Upholstery Repair Tools
- Contemporary upholsterers may use staples rather than tacks.heavy duty stapler image by Christopher Dodge from Fotolia.com
Repairs for upholstered furniture can range from simple cleaning of grime and body oils that accumulate on fabrics to fixing a seat that sags so much you almost feel like you're sitting in a hole. Upholstery repair often requires tools beyond those found in a standard toolbox. Repairing webbing, twine and springs requires specialized tools. - The tack hammer remains one of the most efficiently effective tools for repairing upholstery. The head of the tack hammer provides you with a magnet that facilitates picking up and holding onto upholstery tacks.
- Upholstery tacks secure material to the framework of furniture. The most effective way of utilizing the relationship between hammer and tack is to lay the tacks out on a flat surface so that you can suck them up with your tack hammer. Ornamental tacks are used when the tacks will be visible. These are decorative tacks that typically coordinate with the color of the upholstered fabric.
- A claw chisel is a tool used to pull out existing tacks from the frame. This tool can also be used for ripping through existing fabric. You may want to buy a more substantial ripping tool for cutting your way through heavier fabric.
- Jute twine is the rope material used for many repairs of upholstered furniture. This twine can be useful for tying springs together as well as attaching springs to the webbing.
- A webbing stretcher is used to pull the webbing fabric tight. The tautness of webbing is necessary for securing it to the seat frame.
- Curved needles allow upholstery to be repaired when you can sew only from one side of the fabric. Upholstery skewers are long pins with a ring placed at one end. Skewers hold the fabric in place when it is being sewn. Double-pointed needles are used for sewing buttons onto a chair or onto the back of a sofa. Double-pointed needles make an invisible stitch.
- Among the less specialized tools you may use when repairing upholstery is the measuring tape for measuring the frame. Glue may be used for regluing trim.
- A good pair of shears is better for cutting through large pieces of foam stuffing than a pair of scissors. You want to make a good clean cut that takes you all the way through a piece of foam large enough to help cushion your weight.
- A seam ripper is a small, sharp tool that can be used for cutting through fabric when you need a sharp, even line. For best results, go slowly with a seam ripper rather than forcefully ripping across the fabric.
