Be careful. If you have solid wood church pews- permanently upholstering
them could be a big mistake. There is a better solution that will make (almost)
everybody happy.
I understand. Once a church community gets the idea of a
nicely padded seat beneath them as opposed to solid wood- the pressure can be
deafening. And when they find that they can soften the underside of things up
for what may seem to be a cheap price- it’s hard to stop the momentum. But stop
you should-particularly if you plan for the future.
How will you fix this wear and tear without damaging the fabric?
Solid wood pews are very valuable. Yes- a select few manufacturers still make them
but they cost an exorbitant amount. Just try to
have a new church pew manufacturer make new pews of the same structure as your
existing solid wood pews. They’ll work hard to talk you out of it. If, by
chance, they actually bid it to you- you’ll find out the real value of what you
have. New, all solid wood church pews cost upwards of $300. per foot! That's why most manufacturers will gently guide you away from them and into a much cheaper style that features pressboard seats hidden by foam, razor thin veneers, lots of upholstery and no pew ends. The value of your existing solid wood pews is why it’s important to seriously consider your upholstering
options.
The worst thing you can do is to permanently affix foam and
upholstery using the pews seat and back as the substructure. Yes- I know- it’s
cheap! But consider a few things.
How will you refinish the wood portion of the pews when the
finish fades? What damage will be done to the solid wood? Many companies use
foam on just the seat and then glue carpeting to the seat backs up and over the
top rail and then down the rear face (where the book racks are). When the
upholstery is dated- how will you remove and replace the old fabric? Can you
glue new fabric over old adhesive?
Poorly done work that won't last.
Carpet-like fabric glued to the seat back and around the top rail. Hand wear on the top rail comes fast and quickly looks dirty.
The best solution for padding the seats of solid wood pews
is to add a removable upholstered seat pad.
Why? First of all- the pads can be
replaced without refinishing the pews and the pews can be refinished without
replacing the pads. That’s big! It beats the cost of doing both the pews
refinishing AND the reupholstering at the same time. Secondly, it does almost
no damage to your solid wood pews which- if refinished properly- can last a
lifetime. (New cheap upholstered pews have a life of about ten years- uff!)
Be sure you get the seat pads that have a plywood base that
is curved to match the curve of the seat. Also make sure that the fabric is
compressed with the foam BEFORE attaching the fabric to the plywood so that you
will get a taught fit that won’t dimple.
It’s going to be OK. You CAN add padding to solid wood church pews without breaking the bank or ruining valuable pews that can last a lifetime.
We're happy to refer you to a good company for this work. (Wow! Honestly. There are a lot of bad ones!)
Just send us an email.
Good luck on your project!
V Scott Beddome
262-527-8969
