buttons on the deck.

[gene]

I'm working on an open arm chair. There were 9 buttons on the deck. At first I had no idea why.

Then I saw that the previous upholsterer used the 9 buttons to hold down the new fabric to the old decking material. There is edging on all 4 sides so the center of the deck is recessed. Instead of taking the edging off and doing it correctly, he/she just put buttons on the existing deck, and then stapled the button threads underneath to the side rails.

What a crappy way to do things. I wonder what the customer thought when they first saw the buttons? At least they were covered with the face fabric.

gene

[sofadoc]

I've seen that done many times. You gotta admit, it's probably a quick way to do a low-budget job.
I recently got in some brand new chairs that had "Made in Egypt" stamped on them. They were done that way. They also had seat foam that had about 68 scrap pieces glued together. They had to have spent more money on glue than a slab of foam would've cost.   

[MinUph]

We have 2 sofas in that were done like this. I was going to stitch the seats in normally but found the buttons to be a necessity. These frames were built out of pine 100% and pine 2x4s. They have been done at least twice now and are holding up fine. It amazes me that they are holding up. Standard 3/4" pine rails. Anyway the way the seat was built the burlap that didn't exist would have been too far down to stitch to. So the buttons are back in.

[kodydog]

I've seen that done many times. You gotta admit, it's probably a quick way to do a low-budget job.

Ya know it only takes me 7 or 8 mins. to sew a seat on a sofa. How much time does it save to make six or seven buttons, thread them, poke them through and staple them off. Maybe a minute? I wonder if its more of a skill thing.

[gene]

I was wondering the same thing, Kody.

The original upholstery did not have buttons. I know, because it's still on the chair.

The webbing, that thick plastic stuff, had gotten so stretched with the original fabric that when the reupholstery was done the padding and fabric were no longer touching the webbing. The upholsterer didn't even bother to tighten the old webbing. He could have cut if off and it would have made no difference.

Those buttons not only held the new fabric down but they also held the padding up.

I guess I'm not too surprised that some new furniture comes this way. It is a quick way to do it. I would think that fabric glue would be even quicker. Mark off the edges with masking tape and spray away???

Thanks for the replies.

gene

[sofadoc]

The original upholstery did not have buttons. I know, because it's still on the chair.

That's the "quick" part I was talking about. They just drape a new piece right over the old, button it down, fold the corners, and staple it under the frame. No skillful seams to sew.

The webbing, that thick plastic stuff, had gotten so stretched with the original fabric that when the reupholstery was done the padding and fabric were no longer touching the webbing. The upholsterer didn't even bother to tighten the old webbing. He could have cut if off and it would have made no difference.

That's why I use Elasbelt, instead of that crummy Pirelli rubber webbing. All that stuff is good for, is rotting.