Revamp a 1950s Ottoman You will need ● Screwdriver ● Stiff hand brush ● Sugar soap ● Matt emulsion – try Dulux Paint Mixing matt emulsion in Grey Steel 1, £12.99 for 250ml ● 25mm brush ● Medium-grade sandpaper (optional) ● Trim – try Berisfords 16mm velvet ribbon in Dolphin, £11.70 for a 10m roll, VV Rouleaux ● PVA glue ● 5mm flat brush ● Small tenon saw for removing legs (optional) ● New legs (optional) – try Hairpin Legs, from £13.99 each, The Iron Mill ● Leg fixings (optional) ● Either a flat-headed screwdriver and a hammer (for removing seat cover staples or tacks), or a heavy-duty staple remover – try the Draper 43275 Heavy-Duty Staple Remover, £5.84, Amazon – or an upholsterer’s ripping chisel and a mallet ● Thin plywood for replacing seat base, cut to size (optional) ● Foam for replacing seat stung (optional) – try The Foam Shop’s 25mm V38 High Firm Blue. Provide seat measurements plus 5mm all around or send a template and ask for foam to be cut to size ● Fabric to cover the top, plus at least 12cm extra on all sides ● Large scissors, dressmaking scissors or pinking shears ● Either a heavy-duty electric stapler and 6-8mm staples, or a small hammer and 10mm tacks. ● Fabric to line the underside of the seat, plus 10mm all around ● Hinges of a similar size to the originals (optional) ● Decorative chain available from DIY stores ● Screws Instructions 1. Unscrew the hinges from the lid, remove and put aside. Remove the trim working on the base first and go over the wicker with a stiff brush to get rid of dust and debris, then wash with sugar soap. Once dry, paint a very small area to check it adheres well; if it doesn’t, sand the surface and wash again. 2. Paint the base, working the paint into the weave but not allowing it to pool. Apply at least two coats inside and out. Apply the trim by painting PVA glue onto the back of it with a small brush and press firmly in place until dry. Ends can be finished by folding them over and gluing, or cutting and carefully sealing the frayed edge with glue, which dries clear. 3. Saw off the existing legs square to the base if replacing. Attach the new ones using the fixings supplied. Remove the staples or tacks attaching the top cover to the seat, then remove the cover. If the stuffing is shapeless, saggy or perished, throw it away. Check the condition of the base of the seat and replace if necessary with thin plywood. Place your seat with its existing stuffing or new foam (fixed in place with a few blobs of PVA glue) on a work surface. If your fabric has a pattern on it, think about its position, remembering which edge is the front. Place the fabric on the seat, ensuring that the weave is square to the seat, then carefully turn the seat over, keeping the fabric in position. 4. Pull the fabric up firmly over the base of the frame and fix a tack or staple midway down each side about 2cm from the edge. If using tacks, only knock them halfway in at this stage. Turn the seat over to see if you’re happy with the positioning and adjust if necessary. Continue fixing at intervals, working towards the corners from the initial fixings, two opposite sides at a time. Keep turning the seat over to check how it looks – the fabric should be taut, so you will be pulling hard on it as you work; if at any point the fabric pulls too much and spoils the shape, remove and adjust the tension. 5. Fix square corners by taking up the corner piece of fabric, pull it tightly forward onto the corner of the frame and fix it, positioning it so that the two flaps of fabric either side of the corner are even. These flaps will create a pleat on each side of the corner. Work out where the folds will be neatest and carefully cut the excess fabric from the middle of the pleats with scissors. Fix them evenly, pulling very firmly and creating as little bulk as possible. Trim all excess fabric away as you go. If your seat doesn’t have square corners, make little pleats evenly around the shaped edge, taking in the excess fabric. 6. Add more fixings to the sides where there are gaps, pulling the fabric taut each time and checking how it looks on top. When you’re satisfied, knock in tacks fully and trim off excess fabric close to the fixings. 7. Staple or tack your lining fabric to the underside of the seat, turning under the edges and leaving at least 5mm of the fabric used to cover the top visible around the edge. Apply the trim, as before, covering the turned under edge evenly on all sides. Attach the original hinges or use new ones and add a length of decorative chain, screwed to the base and inside the lid, to prevent it from falling back when open.
Posted on: Wed, 19 Mar 2014 13:34:27 +0000
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