Victorain Easy Chair Repair
The first photograph shows that it was in a very sorry condition which made it a bit of a challenge.
- Having treated it for any possible woodworm the first task was to remove the old fabric and padding.
- The woodwork was cleaned and a complete new rail made. This required making a “scratch block” to suit the moulding pattern on the unaffected sides.All the joints were then re-glued and the first coat of stain applied.
- The upholstery could now begin by nailing on the webbing, stitching in the springs and covering them with Hessian. This would form the base for the various layers of padding.
- The first layer is of coir (a modern day replacement for horse hair) which is then covered by another piece of Hessian stretched tightly over the whole seat and tacked to the base rail.
- A good layer of cotton wadding is then laid over the top and calico stretched tightly over and tacked to the base rail.
- The back and arms are made up in the same way.
- All the woodwork is then stained to the requisite colour and given 2-3 coats of French Polish followed by beeswax polish.
- A thin layer of polyester wadding was laid over all sections before adding the top cover, a lovely blue velvet, was tacked down and the tacks covered with a suitable matching gimp braid.
Picture 1 shows what we believe may be part of the original fabric. After a discussion with the client it was agreed that this should be left in place for some future generation to discover.
After a final polish of the show wood the chair (in all its glory) was returned to the client who, I am delighted to report, was absolutely delighted with it.