Rewebing Solid steel patio/Lawn furniture

[baileyuph]

This furniture is welded steel frames (chairs) and originally webbed with the heavy
plastic webbing (polyurethane).  No hardware involved in securing the webbing from side
to side (no screws, rivets, or metal fixtures that is).  The webbing is cut at the ends in an arrow head shape which are pressed into
a frame slot (both ends of webbing to be clear).  The fins of the arrow, once in, hold the
webbing in the metal with slots before wrapping the frame.

During webbing installation the ends are rolled around the frame.  Understanding how the first side is installed is straight forward (poke the arrow shaped end of the webbing into the frame slot , roll it around the frame a time or two, then move to the other side and repeat the process.  The last end to be installed may make your head hurt just thinking about it because it makes you really wonder how does that end get wrapped with the arrow shaped pressed into the slot first?  (needless to say the arrow ends get pressed into the
slots first). 

Well, that was figured out (the last end to be attached, that is), that end is wrapped in a cone fashion (instead of like a perfect roll, then the arrow end is pushed into the slot.
At this point the cone wrapping is encouraged to a roll shape to finish the process to
look the same on both ends.

The description or explanation of the factory installation, is better understood by understanding the heavy webbing (just say heavy, hard to stretch plastic webbing)
is heated to about 200 degrees first - likely in boiled water).

All that hopefully to aid the understanding of what chair is the subject here.

Now, the general question is:  What are other professional options of replacing a webbing in a metal chair frame as described here?  Has this been achieved by the factory
method and the same heavy plastic strips?

Or it would be of interest if some other approach that works is described?  Water proof
is probably not a primary factor with this customer.  Stretch webbing isn't desired as there are only five strands going side to side (no basket weaving ).

Thanks in advance,

Doyle

[kodydog]

When we picked up 4 of these metal frames from a decorator there was no fabric, no webbing or any visible means of support. No brackets, no holes in the frame nothing. I had no clue how to upholster them. The decorator basically said take them to the shop and figure it out.


So I put on my thinking hat and devised this girdle system using grommets and parashoot cord. These pictures are phase one, the support system.
[/URL[URL=http://s1179.photobucket.com/user/EdwinNorthuis/media/New_Fabric_Base_1.jpg.html]

Part two was the cover and this photo shows how I attached it to the frame with grommets.


The final picture shows the finished product. Her husband found these chairs in an antique store and wanted them done for their river house. the cover is a thick canvas. I guess they liked them because 5 years later they had us redo them. The suport system was still in pretty good shape. I'm not sure if this will help you but it may give you some ideas.

[baileyuph]

Wow!  Very clever Kody and really sounds/looks like good taste the customer had for their river house.

I can appreciate the platform and girdle technique used to tighten it to the frame.

The cover, I can see the grommets (3) in the top back side.  Hard to tell what was run through the grommets and obviously wrapped around the upper side to side frame rod
at that point.  Just curious how and what was used with those grommets to hold the cover
to the frame at that point?

I suspect your answer will also be what the cover is held on at the bottom side - at front
also?

Yes, definitely good ideas.

In my case, my customer has a bottom and back cushion to go over what ever I put to support those cushions.  You have demonstrated that your bottom and back support
would work there.   

Again, many thanks for the presentation. 

As strong as you made it, the 5 year make over was a redecorating idea, looks like what
you did was strong to last for a long time.

I know these were very good ideas of decorating that river house.

Doyle

[Rich]

Check for this on YouTube, there's always someone who has done it and video taped the procedure.
(This goes for pretty much anything you can think of BTW).
Rich

[kodydog]

Wow!  Very clever Kody and really sounds/looks like good taste the customer had for their river house.

  Just curious how and what was used with those grommets to hold the cover
to the frame at that point?

I suspect your answer will also be what the cover is held on at the bottom side - at front
also?
Doyle

I did this 2 years ago so I'm going on a 59 year old memory here. The top of the frame has an obvious horizontal bar but 4" below that is another horizontal support bar. The IB fabric rolls over the top of the frame and is connected to a piece of fabric that is sewn to the back of the inside back and held with grommets.

The bottom and back of the frame has another horizontal support bar. Its hard to see but its there. To pull the seat and the inside back tight I sewed an extra piece of fabric to the back of the IB/seat fabric. Right about where your butt would hit. Basically where the seat stops and the back begins. I wrapped this piece of fabric around the bottom horizontal support bar and fastened it to itself with grommets.

I didn't want any grommets to show when viewing the chair from the front so I did the front of the seat the same way. I wrapped the seat fabric around the front of the frame and connected it to a piece of fabric sewn to the bottom of the seat. I imagined these extra pieces of fabric sewn to the bottom of the seat and to the back of the IB  would bare a lot of pressure at times so I made sure to stitch them and then top stitch them again.