upholstery Services


Furniture refinishing in West Hartford, Connecticut is a great way to revitalize some great pieces throughout your home and save antiques for future generations. With the new surge of interest in DIY projects fueled by popular web applications such as Pinterest, many homeowners are evaluating whether or not they want to take on their refurbishing project on their own. There are some great ideas and sets of instructions widely available today; however, the undertaking might not be as simple as it looks in pictures pinned on your favorite boards. Here are a few things to think about before tearing apart an old sofa or recliner and following step by step instructions from online resources…read on!

The Time Factor
One of the main factors that is usually omitted from these popular DIY tutorials is how much time you will have to invest in your project. This is done for many reasons. The most obvious is that a person’s skill level with manipulating fabrics, sewing, wood crafting and other furniture refinishing techniques has a great deal to do with how long a project will take overall. And even the ones that do have time estimates cannot account for your particular level of experience, so the time investment given is typically inaccurate. Unfortunately, many potential DIYers get started on such a project only to find that they do not have the appropriate amount of time to invest to complete such a large undertaking as re-upholstery and will get frustrated or abandon the project midway through. This ruins antiques and actually makes completing the project more difficult for a professional if they are sought afterwards to finish the job.

Tools
Many of the tools used for furniture refinishing are normal household items; however, with re-upholstery in particular, specific tools are necessary to complete the job correctly. Most of these tools are not readily available to a DIYer and the investment in these pieces makes doing the project yourself cost prohibitive. While you may think you will be saving money to recover a chair or sofa yourself, you may end up with more of an investment between time and the cost of the tools than you had anticipated, making the project a negative prospect for you. Seeking the services of a professional can eliminate this problem.

Retaining Value
Another main thing to consider is whether or not the antique you are looking to refurbish has a current value (which most do in today’s market) and making sure that your project will add to or retain the current value. A professional furniture restoration service can ensure that your piece has the same or better resale value once the re-upholstery job is complete. The DIY projects cannot guarantee that your piece will retain its value. Additionally, if you have paperwork from a professional restoration company to show, this can add to the value should you try to sell the piece down the road.


For more information about furniture refinishing in West Hartford CT and the ins and outs of DIY re-upholstery, call 860-232-2277 or click on the provided link.

Friday, March 10, 2017

Furniture Refinishing in West Hartford CT: Updating Your Style


Furniture refinishing in West Hartford, Connecticut can give your home a fresh, modern feel and revive your enthusiasm for your furnishings. A skilled artisan can transform old, worn out pieces of furniture into polished, vibrant works of art that have a practical twist. Reupholstery can breathe new life into older armoires, tables, armchairs and sofas by giving you new, rich colors, luxurious fabrics and updated finishes. Whether you’ve found a gem of a vintage piece at a yard sale or flea market, or have inherited antiques from your forbearers that is outdated, but still has great craftsmanship and unique style, taking such pieces to an expert to modernize your furnishings can be a satisfying endeavor…read on!

Explore Your Fabric Options
If the piece you are seeking to revitalize has fabric as part of its original design, chances are an older piece is going to have faded, worn or stained cushions that can be easily recovered by a master craftsman. Furniture refinishing can be as easy as selecting a new fabric that suits your style and taste for a reupholsterer to apply to your chair or sofa. When fabric is involved in a piece of furniture, the new covering will be the most crucial decision and help guide you through making the rest of the choices concerning the piece; therefore, select your fabric first and make sure to take a large swatch with you when you make your other choices.

Next Step: Finishes
Vintage furnishings are usually crafted from wood that has been stained and sealed. Over time, cracks, scratches and other damage can mar the appearance of the piece’s finish and heavy usage can diminish the effect of sealants or top coats of varnish. Complete furniture refinishing experts can transform marred antiques into fabulous furnishings that will add style and beauty to your home. Older finishes are often too dark for modern tastes and make scratches and other damage stand out even more; therefore, having a reupholstery expert update the finish with newer, lighter stains or even faux finishes can help refurbish your piece.

Finishing Touches
While not applicable for all antiques, some furnishings will need you to consider hardware, such as drawer pulls and hinges to complete your furniture restoration job. Whether you had to choose new fabric, finishes or both, you should bring samples of any new components, such as fabric swatches or paint chips with you while you look for new hardware. This will ensure a seamless finish and help you choose the best new metal hardware to complete your refurbishing project. Your reupholstery specialist can install new hardware to update your piece and help its functionality as well.

For more information about furniture restoration in West Hartford CT and how a reupholstery specialist can help you transform your antiques into practical works of art, call 860-232-2277 or click on the provided link.



Thursday, February 23, 2017

Furniture Refinishing in West Hartford CT: Antique Restoration


Furniture refinishing in West Hartford, Connecticut can help you revitalized cherished heirlooms with quality antique restoration services. From new fabrics and reupholstery services to re-caning and repairing structural damage or degraded materials, a professional reupholsterer can transform older furnishings into your favorite piece that sets off your entire interior design scheme. However, entrusting a valuable antique or family heirloom to a service technician may cause concern over potential damage or not having the piece turn out the way you have envisioned. To avoid the worries associated with antique restoration services, here are a few things to look for to find an expert to update your furnishings…read on!

Caning Repairs
Furniture refinishing sometimes requires specialty services, such as fixing the caning on the backs of chairs. This is a highly specialized skill that the very best service providers can offer and one of the ways you will be able to tell if you have found an expert at antique restoration. Masters in the art of reupholstery are able to weave the thin strips of wood to refurbish older chairs and match the finish to the original piece when necessary. These skills are one of the markers you should look for when trying to find a reupholsterer.

