How to Find a Good Piece in the Wild; Part 2: Good Bones vs. Faulty Frames

We’ve all had those moments -- you see a piece of furniture on the curb or at a second-hand store that looks like it could be a good find, but you can’t tell for sure if its worth saving and rehabilitating.   Maybe you make the decision to leave it behind while the not-knowing haunts you; or on the other hand, you decide to take it only to regret your decision when you realize its cheaply made and unsalvageable.  Follow along with our “How to Find a Good Piece in the Wild” series and don’t let this happen to you again.

Part 2: Good Bones vs. Faulty Frames

The wood used to form the frame of a piece of furniture can tell you a lot about when the piece may have been made, its relative value, and how well the piece will stand up to the test of time. While frames may also be made out of metal, plastics, and other materials, I am focusing on wood frames as the majority of the pieces I see are made with some type of wood or wood-composite.

There are two different types of wood on a piece of furniture -- the “show wood” such as legs or arms which will be seen on the finished piece, and the frame which will be covered by upholstery on the finished piece.  

Show Wood:

This period chair has a lot of show wood. In more modern pieces, often the only show wood will be the legs. 

The show wood may not necessarily be the same type of wood or material as the frame: often it may be hard or soft wood or a man-made material such as a plastic.  

• Examine the show wood and keep an eye out for cracks, scratches, or peeling veneer.  Scratches or dents can be filled in and covered up, but cracks are harder to mend -- if the show wood on a piece is cracked in many places, or if the cracks are relatively large, it may be best to pass up.

• Note how the finish on the wood, i.e. stain and varnish, is holding up. If there are a few trouble spots, likely these can be re-stained without too much hassle.  If there seems to be a significant amount of wear and damage however, this can add significantly to the time and cost needed to refurbish the piece depending on how much show wood a piece has.

The Frame:

This ottoman frame is made of particle board.  Note that the joints of the frame are simply stapled together.

Examine the frame of the piece; if its all covered in upholstery you may have to look on the underside or try to pull or push back some of the upholstery.  

• Pieces made with solid hard or soft wood generally indicate an older piece that was built to last with some love along the way.  These types of pieces will likely be more valuable than those made in the more modern, mass-produced fashion.  Look for solid wood with few knots, and no cracks.  Watch out for parts of the frame that have been nailed together as this will often precipitate cracks in the wood which may begin small, but get larger with time.   

• Frames made with plywood or particleboard may indicate a mass-produced piece made in the last few decades. Particleboard and plywood are quite strong; if the piece is made of plywood however, be sure that it has at least nine layers of thickness.  These pieces can be reupholstered to fit your tastes and can hold up well with care. However, keep in mind that this type of furniture is often built to be cost-effective and ultimately disposable -- the materials and methods used in making the piece will break down and need to be replaced or repaired in time and you may find that this type of furniture is ultimately not worth a large investment.  

Furniture with any type of frame, regardless of the material used, can be restored and re-upholstered into a beautiful and valuable piece. Knowing what materials the bones of a piece are made of can help you determine how much time and resources you want to put into it.

The Good Bones Studio: A Virtual Tour

I operate Good Bones Upholstery out of my home on the east side of Iowa City. Its an old farm house that we've been living in for the past year and a half. Its a great home in a nice location that has lent itself well to doubling as a work space. 

The Good Bones House.  I created the decorative fence piece in front of the parking pad out of recycled wood pallets. 

I hand-painted my sign with the help of a projector. 

There are a lot of blues and browns in the house which I reflected when re-painting the inside of the porch earlier this fall.  The floor looks a little wavy, but its really quite sturdy, I promise. 

The studio consists of two rooms - a show room and a work room.  This is one side of the show room where I have my current finished pieces for sale. This space moonlights as a dining room outside of regular work hours. 

The other side of the show room where I have fabric samples.  I have about 30 books at the moment with samples from Greenhouse Fabrics and Charlotte Fabrics.  The sandwich board holding my fabric books is now in its third life - it has been used in the past as a direction sign for  various events. 

A panorama shot of my work room. A small space, but mighty.  

The corner where I keep the majority of my upholstery recovering and wood work supplies. These are some of the basic necessities that I have built up over the past few months. 

