Assessing the Frame Before Starting

Remove all existing fabric, trim, and padding before assessing the frame. This cannot be rushed — pulling at old tacked fabric too quickly tears wood fibres from the rail, making re-tacking difficult. Use a ripping chisel or flathead screwdriver to lift tacks. A mallet and staple remover handles staples from later work.

Once the frame is bare, check every joint. Victorian chairs used mortise-and-tenon and dowel joints glued with hide glue. Hide glue joints that have failed can be reglued with fresh hide glue; this maintains reversibility for future conservators. Do not use modern PVA or polyurethane adhesives on antique frames unless the joint has been modified and reversibility is not a concern.

Check the back legs where they meet the seat rail — this is the highest-stress joint and the most common failure point. Reinforce loose joints before proceeding.

Webbing and Spring Assessment

Traditional upholstery used jute webbing interlaced across the seat rail to support springs or stuffing. In chairs from the late 19th century, you will often find coil springs tied with twine — a method called eight-way hand-tie. Chairs without springs use the webbing directly as the foundation for padding layers.

Replacing Webbing

Jute webbing is still available from upholstery suppliers across Canada. Weave replacement webbing over-under in both directions, pulled taut with a webbing stretcher before tacking. Poor tension creates a seat that sags under load within months.

Repairing or Replacing Springs

If the original coil springs are intact and not broken, they can be retied. Use laid cord (not synthetic twine) tied in the traditional eight-way pattern: front-to-back, side-to-side, and diagonally in both directions. Each spring should be tied at the correct height so the seat surface is flat and level. Broken springs should be replaced with springs of matching gauge and height.

Finding materials: Jute webbing, coil springs, laid cord, and tack hammers are available from upholstery trade suppliers in Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver. Online sources include Kijiji listings from closing upholstery shops, which sometimes sell trade stock at reasonable prices.

Padding Layers

Traditional upholstery built seat cushions in layers. From the foundation up, a typical Victorian chair seat used:

  1. Burlap over springs or webbing — a coarse fabric tacked to the rails, stitched to the springs to hold them in position.
  2. Edge rolls — stuffed linen rolls tacked to the perimeter to define the seat edge and prevent padding from shifting outward.
  3. Horsehair or fibre stuffing — packed over the burlap and stitched to create a firm, even surface. Curled horsehair was the premium material; Spanish moss or coir fibre was more common on mid-range pieces.
  4. Cotton batting — a thin layer over the stuffing to even out irregularities before the final fabric.
  5. Top fabric — wool, velvet, leather, or woven tapestry depending on the period and original specification.

For most restoration work, substituting high-density foam for horsehair reduces cost and time but changes the feel of the seat and may be visible to experienced handlers. If the piece is being restored primarily for use, foam with a cotton batting wrap is practical. If authenticity matters, source curled horsehair from specialty upholstery suppliers.

Selecting Fabric

Victorian parlour chairs were typically covered in wool damask, silk velvet, or woven tapestry. Edwardian pieces leaned toward lighter patterns and sometimes leather on dining chairs. Selecting a fabric that is visually consistent with the period is straightforward; finding one that will also wear well requires attention to thread count and weave structure.

Avoid fabrics with synthetic content for backs and seats that will see daily use — they abrade and pill faster than wool or wool-blend weaves. A minimum of 30,000 double rubs (Martindale or Wyzenbeek test) is a reasonable durability threshold for upholstered seating. Canadian fabric distributors such as Kravet and Robert Allen carry documented period patterns with published test results.

Cutting and Attaching Fabric

Cut all pieces with a minimum 3 cm turnover allowance. Always cut fabric so the pattern, if any, is centred on the seat front and back panel visually. On chairs with wooden show-wood frames, the fabric edges must be pulled tightly under the rail and tacked cleanly — any waviness in the tack line shows in the final drape.

Start tacking at the centre of each side, working outward toward corners in a star pattern. Pull fabric taut but not so tight that the weave distorts or the stuffing compresses. Corners require cuts, folds, or pleats depending on the chair geometry — the technique varies between square corners (dining chairs) and curved legs (armchairs).

Finishing: Trim and Gimp

Traditional chairs finished tack lines with upholstery gimp — a narrow woven braid glued over the tack line with fabric or hide glue. Brass nailhead trim is period-appropriate for some styles. Both are available from upholstery suppliers; match the material to the fabric weight and chair style.

Provincial resources: The Ontario Trillium Foundation has funded several heritage craft training programmes that include traditional upholstery. Details on current workshops are maintained through local heritage organizations and community colleges offering trades programmes.