Re: reupholster time, go it myself???
WOW....the layout of your upholstery and colors...are identical to mine. I did mine two years ago and quickly realized a few things. First I replaced all of the plywood backings, coated them with waterseal and used Marine Vinyl with a plastic mesh fabric normally used for Macrame, to provide breath-ability on the back side of the plywood panels. Lessons learned...<br /><br />1 - Go over the existing material, when the old stuff was off I sketched the pattern on paper and cut the new one.<br />2 - I eliminated the Piping or Ribbing, it was very time-consuming and too frustrating for me, and didn't look like it would provide me enough goodness for the effort. Flat seams were used instead...much faster, easier...no regrets.<br />3 - Use stainless steel staples...much of my problem was the result of the original stuff coming apart and getting torn because the old staples rusted and let go.<br />4 - You will need a heavy duty sewing machine, and know how to use it. My brother and I have one that we bought for $150 since we regularly are repairing canvas covers, tents, pool covers, you name it...brother Larry is really the sewing pro, I leaned on his skills.<br />5 - It's not easy work...the pro's get paid reasonably well because it's skilled work, is time consuming and often difficult...and require some specialized tools.<br /><br />Try a cushion or two to see if it's within your skill-set.<br /><br />I used Marine Vinyl at $6.99/yard and plastic mesh at $2.49/yard.
WOW....the layout of your upholstery and colors...are identical to mine. I did mine two years ago and quickly realized a few things. First I replaced all of the plywood backings, coated them with waterseal and used Marine Vinyl with a plastic mesh fabric normally used for Macrame, to provide breath-ability on the back side of the plywood panels. Lessons learned...<br /><br />1 - Go over the existing material, when the old stuff was off I sketched the pattern on paper and cut the new one.<br />2 - I eliminated the Piping or Ribbing, it was very time-consuming and too frustrating for me, and didn't look like it would provide me enough goodness for the effort. Flat seams were used instead...much faster, easier...no regrets.<br />3 - Use stainless steel staples...much of my problem was the result of the original stuff coming apart and getting torn because the old staples rusted and let go.<br />4 - You will need a heavy duty sewing machine, and know how to use it. My brother and I have one that we bought for $150 since we regularly are repairing canvas covers, tents, pool covers, you name it...brother Larry is really the sewing pro, I leaned on his skills.<br />5 - It's not easy work...the pro's get paid reasonably well because it's skilled work, is time consuming and often difficult...and require some specialized tools.<br /><br />Try a cushion or two to see if it's within your skill-set.<br /><br />I used Marine Vinyl at $6.99/yard and plastic mesh at $2.49/yard.