Rocking Chair
Fall, 2022
A friend brought me an old rocking chair. It was sturdy and comfortable but badly worn.
The wood was dull and scratched. The padding was flat. The fabric was faded. The chair was clearly old.
The upholstery was pretty rough. Some of the tacks looked suspiciously like roofing nails. Most of the trim was missing. One section looked fudged. I'm not judging. When I got to it I also fudged it. Not everything is covered in the YouTube videos.
Peeling back a corner revealed another layer of fabric, possibly the original fabric. Suddenly the outer layer had to come off and I was engaged.
A label on the bottom identified the maker, the Statesville Chair Company, which was incorporated in 1919. Their chairs are collectable.
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The second layer of fabric was older, dirtier, and more worn, as might be expected.
A jacquard like the outer layer, it was woven with a small-scale black lattice pattern highlighted with brass colored threads. It was torn on the seat and inside back. The outside back was in better shape, but dirty.
The trim on the back was largely intact. It was a flat plain gimp, neither "scroll", nor "French", nor "Chinese". I shopped for something similar but could not find it. Gimp is surprisingly expensive.
The bottom dust cover was quite irregular as there were no flat rails to tack it to. Other Statesville Chair Company rockers show the same uneven dust cover attachment.
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The dust cover was first to come off. I kept the label and cleaned it with detergent and bleach. Removing the dust cover unveiled zig zag springs.
Removing the fabric from the front revealed sagging cotton batting. It was hard to tell how many layers. I think there were two. Underneath was another smaller pad of cotton.
The back of the chair had only one layer. Lifting it revealed a Masonite backer board.
The seat had the most cotton layers. Removing the fabric left a seat pad several layers thick with a hidden extra square that I was to find later. Even with all the padding, the seat was pretty tired.
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With the cotton padding gone the chair's foundation emerged.
The seat springs were covered with burlap with individual wires woven through it which were secured to jute cords along both sides. The wire-reinforced burlap defined the edges of the seat. I kept the wires and used them to reinforce a piece of deck pad.
Two smaller springs held the zig zag springs to the chair frame. One was broken and the other one was missing its catch, a heavy duty staple. I replaced them.
The webbing was slack and not woven. Behind it, the backer board was warped from hanging crookedly. Both of the cleats that it was fastened to had come unnailed.
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The chair was now stripped of most of its upholstery. Only the zig zag springs remained.
The nails, tacks and staples were either pulled or hammered in, depending on the circumstance.
The chair frame was brushed clean of dust and fibers, and sanded to remove scratches and gouges. Much of the sanding was done with an electric "mouse" sander. The rest was done by hand.
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After the chair was sanded it was moved to the shop for stain and finish. I used Minwax oil based stain in Red Mahogany, and Minwax oil based polyurethane.
The springs were secured to the sides of the frame and a new deck pad, with wire reinforcement, was placed on top. It was covered with burlap. I switched from tacks to staples shortly after denting the new finish with a hammer blow.
The inside back got new webbing, taut and woven. It was covered with burlap to hold the cotton batting.
The backer board got new cleats positioned along the curves of the frame. The Masonite was hung wet and allowed to dry so that it would conform to the frame's curves.
The extra pad of cotton was added back, but lower, to serve as lumbar support. A layer of cotton batting was applied over it, and both the inside back and the seat were covered with ticking.
The chair frame was buffed to a smooth satiny finish.
The seat got two more layers of cotton followed by a layer of polyester batting. Fabric went on over the polyester. Finally!
A layer of cotton, polyester batting and fabric on the inside back brought the chair to nearly finished.
The fabric is Estes Juniper Jacquard, a small-scale green and burgundy upholstery fabric with a leaf design from 1502 Fabrics.
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The back of the chair was likewise covered. Then strips of fabric were cut on the bias to make single and double welt cord. The front of the chair was trimmed with single welt, the back with double welt.
The welt cord was applied with hot glue. Hot glue has a learning curve, and a mind of its own.
The chair got new cleats on its bottom for a neat dust cover.
The Statesville Chair Company rocking chair refinished and reupholstered.