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I am looking for a new supplier. Mine has messed up my last three orders for the current job I am working on. All orders were over nighted and they sent the wrong product every time.  for a ton of money and very little in the way of helping me out. the first orders I did via e-mail so I would have a copy of the order, still screwed the orders up so then I called it in and really messed it up. I would like to find a REAL wholesaler!!!!!!!!!!!!
I have used these guys for years and the owners used to run the routes themselves... What Happened Albany!!!

no extra charge for leather. I work with fabrics that are a hell of a lot more expensive then leather. So you have to choose where you are going to cut it, well if you are pattern matching with a fabric same thing... do you charge more for that??? don't look at leather as a foreign object, it's just another fabric, no big deal... Hey if you can charge more go for it but is is not necessary. Good luck!!

Chris

you got yourself in deep on this one. the steelwool looking stuff is either hogs hair or horse hair or a combination of both. Most pieces done this way should be done the same way. They are built to allow the modern ways of the trade, however it can be done. you hand stitch the hair to the burlap and then add another layer of burlap and hand stitch in an edgeroll and then again across the seat area to help shape and keep in place. I then add 1" foam and cotton and then do in muslin to see if I like it. then either add more padding or just the fabric. I very lengthy process and you need to charge a bunch for this very labor intensive.

Good Luck,

Chris

what about Paul's Professional Upholstery? Everyone uses Custom, you need something new, different. I have a friend and she is "The Great Cover Up" I am on an island so I am "On Island Upholstery", Back in Syracuse I was CPR Upholstery. Pick a name that sets you apart, Have fun with the name, Whats your middle name, use that... find something you specialize in and use that in your name... wish you all the best

Chris

to all my fellow upholsterers and all people in the fabric, threads and such. If this forum disappears PLEASE NO, but if it does we should open a page on Facebook???? what are your thoughts???

Chris

Thank You for your time and energy all these years to put all this together and to keep it going. I sure hope it continues. I love coming here to see what my fellow upholsterers are up to and compare notes, styles, and techniques. What happens if you can not sell? Dare I think of such a thing.

I buy my foam from Albany Foam and Supply. They manufacture the foam. You can get several different thicknesses and sizes. They do do special order but the size you are looking for is readily available Here is their site address. Check them out.  http://www.albanyfoam.com/

Hi Everyone.

If they are crappy cheap spring and the customer does not want to pay to replace them, weave the elastic webbing across them, this works excellent. If they don"t mind paying extra and the frame can support the traditional zigger springs go that route and hand tie them loop to loop then to the next spring so you are tying each side of the zigger then move to the next spring otherwise each zigger will want to roll on its side. You could add a couple rows of elastic webbing depending on the stability of the frame. Odds are it is plywood, don't forget to add burlap over the springs, a lot of companies have eliminated this step which wears out the padding, so add burlap! Good Luck, and let us know how it turns out

Chris

if a customer comes to me with all the junk they bought from any store, I tell them to take it all back home. I am not going to put my name on that junk and the work will suffer from the bad quality of supplies. They can hire me to do the work with much better quality supplies. Live and learn!!!

Chris

when you sell your foam/cushion replacement put a weight limit on the product with no guarantee over the limit, then you are not liable. I would use firm ultra foam from Albany Foam and Supply, and the backs, i use soft ultra foam http://www.albanyfoam.com/

You can also open an account with Albany Upholstery Foam and Supply,http://www.albanyfoam.com/ and they too can make your cusom custions and sell the foam alone. Ultra foam is the best but for a little less you can get MidFoam. You will have to open an account with them in order to buy their products. The prices you see are wholesale

check ebay for the GMC silent portable compressor. This is a great portable for around 299 or you can get a new Makita hotdog tank for 199. both are excellent compressors easy on the wallet. Next you can go to internationaltool.com and pick up a Porter and Cable upholstery staple gun for $89, just don't drop it, it is made out of cast aluminum. My favorite gun is an older model Rainco. You can find both products on ebay used and get great deals. if you do not want to spend that much, go to Harbor Freight and buy their wide crown staple gun for $30 and replace when it breaks.

Sales, Strip, Sew, Staple, SMILE!

Paul did you hear a couple years ago a fellow upholsterer in Syracuse hit the lotto big and is still upholstering. That is the only time you will hear an upholsterer hitting it big hahaha. So true with location. I moved six hours east two years ago and labor doubled if not tripled depending on the job. Cost of living comes into play on also when figuring out how much to charge.

You can steam the back side of the vinyl for awhile and then let it cool off and it will shrink some. The extra fabric is minimal now so it could be finished with a little manipulation. Take your time and this will be a beautiful seat. Show us how it turns out.

Chris