Upholstery

In the mid- to late 1800s the coiled metal spring was invented, marking possible the all-upholstered furniture that has become standard today. Before then, furniture generally had an exposed wooden frame with just the seat and back upholstered.

Upholstered furniture can be either custom-made or ready-made, which is anything mass-produced. While custom-made furniture is usually more expensive, it is also typically of higher quality and will last longer than most ready-made furniture. There are many manufacturers, though, who make top-quality upholstery. As long as you're dealing with reputable sources, upholstery is an area where you get what you pay for. When shopping for upholstery- whether custom-made or ready-made- take into consideration how it has been constructed.

An all-upholstered custom-made piece of furniture starts with the frame. Upholstered use a wood such as maple for frames, which is a good choice as it's hard enough to be strong and durable but also soft enough to nail into repeatedly. Webbing, typically made of jute, is stretched across the frame. Springs are attached to the webbing and are also tied with twine to each other. How tightly the springs are tied down will determine the height and the firmness of the seat. The springs in the seat are a heavier gauge than those in the back. The springs are covered with a layer of canvas or burlap and then a layer of thick filling material, which is often cotton. Historically horsehair and sometimes straw (in poorer construction) were also used for the filling.

(Today horse or animal hair is used mostly in restoring antiques that were originally filled with it.)

The filling layer is covered with muslin, which is a thin cotton fabric. The primary upholstery fabric is then applied over the muslin. Sometimes there is an added layer of padding between the muslin and the primary fabric.

A good frame can be nailed into and redone many times, but a weaker frame will fall apart when overworked. Instead of springs, a zigzag wire is sometimes used, which is cheaper construction. The filling in some upholstery might be cardboard or cheap foam, both of which will not last many years. There is an argument that if you find a relatively inexpensive all-upholstered sofa or chair that you like and find comfortable, you buy it with the understanding that it won't last as long as a better constructed piece would. However, if have the resources, a well-constructed all-upholstered sofa or chair is well worth the investment.

At flea markets and auctions it is possible to find old wooden upholstery frames. This can be a great way to have a piece of furniture made up. A piece of upholstered furniture in terrible condition that has a great frame-with an interesting shape and high-quality wood-is well worth stripping and re-upholstering.