This is my industrial Singer sewing machine.  Its a walking foot machine which can easily sew through multiple layers of thick or tough fabric. This was my first big purchase for the business which I was very excited to find through craigslist. 

I put a cast-off dining table to work by raising it up on blocks to create a more comfortable height, as well as to increase storage space underneath. A few nails in the sides hold frequently needed supplies. 

My pancake air compressor and its friends, the staple gun and earmuffs.  A pneumatic staple gun is a must for professional upholstery and this portable air compressor works well for my needs.  I wear earmuffs when I use it though, because it can get quite loud in my small work room. 

At the end of the day, everything gets packed back up and put away into its place. 

How to Select the Right Fabric for your Furniture

When you’re considering re-upholstering a piece of furniture, identifying the fabric to recover it in can be a fun and enjoyable aspect of recovering your piece, or it can be fraught with indecision.  I’ve assembled a few tips from an upholsterer’s perspective on what to consider when selecting fabric for your soon-to-be-recovered piece of furniture.

Durability and Feel

The vinyl seat on this rocker provides lasting durability and ease of cleaning.

Consider how your piece of furniture will be used -- is it a vintage settee placed in a room that is rarely used, or a couch in the family rec room?  Some common types of upholstery fabric offer different levels of durability, which also informs on how the fabric feels to the touch and how it interacts with your piece.

• Cotton prints offer a multitude of designs, but the relatively thin fabric is better suited for a show piece rather than a work horse.  Cotton works well with pieces that have finer details such as tufting or channeling.

• Polyester blends offer more strength and durability than cotton and also come in a variety of patterns and colors.  Its always best to be able to feel the fabric that you’re considering choosing for your piece, especially in the case of polyesters.  Some of these fabrics are soft, smooth, or almost furry, while others are a little rougher, thicker, and woven more for hard use than for comfort.

• Canvas and vinyl are both great fabrics for durability and ease of cleaning. Bulky or boxy furniture works well with the stiffer feel of these fabrics.

• Microfiber offers both softness, an array of patterns, and extreme durability. With the same type of feel as velvet or suede, this fabric is strong while also being thin enough for use on more detailed pieces.

Fitness with the Frame

Use different colors of fabric to accentuate parts of the furniture frame.

The design of the frame of your piece of furniture can and should inform on your fabric choice.  There are many ways to approach how the frame and the fabric of your piece should interact.

• Go traditional: Cover your antique bedroom chair with a stately velvet, or your imposing club chair with a dark vinyl or leather. They’re classics for a reason.

• Contrast: Try pairing a bold print with your antique chair to lighten up heavy carving, or choose a cozy patterned microfiber for that club chair to contrast with its imperious bulk. Covering a classic frame with something unexpected can really make your furniture pop, but its a bold choice:  make sure you've seen a sample of your fabric together with your frame to be certain of your pairing.

• Compliment: Use two complementary types or colors of fabric to accentuate the lines on a mid-century modern sofa or choose a patterned print that echos the carvings on your dining room chair. Choosing fabric that accentuates and compliments aspects of the frame can take a ‘just fine’ piece to a work of artistry.

Interaction with Surroundings

The dark vinyl on this office chair fits in well with a wood-paneled office space. 

Whether its a new piece, or a piece that already has a place in your home, consider how the fabric will mesh with the surroundings.

• Consider overarching color themes and the relative lightness or darkness of a space. A large piece of furniture covered in dark fabric in an otherwise bright and airy space  may seem like a black hole in the room, whereas a side chair covered in a deep velvet or suede would complement darker tones in a wood-heavy office.

• Do you want your piece to be eye-catching, or to blend in? If your piece is a complement to another, consider recovering it in the same type of fabric in a different color or vice versa. Use bold patterns or stripes to pump up the volume in an otherwise minimally-decorated room.

• How will the piece be utilized in its surroundings? A soft, lush fabric for your favorite comfy chair will make it that much cozier to curl up in whereas leather or vinyl covering a stately wingback chair may impart the gravitas you need to get to work in your home office.

Picking fabric is an opportunity to express yourself and to bring out the unique personality of your piece. Overcome indecision and anxiety next time you pick fabric by keeping these tips in mind.  View fabric galleries at www.charlottefabric.com or contact us for sample books.