Repair Jute Webbing on Classic Furniture

Refurbish the jute webbing on your classic furniture with this easy guide, complete with helpful photos.

By Amanda Brown
Updated on December 16, 2021
article image
by Flickr/katy

Spruce (Storey Publishing, 2013) may well be the only resource you need to upholster and refurbish your furniture. From the start of the project to its finish, Amanda Brown lends her expertise with easy-to-follow instructions and detailed photographs. In this excerpt from Chapter 3, the beginning stages of tying coil springs leads you into properly refurbishing the jute webbing of a Louis XVI chair.


Before springs, seats were padded with natural materials such as horsehair, cotton, and hay. It wasn’t until the 1800s that coils were used to pad upholstered furniture. Initially, soft iron and poor tying techniques caused springs to lose resiliency and shift around with use, resulting in a lumpy and uncomfortable seat. Two centuries later, we’ve learned how to manipulate springs with an eight-way tie that anchors them in place, so they provide maximum support and comfort for many years.

As I did with this Louis chair, you can add coil springs to any piece of furniture. If you’re content with your furniture as is, it’s not necessary to add coil springs, but keep them in mind for those pieces requiring a little more cush for your tush.

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