Anybody Have Upholstery Experience?

[Mark Hulette]

I'm researching the possibility of making an upholstered ottoman (Norm's)-

Just wondering if anyone has any experience along those lines- especially with Norm's and the kit??

Also can you recommend a pneumatic stapler on the cheap... this won't get a lot of work but would be a hand-saver while doing the ottoman.

Any and all help and advice is welcome!

Thanks!

[Gary Groves]

My wife does upholstery.

She checked a video out from the local library. Watched it a couple times and off she went.

She bought a Campfield and it works fine.

I don't particularly like the thing, cause it has a hair trigger, and doesn't require that the stapler be against the object to staple.

Of course, she bought the thing 9 or 10 years ago, so the design has probably changed.

Good luck.

[Mark Hulette]

Thanks, Gary!

I got the DVD and measured drawing of Norm's version of the ottoman so I think I can actually handle it once I get all of the little nuances.

I was wondering if the Grizzley staplers hold up so I might check on them.

Thanks again!

[Dick Bringhurst]

Porter Cable makes a stapler specifically for upholstery. Dick B.

[Ben Grunow]

I have 2 electric staplers we use for screen work and they work very well and are cheap (less than $20?). Staples are like desktop stapler and come in steel or monel which are rustproof. Might be a good alternative-I have never seen the staples that a gun shoots. They might be a heavier gauge than the ones the electric shoots. Good luck.

[Jim Becker]

The PC stapler that Dick mentions is available from Coastal Tool the last time I looked.

[Marty Baucom]

Mark I have 15 years in the upholstery business. If you would like to PM me I can give you my number if you run across any snags I can help you with. I use the BeA guns myself but they are more catered to the industry. The Porter Cable looks to be a nice gun, I have even looked at one as a backup. Make sure you get the correct crown width staples. Hope this helps.

Marty

[Norman Hitt]

Gosh, back when I did upholstery, we were still using tacks mostly, and the old manual squeeze type hand staplers were just becoming popular in the small upholstery shops. ;) Needless to say, I haven't tried their upholstery stapler, but I can say that the PC narrow crown stapler works very well, so I would suspect that the upholstery stapler would work well also.

[Jim Becker]

Norm, they make a wider-format stapler for upholstery...

PC MS200 (http://coastaltool.com/cgi-bin/SoftCart.exe/a/port/prms200.htm?L+coastest+hfyv7230ffca13ca+1156425004 )
Senco SN41 (http://coastaltool.com/cgi-bin/SoftCart.exe/a/senc/sns41.htm?L+coastest+hfyv7230ffca13ca+1156425004)

[Dick Bringhurst]

PC also has the US58T2. It uses 1/4 to 5/8 inch staples. Dick B.

[Jan Williamson]

Hi Mark,
I did upholstery for a few years, which ottoman are you wanting to make. The small one is pretty easy, and the big one is much more complicated but do-able. I haven't seen the plan but if the picture is an indication, the big ottoman is a diamond tuck style. With upholstered buttons. If you don't have a button press, I recommend you take some scrap fabric to an upholstery shop and have them made (looks like there are a lot of them in the picture. I have made covered buttons both by hand and by industrial button press. The button press wins hands down for durability. Do you have a heavy duty sewing machine? If the "diamond tuck is sewn in, a industrial would be much easier, if it is just "tucked" you can get by without one. A standard machine with upholstery thread is fine for two layers of fabric, say if you are just sewing the corners. I don't know about the staple gun. I had two electric ones. one for vinyl and the other (narrow) one for regular fabrics. Very rewarding project though :)
Jan

[Mark Hulette]

Hi Mark,
I did upholstery for a few years, which ottoman are you wanting to make. The small one is pretty easy, and the big one is much more complicated but do-able. I haven't seen the plan but if the picture is an indication, the big ottoman is a diamond tuck style. With upholstered buttons. If you don't have a button press, I recommend you take some scrap fabric to an upholstery shop and have them made (looks like there are a lot of them in the picture. I have made covered buttons both by hand and by industrial button press. The button press wins hands down for durability. Do you have a heavy duty sewing machine? If the "diamond tuck is sewn in, a industrial would be much easier, if it is just "tucked" you can get by without one. A standard machine with upholstery thread is fine for two layers of fabric, say if you are just sewing the corners. I don't know about the staple gun. I had two electric ones. one for vinyl and the other (narrow) one for regular fabrics. Very rewarding project though :)
Jan

Hi Jan!

Thanks for the reply! The project LOML wants me to do :eek: is the larger tufted one. I got the DVD and the measured drawing and it honestly doesn't look that bad. Like any new endeavor, there's always the odds and ends of specific tasks. They offer a kit from the furniture manufacturer that Norm visits but I have no idea how much $ yet or even what it includes.

Thanks for the tip regarding the buttons... Norm doesn't even mention that item about matching the buttons to the fabric!! THAT's why I come the experts here at the Creek! There's not too many buttons- less than a dozen I'd guess.

Thankfully, there is no sewing involved so the diamond tuck is just that, a tuck. I assume it will stay "tucked". Sometimes Norm leaves a few details out that I need answers for!! I've got an electric staple gun but don't know it's got the oomph that this will take.

Thanks for your and everyone else's input. I'll probably start checking on the pneumo staplers tomorrow.

[Curt Harms]

Here's another option for upholstery stapler-Grizzly H5626. I have a gun I got from Woodworkers Supply that shoots 1/2" crown staples same as used in hand staplers. That gun is no longer offered however.:(

Curt

[Norman Hitt]

Norm, they make a wider-format stapler for upholstery...

PC MS200 (http://coastaltool.com/cgi-bin/SoftCart.exe/a/port/prms200.htm?L+coastest+hfyv7230ffca13ca+1156425004 )
Senco SN41 (http://coastaltool.com/cgi-bin/SoftCart.exe/a/senc/sns41.htm?L+coastest+hfyv7230ffca13ca+1156425004)


Yeah, Jim, I guess I didn't word that so it was understandable. What I meant was that the "narrow crown stapler" works well (for what it is designed to do), and since that stapler works well, their "UPHOLSTERY stapler" is of probably the same quality and would work well for upholstery. I didn't mean to imply that the "narrow crown" stapler would work well for upholstery. It would "probably" work ok if installing some thicker leathers, but the tines of the staple would be too close together to use on thin leathers, the naugahydes or cloth because it would promote tearouts. Sorry I wasn't more clear.:o