Upholstery
Renewing your treasured pieces
At Darn Right, we can breathe new life into your favourite furniture, bringing it in line with your current room decoration and replacing shabby covers. We could even give it a completely new facelift, perhaps adding some tufting or new legs?
Frame and padding
With a solid frame to work from, it is a delight to reupholster treasured items of furniture. We can replace the padding on your furniture where needed. This may require new foam padding or, for traditional pieces, horsehair/coir.
We will also address any problem springs and mend the frame if necessary.
Our upholstery technique is sympathetic to the original piece. This means that traditionally made furniture, that includes horsehair and springs, will be restored using the same method wherever possible. It takes longer but maintains the integrity and history of the furniture.
Fabric selection
You can choose fabric any fabric to reupholster your furniture, but we will help to advise on suitability. If you do not choose a fabric that has had a fire-resistant treatment, but it is at least 75% natural fibres, we will apply an underlayer of fire-resistant calico. This ensures the piece will be in line with current fire regulations. We are happy to advise and source fabric for you and work closely with local Yorkshire fabric companies.
Types of upholstery
We have experience reupholstering various types of pieces, both traditional and modern forms. Why not start by browsing through our upholstery projects to look at past work. Click on one of the images below – whether you are interested in armchairs, sofas, dining chairs, footstools, headboards or some soft furnishings, we have examples of lots of different work to inspire you!
Read through our frequently asked questions for help and, if you can’t find the answer, drop us a line and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
Fancy a change?
If you are interested in the possibilities of redesigning your furniture – perhaps adding or removing buttons/tufts – we are happy to help. You can see more of our tufting projects here.
Upholstery FAQs
What size of furniture can you upholster?
We upholster any furniture that can be transferred to our workroom. So, at the moment this means that we are unable to work on larger sofas. Armchairs and chaise longue sized pieces are generally fine.
Will the work conform to British Standards?
All our work conforms to British Standard Safety Regulations. There are many different regulations depending on what the furniture item is and where it will be located. For example, commercial (including holiday let) vs domestic. Darn Right will advise on the level your project needs to meet.
If you choose a fabric that is not treated with fire retardant, where possible we will use an underlayer of fire retardant calico to ensure the piece is safe. This is only acceptable if the fabric is at least 75% natural fibres.
All our furniture grade foams comply with the Furniture & Furnishings fire Regulations 1988 & amendments.
What fabric is best for upholstery?
This depends on what your furniture is used for, how often is it used, and by whom?
Occasional chair or everyday use?
How often will you use the furniture? If it is an occasional chair then the fabric does not need to be as durable as a chair that is used more often. Look for the rub count, a higher number is harder wearing. Furthermore, a heavyweight material will hold up better to frequent use than a lightweight material, so look for the gsm (grams/m2).
Children and pets?
Children and pets stain and wear furniture quickly compared with grown-ups. It is important to cover items where children are present in a more robust fabric that can be easily cleaned. A darker colour tends to hide marks better. Short-pile velvets are very good at repelling claws and hair from pets. It is also possible to get fabric that has been treated with stain-guard.
Reserve more delicate fabrics such as silks for items in more formal settings such as adult bedrooms (perhaps a headboard).
Natural vs synthetic?
All fabric that is less than 75% natural fibres will need to be FR treated to comply with regulations. If it is >75% natural, then an FR barrier cloth can be used.
Examples of upholstery projects
Browse through some of our recent projects to get an idea of how we could help you. Each project includes a brief outline of the work as well as the fabric and materials used.
