The Right Upholstery Removal Tool For You | Customer Spotlight: Barons Furniture

Have you been inspired to try your hand at upholstery? If so, you can be sure that you’re not alone.

There are plenty of people who have at least one piece of furniture that could use a makeover. Maybe it’s a piece that hasn’t aged so well, something that has been inherited, or perhaps you’ve even bought a piece of furniture purely to turn it into a project.

No matter which applies to you, getting involved with upholstery can bring a huge sense of achievement.

What makes upholstery much easier is having the right tools. What makes it fun, and lacking in frustration, is having the right upholstery removal tools. Not sure what removal tools are or which ones you might need? Read on and let us explain.

The need for upholstery removal tools

You no doubt have an image in your mind of exactly how a certain piece of furniture is going to look. You know a little about upholstery and you have the skills, and the creative flair, to bring this piece back to life so that it can take pride of place in your home.

Perhaps you're even thinking of selling your creation on and turning a profit. The thing is before you get to breathe life back into the furniture, there’s a removal process to go through first.

You’re going to need at least the basics when it comes to removal tools to ensure that your piece is stripped down and ready to see your magic being worked. If you’re lacking in removal tools, your project is set to stall before it even gets started. Here’s a look at what you’ll need to keep that project moving:

Staple remover As soon as you begin your journey into upholstery, you’ll realise just how valuable a staple remover is. You’re going to find yourself removing staple after staple after staple. What you need is a way that you can do this both efficiently, and safely. If you want to risk it, you can have a go with a dinner knife, but we assure you that you’ll soon regret it. A staple remover is easy to use. All that you need to do is place it under the staple that you want gone and give it a little wiggle. Follow this with a twist and the staple will be out in no time at all. it really is that simple, and so much safer than any type of knife!
Tack remover Okay, so the chances are that you’re thinking that a staple remover and a tack remover are pretty much the same things. In some ways, you’d be right as you will find that you can use a tack remover to remove larger staples. That being said, when looking at a tack and staple remover, there is a key difference to note. A tack remover has a head that is shaped differently from that of a staple remover. This means that it is perfect for doing what it’s designed to do - remove tacks. You will find that you can use this removal tool to easily take off decorative tacks and, in the process, you won’t be causing any damage to the wood.
Staple puller pliers As you work on more projects, or if you’re unlucky from the oft, the time will come when a tack and staple remover won’t quite cut it. You will come across those frustrating staples and tacks that, no matter how hard you work with your removal tools, they just don’t seem to shift. When this is the case, staple puller pliers are your friend. When your staple remover and tack remover seem to be flaying, staple puller pliers come to the rescue. they are able to get a grip on the most stubborn pieces of metal and pull them free from your upholstery project.
Hammer Just as staple puller pliers can come to the rescue when a staple remover is struggling, a hammer can also be a great fallback option when you come across staples that seem excessively stubborn. While it’s not a situation that anyone wants to face, the truth is that occasionally we will come across a staple that just refuses to budge. This is when a hammer can come to the rescue. As brutal as it sounds, if you have the odd metal shard causing a problem, the simple solution is to take a hammer to it. This can flatten the offending item and prevent it from causing you further issues down the line. Of course, a hammer can also come in useful a little later when it comes to knocking on tacks, but for now, it can become one of your, most valuable removal tools.

Check out our full range of Upholstery Removal Tools here. 

Final thoughts

When approaching an upholstery project, it’s far too easy to focus purely on the end project. It’s just as important to place the same amount of focus on the strip down phase. If you fail to prep your piece sufficiently, problems will come back and bite you further down the line.

What we have looked at the basic upholstery removal tools that you really should be adding to your kit. These will allow you to overcome the majority of issues that you face and ensure that your project is a success.

Customer Spotlight - Barons Furniture

Barons is a family-owned business with over 45 years’ experience in the contract furniture industry.

Contract furniture and furnishings refer to office or commercial furniture and furnishings, which are produced to fulfil the established industry requirements. Simply put, contract furniture is any furniture that is designed and manufactured for commercial installation in offices, waiting rooms, lobbies, and other public or high-use spaces.

We have been privileged to supply a number of tools to Barons, including some of the upholstery removal tools featured in this article. 

Case Study: Lilycross Care Home

We were very proud to see that during COVID-19, Baron's had stepped up to help furnish Lilycross Care Home in Cheshire. This facility was re-purposed as a "step-down facility" to help ease the pressure on local hospitals caring for patients with COVID-19.

Lilycross Care Home was rushed to completion and the facility urgently required furniture and soft furnishings to get it ready for residents to use. Using the facility, patients recovering from COVID-19 and other life-threatening illnesses will be able to recuperate in a clean, safe, and comfortable environment.

Barons work hard to fulfil customer requirements, and even during the challenging times COVID-19 presented to the industry they were able to supply and deliver furniture to Lilycross at short notice and with minimal lead times.

The pandemic reaffirmed hygiene as a consideration of paramount importance in any care setting. To help ensure the safety of staff and residents, the Barons furniture supplied to Lilycross featured both inherently antibacterial wood finishes and fabric.

As part of the refurbishment process, Barons supplied the Care Home with a range of modern and stylish furniture, for bedrooms, dining rooms and other high-use spaces with a lead time of only 10 days. These speedy lead times are only possible due to well organised manufacturing processes, experienced craftsmen and the right tools in hand.  

If you have a small upholstery project, or large commercial upholstery business and want to discuss the tools you need, reach out to our experienced customer service team and they will be happy to assist you. Please contact us via email: hello@tacura.com or call 0330 123 1950.