What You Need To Know About Upholstered Furniture…

Kiln-Dried Hardwoods
The type of wood used to create the frame an upholstered piece of furniture is important for the quality of the final product. The best quality furniture requires hardwoods. The tight graining of hardwoods allows for pegs, screws and nails to be set securely, reducing the likelihood of their becoming loose over time. Hardwoods used in upholstered furniture include oak, alder and laminates that are often used for blocks and braces. Laminates are actually stronger than solid wood in these applications. Most wood employed in upholstered furniture is kiln-dried. In this process, the wood is heated in an industrial oven to remove excess sap and moisture (and reduce its tendency for absorbing any moisture in the future), which can cause frames to warp, swell, shrink or change shape, or to succumb to rot or mildew.

Reinforced Joints
Joints must be reinforced with blocks or dowels for extra support or the frame will be susceptible to loosening over time. Blocking refers to the process of placing additional blocks of wood behind or diagonal to joints and corners for support in areas where the furniture craftsman believes there may be greater stress. Blocks provide lateral support and a larger area for screws and fasteners to set wood elements securely. This extra bracing at stress points contributes to the lasting integrity of the frame. An alternative to blocking is doweling.
Doweling refers to the process whereby one or two dowels are drilled, hammered and glued into the wood at stress-points to provide extra strength and support to the frame. Nails, screws, fasteners and glue may also support many parts of a frame.

Spring Systems
Once the frame is constructed, two main types of spring support systems are installed to support the seating area. When the spring system is finished with a top layer of padding, it is commonly called the "seat deck".

Standard Springs
Standard Springs provide good support at a lower price. Most manufacturers offer either sinuous springs or drop-in-springs. Both types affix to the frame to support the seat deck. Standard springs have a formal, very firm "sit" and only move in the up/down direction. In contrast, eight-way hand-tied springs can move in many more directions.

Eight-Way Hand-Tied Springs
Eight-Way Hand-Tied Springs have a wide range of movement providing a very even and individual "sit", because they move up and down and side to side. In the construction of these systems, the craftsman individually ties heavy gauge coils from front to back, side to side and diagonally (eight ways) to provide the highest level of quality, comfort and durability. This process costs more because it is time consuming and can only be done by hand.

Padding and Cushions
Most cushions are made of a high-density foam core that is then wrapped with either soft polyester, feather and down, or a hypoallergenic down substitute. Cushions and pillows are usually sewn into cotton cases to ensure smooth upholstering.

Feather and Down
Feather and down offers the maximum comfort and softness in cushions and pillows that most people desire and designers prefer. Feather and down back pillows and wrapped seat cushions can always be "fluffed-up" to maintain an attractive look. Feather and down fills and wraps require a little more maintenance than polyester and high density-foam but they have greater comfort, durability and resilience.

Buckwheat Hulls
Buckwheat hulls are also used as filling for a variety of upholstered goods, including pillows and zafu. The hulls are durable and do not conduct or reflect heat as much as synthetic fills. They are sometimes marketed as an alternative natural fill to feathers for those with allergies.

Fabrics and Leathers
Tightly woven fabrics and blends tend to wear longer than light or loose-weave natural fibers.
Leather is a durable and easy-care natural material that softens and improves with time. To create quality leather, top-grain hides are tanned, processed and dyed to give a certain color or look. Tanning refers to the process in which salts are used to cure the hide and to stabilize its shape. Dyeing refers to infusing the hide with different color dyes. Aniline dyeing is a high quality process that imparts color but does not disguise the natural character of the hide. Some leathers are further treated with a pattern, texture, or polish.

Slipcovers
Slipcovers are fitted protective covers that may be slipped off and on a piece of upholstered furniture. Slipcovers may be removed for seasonal change, cleaning, moving, or storage. They are sometimes defined as "clothing for furniture." as they are tailored just as clothing is, and are fitted loosely or snugly to the taste of the owner or tailor.

Throw Pillows
Throw pillows serve both an aesthetic and a functional purpose. Decorative pillows are commonly used to tie in color accents within a room, often drawing on the colors in drapes, walls or area rugs. From a functional perspective, throw pillows provide back, neck and head support. The most common size throw pillow is 16 to 18 inch square. However, rectangular, circular and cylindrical throw pillows, called bolsters, are also popular.

Upholstery Tools
- Upholstery Needles are used to upholster furniture and come in a variety of sizes and are usually very heavy and curved. The button needle, which is a very long needle used to install buttons with heavy twine through pillows, cushions and furniture backs.
- Tack Hammers are lightweight hammers used for securing upholstery fabric to furniture frames using tacks. Usually, one face of the hammer is magnetized to aid in placement of tacks. Once started, the tacks are driven with the other face.
- Upholstery Regulators are upholstery tools that smooth irregularities in the stuffing beneath the coverings. It is used to poke through the various layers to adjust the stuffing before the final cover is put in place.
- Stuffing Irons are used to push the stuffing into the curves and corners of a piece of furniture. It has a narrow piece of steel with one toothed edge to grab loose stuffing and place it in the hard to reach spots.
- Rubber mallets are used when a softer blow is called for than that delivered by a metal hammer. They don't leave marks and are useful for forcing tight-fitting parts together in upholstered furniture.