Hello Fabric Fans! The first step in reupholstering any piece of furniture is to remove its existing fabric. Why bother, you might ask – maybe you’ve seen some tutorial where fabric is simply stapled over existing fabric? Not a good practice at all. Remember Upholstery Rule #1 for a Professional Finish: A naked chair is a happy chair! Taking off the fabric gives you important clues about how it was originally upholstered – and about the best way for you to reupholster it. Taking off the fabric lets you assess the state of the inside of the piece – does the foam need to be replaced? are the springs still tight? is the overall structure sound? And, lastly, taking off the fabric leads to a professional, smooth finish.
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| Partially Stripped Wingback Chair |
Unless the piece is very old or traditionally upholstered, stripping furniture usually involves pulling staples. We have 3 different styles of upholstery staple removers. If you come across tacks, you’ll need to get a tack puller UP73: it works great!
In order to help the beginner upholsterer, we have put together a video demonstrating how to strip furniture using all 3 different styles of staple remover: Enjoy and Good Luck!