Victorian spindle back chaise or sofa for makeover

by Carole

+10

Answered

I just scored this small chaise or sofa on ebay for $41. Sorry about the quality of the photo. I think it may be Victorian. It is filthy dirty - looks like it might have been rescued from kerb side throw out or sat on someones veranda for a while as the legs are all gritty and sandy/muddy. Seems to be in good nick though. I am hoping I am up to the challenge. The seat part should be all one piece and sprung, so I think I am going to have to brush up on my upholstery skills and give it a go. Thinking I will leave the wood and stain and polish rather than paint it. Any thoughts anyone??

q ideas for upcycling a victorian spindle back chaise or sofa, painted furniture, repurposing upcycling, reupholster

8 answers

OnBlissStreet on Feb 05, 2015
Definitely leave the natural wood on something so interesting! Never paint perfectly good wood :)

Helpful Reply
Rebecca on Feb 05, 2015
I agree that your settee should be finished rather than painted. I have a similar suite of furniture. The seat should be sprung, supported by jute webbing. It will be a wonderful piece when you're finished. Good luck!

Helpful Reply
- Carole on Feb 06, 2015
  @Rebecca Yes, I have experienced doing the webbing and affixing springs, hessian, calico, lintus stuffing and foam over the top before doing the fabric as I did a course a year or so ago. I know where to source springs, lintus and so on and already have the webbing stretcher tool. I think a nice toile fabric might be the way to go. I also like the idea of stripes but they need to be aligned perfectly as they will stand out like a sore thumb if the alignment is off. There should be padding on the curved top back area too as well as the backrest will need re-doing.
  
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Marion Nesbitt on Feb 06, 2015
Please do not paint. This is really a nice piece of furniture. When you get it reupholstered it will be amazing.

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- Carole on Feb 06, 2015
  @Marion Nesbitt Hi Marion. I won't be painting. I think you are right. I will be tackling the upholstery myself. Springs, lintus, webbing and the full works.
  
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Shira on Feb 08, 2015
@Carole I can't wait to see what you do with this!

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GLHF on Mar 18, 2015
I so love this Victorian piece. I was born in the wrong Era. Yes, leave unpainted! Would love to see your process on restoring this gem, including the upholstering. Would you consider a step by step for all to see how you bring it back to life?

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- Carole on Mar 18, 2015
  @Gilded-Lily Historical Finishes Yes, when I get round to it I definitely will. I need to assess what supplies I need and order them from the upholsterers store online that I use. I will take photos as I go. It got put off as I was also in the middle of doing some other makeovers but will get around to it and be sure to give a step by step. If you are interested in upholstery it will be similar to this post I did on a bridge chair some time ago. link provided: This was my first and only full on re-upholster so far. http://www.hometalk.com/diy/paint/furniture/learning-to-upholster-furniture-the-first-lesson-1936343
  
  Learning to French Polish and Re-upholster Furniture: Weeks 1-8
  
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GLHF on Mar 19, 2015
Thank you for posting the link on the chair. I have some chairs myself that need to be upholstered, but they aren't the easier ones. They have springs needing to be tied. I've always had an interest in how to properly do this.

Helpful Reply
- Carole on Mar 19, 2015
  @Gilded-Lily Historical Finishes If you follow my post on the blue chair, it will show you how to secure and tie in springs and do the wadding etc after. I took a term of upholstery classes and worked on this chair in that class. If the chair already has springs in it, you need to straighten them up a bit before re-using otherwise if they are leaning or out of shape to start with, retying them won't help. Try to get the tops of the springs level before you re-attach them would be my advice and when tying in, get another pair of hands to push down on them so that you can secure them and compact them down a bit, otherwise you will have springs sticking in your butt when you sit on your chairs.
  
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GLHF on Mar 20, 2015
Love your step by step on the chair. It turned out beautifully! I've picked up a couple tips already by reading your post. Thank you for all the details on the chair transformation.

Helpful Reply
- Carole on Mar 20, 2015
  @Gilded-Lily Historical Finishes You are most welcome. Hope it helps you with yours.
  
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Ardis Olson on Jun 03, 2016
What an interesting piece. I will look forward to see how you bring it back to life. It has a lot of potential!

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