04-08-2009, 02:42 AM
I inherited my grandfather's rocking chair that had been reupholstered in about 1966. About 30 years later it was time for it to be reupholstered again. I bought several yards of a very cool fabric & decided to tackle the job myself, which I soon realized was WAY beyond my skill level. I found a guy near where I worked who said he could finish the job. The price he quoted was reasonable & the pieces of furniture he had on hand seemed to have been well finished so I figured he would do a good job.
The only explicit instruction I gave was that NO additional padding was to be added to the back; simply recover what's there because it fit me so well. The seat needed the straps re-tightened & more padding, but leave the back alone. He said he understood what I was talking about. While he worked on this, I refinished the wooden arms & glued one that was cracked.
I couldn't believe it was the same chair when I went to pick it up because it was beautiful & looked so good. I loaded into the back of my truck & took it home & carted it up 2 flights of stairs & was horrified when I sat down in it. He had overstuffed the back & it no longer fit. So much padding had been added that my head wouldn't reach the headrest without bending my neck back.
We squabbled over this for a day or two & I ended up giving the chair to a friend.
The only explicit instruction I gave was that NO additional padding was to be added to the back; simply recover what's there because it fit me so well. The seat needed the straps re-tightened & more padding, but leave the back alone. He said he understood what I was talking about. While he worked on this, I refinished the wooden arms & glued one that was cracked.
I couldn't believe it was the same chair when I went to pick it up because it was beautiful & looked so good. I loaded into the back of my truck & took it home & carted it up 2 flights of stairs & was horrified when I sat down in it. He had overstuffed the back & it no longer fit. So much padding had been added that my head wouldn't reach the headrest without bending my neck back.
We squabbled over this for a day or two & I ended up giving the chair to a friend.