Specialized Fabric Selections
Another key area that you will need to consider is the amount of choices you will be presented with when hiring a reupholstery specialist. Updating your furnishings requires specialty fabrics to revitalize each piece you commission. A master craftsman will take pride in carrying a wide selection of fabrics to choose from in all of the latest styles, colors and patterns. Some furniture refinishing specialists will have online galleries with fabric swatches available for you to view at your convenience in the comfort of your home; others will have galleries with pictures of finished pieces to display their skill at antique restoration. Be sure to compare the work of different reupholstery artisans before choosing who you want to take your furnishings to and review their selections of fabric.

Wood Stains and Finishes
One of the main factors in antique restoration is choosing new wood stains and finishes. Whether you want to give your piece a trendy shabby chic look or match up the original colors and finish, the furniture refinishing expert you choose should have a wide variety of stains and finishing techniques to offer you. This is particularly important when it comes to chairs with wood trim, armoires and tables. Additionally, the reupholstery specialist you choose should have the ability to fill cracks, replace spindles with newly turned pieces or other damage to antique furnishings.


For more information about furniture refinishing in West Hartford CT and contracting the very best specialist in antique restoration, call 860-232-2277 or select the provided link.

Thursday, January 12, 2017

Furniture Refinishing in West Hartford CT: Transform Your Home With Reupholstery

Furniture refinishing in West Hartford, Connecticut can change the look and feel of your home and revitalize your furnishings all in one convenient step. Updating your interior design gives a fresh appeal and can have a dramatic impact upon your satisfaction with your home’s appearance. Before you contact a furniture fabric specialist, there are some considerations you should make. Below are a few ideas that should help you focus your ideas…read on!

Bold Or Subtle?
One of the main questions you should answer before you begin a furniture refinishing project is how dramatic you want the change to be and what impact statement you are trying to make. If you are simply trying to boost one particular color in your home or downplay the one that currently dominates the color scheme in your house, reupholstery can help you make the shift in one easy step without having to change anything else. However, if you are looking for a more bold change and want to dramatically transform your home, choosing your furnishing fabric first will help you decide what colors you’ll have to work with. Therefore, your first decision will impact what order you’ll need to work in.

Modernizing vs. Restoration
If you have some antique pieces that grace your home, you will need to consider whether or not you want to keep the vintage look and have a reupholstery expert help you restore your furniture to its original state or if you want to give historic pieces a bold facelift. Furniture refinishing pros can help you match up period fabrics, stains and even repair caning to breathe new life into old furnishings if you want to maintain the value of the antiques. However, there is an emerging trend that some homeowners are popularizing by transforming vintage sofas and chairs into modern art by applying newer upholstery fabrics and updating heavier, darker wood stains to create shabby chic pieces as focal points within their interior design scheme. Discussing what types of modernization tactics can be applied to your vintage furnishings with a furniture refinishing specialist before you make a firm decision will help guide you and give you a better idea of what the finished product will look like. The best idea is to take pictures from multiple angles of each piece you want to transform in to your favorite upholstery fabric store so that they can help you most effectively.

For more information about furniture refinishing in West Hartford CT and what reupholstery can do to kick off your interior design makeover, please select the provided link or call 860-232-2277 to speak to a furniture fabric and restoration specialist.


Thursday, October 6, 2016

Furniture Refinishing in West Hartford CT: Finding A Re-Upholstery Fabric Store


Furniture refinishing in West Hartford, Connecticut starts with finding the right materials and an expert at re-upholstery. While most craft and fabric stores will carry some upholstery material, specialty shops can offer you a great deal more to refurbish a beloved antique or breathe new life into your favorite couch. Highly specialized fabric stores that carry material especially for home furnishings will also have highly skilled reupholsters that can offer you refined craftsmanship and attention to detail that can make or break your refurbishing project. Here are a few tips to help you find someone that can give your tired furnishings a whole new look…read on!



Online Resources

These days, it pays to turn to the internet to find information about a company before you ever set foot inside their shop. With a simple online search, you can find multiple retailers in the West Hartford area that sell various types of fabrics; from this search, you will produce a list of possible candidates. To weed through which fabric stores would have a specialty in furniture refinishing, check out the websites of each potential company. You should find a page within their website that has a complete listing of services that each company provides and possibly an online gallery so that you can get a sample of what types of fabrics and examples of previously completed restorations. This should help to whittle down your list to a manageable level.



Check The Reviews

The second piece of information you can get from using the internet is finding out more about various fabric stores and their completed furniture refinishing projects through their previous customers’ comments about their experience with particular companies. Common review sites, such as Yelp, Angie’s List and G+ can give you a wealth of information and customer feedback, which will give you a generalized idea of what your experience with a particular company will most likely be like.



Make The Call

Once you have winnowed down your list to a handful of potential fabric stores that also offer furniture refinishing services, placing a call to each of the candidates should help narrow it down even further. If you discuss the basics of your project to the customer service representative that answers your call, you should be able to get a much better perspective on what level of satisfaction you will have from your finished project. Be sure to ask a few questions to determine how thoroughly your queries will be answered.



For more information about furniture refinishing in West Hartford CT, please select the provided link or call 860-232-2277 to speak with a knowledgeable customer service agent.