Head Smacker's Profile

It's been my experience when reupholstering sofas that the skirt isn't actually sewn on, but stapled on instead. Look for that first. If that's the case, remove staples and skirt and voila! Legs instantly visible.

Decent foam for your cushions will cost a pretty penny, so I'd make do with what you have until you can afford the foam. I highly recommend www.diyupholsterysupply.com. They're honest and reliable and have the best prices I've found.

As an upholsterer myself, I will tell you that I DESPISE removing all of the old, disgusting fabric. People are gross and I can't even begin to tell you what I've found lurking in the darkest recesses of old sofas and chairs. I'd cut close to half of the labor for the owner to do that dirty work...no lie! That being said, if you brought that piece to me and wanted the wood refinished and a full upholstery job (new cushion, padding, etc.), it would run somewhere between $500-600, depending on the fabric chosen and the finish on the wood. If the chair isn't structurally sound, then it would be more because that entails more work and supplies. I'm on the cheap end of upholsterers in my area, too!

@barlowgirl...*snort*

I love powder coating and have it done on just about anything I can...including my vintage bikes that need new paint! Of course I'm one lucky girl since Dad owns a fabricating business and powder coats most of his parts. All it takes is a yankee dime and a please/thank you to get what I want sandblasted and powder coated. =)

I am so envious of your amazing find and what an awesome job you did! There's a blogger from Phoenix, whom shall remain nameless, that has the most amazing luck when it comes to finding MCM furniture. However, then she paints AND DISTRESSES said pieces of furniture. It really does make me ill to see what she does to them.

I actually have 2 drying racks in my laundry room, about 4' apart on one wall. The top rack is longer than the bottom rack to accommodate hanging dresses. They're just closet rods hung on brackets. Super-simple and oh-so-useful! They're always loaded down with a variety of clothes from t-shirts to delicates.

What Josh W said! This is an excellent tool if you're looking at solids and some stripes. I upholstered a loveseat not too long ago with a fabric that had a repeat of almost 24". It took WAY more fabric than the customer expected and there was a lot of cut-off remnants due to matching up the pattern. We turned the cut-offs into pillows and other accessories that she turned around and sold for a profit. The customer was thrilled with the end result, though.

Definitely 2 cushions per sofa. One sofa doesn't allow for as many different placement options as 2, which results in cushions worn in one spot quicker, even with good foam! Square corners in a great solid tweed with a slightly contrasting welt would be divine.

I'm an upholsterer and I can promise you that you're going to pay a FORTUNE to have it completely reupholstered. Every single button has to be covered and that alone takes ages to do. The springs and webbing themselves are an easy fix. Also, from what I can see, the foam in the seat cushion would need to be replaced, which also adds to the cost. If I were you, I'd keep looking. Something better is out there! Search other areas as well. Jenny from Little Green Notebook found a Chesterfield sofa for around $500 and had it shipped to her. All that was missing was one button. Other than that, it was in fantastic shape.

My mother found out the hard way about hiring movers off of CL. She hired a "moving company" to move her things from one town to another. They assured her that they had a moving van comparable to a UHaul. Well, they showed up in a pickup with the muffler dragging and an old horse trailer with a sagging floor. She didn't have a backup and HAD to be out of the house that she just sold that afternoon, so she had to trust them. Well, long story short, there were police involved and they were discovered heading east instead of west, like they were supposed to be, with a trailer full of antiques and valuables that she collected when she lived in Pakistan. With the help of the county sheriff departments from her town to mine, they all arrived at about 1:00 a.m. and they then demanded another $150 from her before they'd unlock the trailer to unload, after which they were literally throwing some of her things from the trailer.

The lesson here is to ALWAYS hire a reputable company.