The Complete Guide to Upholstery: Stuffed with Step-by-Step Techniques for Professional Results Paperback – March 17, 2009

Good book to read in upholstery.

Even better than the book I got it used from a library in the used book section. The book was like brand new. Full of great big pictures to help you figure it out, even if you have absolutely no experience. I tackled my first webbed chair with this book, added some gold leaf, painted the chair with chalk paint (shabby chic) and developed a Pandemic hobby. Love that you can get these books used online since my own library didn't carry it. The description of the condition of the book (Like New, Good, Very Good, OK, acceptable, etc) was right on, though I don't remember the seller's description at the time.

Uses a series of different types of reupholstery projects to demonstrate the various techniques one is likely to use in reupholstering furniture of a broad range of styles, from simple chairs to sofas. Not quite as well indexed as one would like in order to move quickly to where a particular technique or problem is described, but I found a solution for every problem I encountered in reupholstering an heirloom Queen Anne sofa as only my second DIY reupholstery project ever.

I’m fairly new to upholstery but I have several projects of varying complexity lined up. The one thing they all have in common is that they are all antiques and filled with everything from horsehair, to excelsior, to moss. My plan is to redo all of them using natural materials and mostly traditional techniques. I have other upholstery books but they rely on foam in every tutorial. I’m familiar with using foam and I have nothing against it but I really want to challenge myself to learn new (old!) techniques and try to make something that will last a lifetime. In The Complete Guide to Upholstery, the step-by-step photos are clear and have detailed captions (the pictorial sections on Vandyking and Deep Buttoning alone are worth the cost of the book to me) and cover a wide array of furniture types and applications. I feel much better prepared to tackle my projects with this book in my library.

Tells me everything I need to know, from beginning to end of a project. I've been a seamstress all my life but have never tackled upholstering projects. I have changed the color schemes and the one chair I love doesn't fit in now. Having someone else reupholster it is very costly but now I know that I can do it myself. I'm very happy that I ordered this book, more so that I ordered a used book and it's like new!

This book outlines the old fashioned basics of upholstery. It didn't matter to me that they referenced using horsehair - it was historically accurate - and I could figure out on my own to sustitute modern materials for fillers! That did not deter me from buying this book - and I'm glad it didn't! We are planning on building/making our own sofa - since the one we want online costs over $5K - so for the materials - and this book - what's not to lose????? Get this book - if you have a workshop and are tired of paying an absolute mint for furniture!

Having worked for a woman who reupholsters antiques for several years and being trained by her I have a lot of experience reupholstering furniture and this is a nice guide to old fashioned techniques. I was trained to use these materials when called for but with modern methods of attachment with staples with a specialty finishing pneumatic stapler. Also foam and dacron "fluff" are the most commonly used materials and much easier to work with than horsehair. There are also special staples to attach springs to webbing and wood so that they are more secure etc etc etc....A beginner should learn to work with foam and also start with learning to to tear down and rebuild a piece; reweb, put new springs in etc using modern methods... Learning the old fashioned way as in this book looks tedious. But as I said, an interesting reference for old methods.

This book is the best!! Clearly explains, with clear pictures, tools; needles; filling materials; fabrics; trims ect. Covers stripping down; repairs and then the reconstruction from start to finish, pictures are clear with very good descriptions. I especially like the use of horsehair in the antique pieces; although I can only find one supplier for it; the horsehair in essential to an antique piece. NO foam rubber! Just can not praise this book enough for detailed information. This book is a reupholsters dream in print.would highly recommend it.