This couch was posted on my local Buy, swap and sell site. The owner stated that it was put outside and if you wanted it you could come and pick it up. They said if it was still there the next days it was going to the dump. This was one of my early day restorations so there is no step by step instructions. But I wanted to show that just because it looks like trash it does not have to be. I could see the potential but I have not done a restoration like this so I thought it would be a good practice run for me. My intention was to try and restore it and get some practice at the same time.
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I was really surprised to find that once all the fabric was removed it did not look too bad underneath. The structure was very wobbly but on inspection, it just needed some Wood Glue. I glued the structure and once that was dry I moved on to the wood. I used an Orbital to try and sand some of the years of damage out of the wood. But some of the scratches were so deep in the one arm I knew I would not be able to sand them out. By this time I was in too deep to back out so I moved to plan B. I used a wood router and the curved bit and removed the scratches.
But I had no experience using a router even the beginner one that I had. And my curve was no way near straight. To tidy this up I had to make the cured wider and just added some guitar inlay that I had lying around at home. I glued the inlay into the groove and sanded down the surface until it was all level.
Inlay to disguised deep grooved in wood.
I used Dark Mahogany stain on the wood and added 2 coats of gloss oil based gloss clear polyurethane. The seat was the old-fashioned springs, and they were coated with a layer of what looked like straw. I thought it was a birds nest at first that is what it looked like. I just repacked the stuffing and used an old sheet that I Stapled over the stuffing to keep it in place. I found this beautiful fabric on eBay, it was the Spenser family genealogy, and it was love at first sight and thought it would be a good fit for the couch.
I stapled all the fabric in place but the staples were so obvious. Being a total amateur at this I bought some studs and spent days hammering them in one by one. They were not the straightest lines but not bad for a first attempt. I have since learned that you buy them in stripes called decorative studs stripes which are all joined together you just attached them at intervals, So I would highly recommend these. The final results were stunning! Not too shabby for a first attempt. My skills have improved since I have done this couch check out this chase lounge I built from scratch using recycled materials.
To see another great project check out this device charger that will charge all your phones and Ipad at the same time. or this great Restored Rocking Chair.
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