YOU are likely reading this because you're trying to determine whether or not you should buy new pews or invest in a full stripping, reupholstering and refinishing.
As the recipient of dozens of photos of potential church pew refurbishing projects each week I've developed the ability to sniff out cheap pews that are unworthy of refinishing investment in a quick glance. The title of this piece is the short, quick answer. There IS a perfect corollary to the amount of foam and fabric and the value of your existing pews. The more solid wood you find- the greater the chances that investment in a full refinishing may be the best choice. The more fabric? Not so much.
There's a reason for this. The substructure required for upholstering a church pew isn't much. Beneath that outdated mauve fabric lies particle and press boards, angle brackets, cleats (at the pew ends beneath the seat) and stretchers that run the length. Many will use very thin veneers over plywood. Not quite Ikea cheap but many can be darn near close. Any hardwood you might find is likely just a top rail strip or seat front lip appendage designed to create the illusion of quality. Most of these cheap church pews don't even have ends.
You find other structural problems that church engineers and maintenance managers will wrestle with on an ongoing basis. I've heard many a story of the fight to keep together poorly constructed pews. It all reinforces the idea of spending a little more when the church is being built new on well built, mostly solid wood pews.
But what about the idea of having both solid wood pews AND upholstery? It IS possible. Just use removable pew seat cushions on your solidly constructed pews. This will allow for future refinishing way down the road (when your kids are having to address it) and limit the potential expense of having to buy all new pews once again.
Solid wood pews gain value as each day passes. Don't even CONSIDER tossing them out and replacing them with cheap upholstered pews. It would be like trashing an original Picasso and hanging a duck print (# 723 of 4,500) in it's place.
We're here to help you make that argument. Feel free to call anytime! 262-527-8969 cell
V Scott Beddome
woodworkrestoration@hotmail.com
http://churchpewrestoration.com
http://churchpewrefinishing.com
