Another restaurant booth question!

[cthomps]

I guess I'm gonna be the go-to gal for restaurant booth business in my little town.  There is a new Denny's opening here and the upholsterer they hired, backed out at the last minute.  A friend referred me. They called and I bid 25 booth seats only. I hung up the phone and said to myself,  "oh s@*t, now what do I do? They have to be done and put back together by the 24Th.  The owner is going to try and do the backs.  We'll see. I'm guessing I will get those as well.

They are standard bench seats with gussets (well that's what we would call them in the party dress world) on the sides.   Like a "U" shape sewn in the sides.  They are top stitched around the gussets.    Fabric comes in tomorrow.  I have help tearing down, so I should be able to get it done.  I have no time to mess this up so I have a couple questions.

1.  Does it matter which direction I cut the vinyl?
2.  Using the existing vinyl as a pattern, do I cut the main piece smaller than the old vinyl? I'm guessing the old vinyl would be stretched over the years, although they seem to be good and tight.  They are changing them because of color.  They are using Naugahyde expressions.


I understand that this is something you have all learned with experience. Unfortunately, I don't have this kind of experience. Yet... I am so thankful that you are all here so I can say "yes" to these projects.  I always know there is help available.  Thank you.  When you folks start altering clothes, I can help ;D

[JDUpholstery]

when I pattern off existing vinyl i usually subtract 1/2" since vinyl has some stretch, its better to be a little tight than too loose....benches are fairly simple (even I can do them!) so you should be ok with time frame...if they are all the same size then find an average measurement and cut everything the same, then its just a matter of sewing and fitting/stapling

[sofadoc]

You mean to tell me that this is a new Denney's, and the owner is going to try to cover the backs himself? Boy, I knew times were tough, but I didn't know they were that tough. :o

That's going to look strange. With a professional seat, and an amateur "wrap job" on the back.
If that particular Denney's is cutting similar corners everywhere else, I predict they won't last long.

We have a ton of restaurants in this area that are UTBAD'S (used to be a Denney's).

[cthomps]

It was a Green Mill.  Changing to Denny's.  Big stuff for this little town.  I understand cutting costs, but I am invisioning the guy with a swingline at 3:00 am trying to finish before the grand opening. :D 

[sofadoc]

It might explain why the previous upholsterer bailed on the job.
Don't worry if his makes your work look bad. 3 months from now, nobody is gonna remember who did what anyway. They'll probably be on their second manager by then.

[sofadoc]

Don't worry if his makes your work look bad.

After reading my own post, I realize that it could be interpreted 2 different ways.
I didn't mean that HIS work might outshine YOURS.  I meant that HIS work might bring down the overall appearance of the job.

[Rich]

I would use the end panel to pattern that part out while it is still on the frame, but I would use the frame width to get the width measurement (that would be the width when you are sitting on the cushion L to R). The reason for using the frame is that the vinyl has probably shrunk, not stretched. Using the frame measurement and adding a small (1/4" per side if you sew with a 1/2" seam allowance) and then checking this against the old cover just to be in the correct ballpark, (since the foam may have added bulk to the cushion at the ends) you should do well. As far as across or into the roll, it depends on the size of the cushion. If it's 54" or wider, than you're bound to going into the roll since the vinyl will only be 54" wide. If you go across the roll, say, on a 48" cushion, then you might want to eliminate the extra 1/4".
The front to rear measurement is also going to come into play here, since in some cases even if the cushions are less than 54" it might  make more sense to run them into the roll if the F to R can be gotten out of 1/2 the width of the roll (27").
Rich

[kodydog]

They called and I bid 25 booth seats only. I hung up the phone and said to myself,  "oh s@*t, now what do I do? They have to be done and put back together by the 24Th. 

Don't sweat the small stuff. Once you get the first two or three done the rest will be a breeze. With your helper you will get your time knocked down to 1/2 hour or less each. The hardest part will to stay focused. About the fifth one you will be asking yourself, are we done yet.   

[MinUph]

1.  Does it matter which direction I cut the vinyl?

Vinyl will stretch in one direction more than the other. pull on it to see. In this case if you use the less stretchy direction for up and down you will find it easier to pull the seams tight and not have wrinkles. It seems like your talking about sewn in channels.

[Rich]

Vinyl will stretch in one direction more than the other

Yes, that's right and I forgot to make that clear in my reply. Vinyl will stretch more selvage to selvage than into the roll, which is why you might want to allow for the extra stretch by cutting it slightly shorter if you're running the longer length across the roll.
Rich

[baileyuph]

Rich, wouldn't you run the width of the seat up the rolls, this would align the stretch on the cushion on the shortest distance, the depth?

I haven't made any in a while, but that is the way I made them, I ran the stretch in the long distance on the boxing.  This assumes a seam at the front and side edges, of course.

You have done a good number of these if I recall correctly, huh Rich?  Sometimes, in recall, we almost always had to repair spring clips and spring strut support wires, the ones wrapped in paper.  That work can go like a breeze but then the repairs in wood, springs, and strut wires, could slow the process.

Doyle

Doyle

[sofadoc]

On restaurant booth seats, I run the stretch whichever way I get the most efficient coverage per yard.
I don't think stretch is all that critical on booth seats. Not like the inside of a curved back barstool.

[cthomps]

Wow.  Thanks for all the help!  They are just foam, on plywood, covered with vinyl.  Should be easy peasy, but you all know how that goes.  I just want to prevent the phone call in 3 months by trying to do it right in the first place!  I will let you know how it goes.  I have them all stripped down and the vinyl comes tomorrow.  It is going to be a busy weekend!  Is it wrong to secretly want to put more staples in than the last guy/gal?

[Rich]

[quoteRich, wouldn't you run the width of the seat up the rolls, this would align the stretch on the cushion on the shortest distance, the depth?
][/quote]

Doyle, many times, the F to R measurement is over 27" (I've found 31" to be fairly common) which means that if the width of the bench is under 54", you'd want to make the best use of vinyl by running the longer length across the roll. Running them into the roll gives a lot of room for the end panels but leaves you with strips of unused vinyl and of course a higher charge to the customer for the extra vinyl needed.
I've not seen to much in the way of springs lately (thankfully) as foam is used more often these days. Finding broken springs or clips does slow you down, but I always charged a per spring price to replace them.

CT, More staples? One per inch is probably plenty for most applications, I use Duofast 50 series staples which have a wide crown.
Rich

[cthomps]

Rich.  The seat board measures 47", so across the roll it is.  Also, after pulling several thousand staples, that touched each other or over lapped, I acquired a bit of an attitude! Even with my inexperience, I thought it was overkill.
My staple statement was nothing more than "vengeance."  :) 

One of the seats had a previous vinyl layer "cut out" with about 1" left in place.  The new cover was applied over this strip of previous staples and vinyl.  Is this common practice, or lazy?

Again thank you all. Fabric comes in today. 

Carol