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Q: We have a pair of matching upholstered chairs. Recently, we found that the springs inside one are broken. Both chairs are old, so we would like to have both renewed when we have the broken chair repaired. How do we find a reliable place to do this?
A: Not all upholstered chairs have springs, but when they do, the springs come in two styles: coiled or zigzag. Chairs built before 1960 have coiled springs, which rise vertically. Chairs made after 1960 are more likely to have zigzag springs, which are also known as sinuous springs. They run horizontally across the seat. Both types can be repaired, but the process is entirely different. A full-service upholstery shop should be able to handle either job, ideally by going in from the underside of the seat so the upholstery remains intact.
From the pictures you sent, it’s clear that you have coiled springs installed in the traditional way, which makes sense given that your chairs look like treasured antiques. Immediately below the fabric is padding for the seat, and underneath that is an array of coils tied together at the top with twine. The knots are probably arranged in what upholsterers call an eight-way tie, which means the twine secures each coil to its neighbors from front to back, side to side and diagonally in both directions. This sturdy arrangement keeps the coils from shifting over time but doesn’t interfere with their up-and-down flexibility. The tied-together coils sit on wide webbing, usually jute, that’s nailed or tacked to the wooden seat frame. And under that is a dust cover, usually made of flimsy fabric.
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Repairing coiled springs is often straightforward, involving just new twine and webbing, both of which are easily available. At upholster.com, hemp twine made for this purpose costs $20.32 for a 250-foot roll and jute webbing 3½ inches wide costs $1.71 a yard. You can also purchase replacement springs, if needed.
Sometimes, though, instead of twine, thin metal bands hold coiled springs together, and the whole package is screwed to the seat framing, with no need for jute straps. If this type of spring system breaks, it’s more complicated. You’d need to shop for a replacement package that matches both the spring size and the bar length. Van Dyke’s Restorers sells three springs 5¼ inches across at the top attached to a metal bar in three different lengths for $22.49.
If your chairs had zigzag springs, under the seat padding you would find a parallel arrangement of wires bent in multiple S shapes, attached at each end to a bracket or clip screwed to the frame of the seat. Twine or wires running at right angles link the zigzags and stabilize them. With this type of spring, the pieces can sag and lose their ability to retract when someone gets up from the chair. Or a bracket can bend or need to be screwed or nailed more securely to the frame.
If you need new springs, shop at a local upholstery store or order online. It’s not critical to match the precise shape of the S bends; the overall length is what matters. A spring that’s too short is unusable. But you can cut a spring that’s too long with bolt cutters, provided you also bend the cut end so it doesn’t pull out of the bracket. Be sure to get new brackets because the new springs might not fit in the old ones. A repair kit with four 15-inch-long springs and clips costs $18.99 on Amazon.
YouTube has videos showing how to repair both types of springs. Search online for “Repairing Springs Using Home Tools” to find a video showing how to fix coiled springs without specialty tools or the ideal twine and webbing. Search “How to Install zigzag Springs for Upholstery Seat Cushions” for a good overview for the sinuous type.
Turning the job over to a pro makes sense if you’re not handy — and maybe even if you are, especially for chairs that would be expensive to reupholster. Even if it seems that no upholstery needs to be removed to make the repairs, you would still need to remove the staples holding on the dust cover and the tacks or nails holding the webbing. One slip and you could tear the upholstery — and then the job would suddenly escalate.
Luckily for you, repairing your chairs should be relatively inexpensive even if you go to a pro. Reed McCullough, who runs Reed McCullough Reupholstery in Rockville, Md., with his wife, Donna, and a friend, looked at the pictures you sent and said he could do the job without removing the upholstery by going in from underneath. The cost would be $185 per chair, plus materials. If you want pickup and delivery, the price within the Rockville area would be $80.
Source link: https://www.washingtonpost.com/home/2023/05/19/tips-repairing-broken-chair-springs/