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MPF Conservation's Upholstery Conservation has two specialized conservation areas within each project, in additional to those specialties that are utilized in wooden object conservation: 

Upholstery material is rarely original in items from the 18th century or earlier, unless the upholstery is an old tapestry.  If the material is sturdy enough to use when the object is reupholstered, and of value, reweaving or repairing is possible and should be done.  In pieces upholstered in what appears to be frail fabric, it is usually recommended, if the object must be repaired, that the older upholstery is removed and placed in a separate display, if valuable, and a new reproduction fabric is utilized.

Upholstered objects from the mid-19th century may have all or part of their original innards intact.  Pieces from the first half of the 19th century or older often have second or third generation innards.  In all cases, upholstery conservation is a combination of preservation, conservation, and restoration, because new materials are added to old for a variety of reasons.   

Upholstered objects have created a controversy in recent years with the advent of various synthetic or non-historically authentic inserts, such as Ethafoam®, utilized in place of retying and/or duplicating of original innards.  MPFC does not generally advocate the use of these inserts, and has written a persuasive argument (UNDER CONSTRUCTION) towards preservation of innards, and duplication or restoration of innards.   

Frames are generally intact, with various possible internal problems, from bug infestations to fractures or breaks.  These repairs can be made using techniques from the appropriate time period, or, in rare cases, new pieces must be worked to replace completely disintegrated parts of the frame.  Appropriately aged wood should be utilized with techniques from the time period in duplicating all parts.  Finishes should be repaired, and duplicated in age appropriate techniques on newly formed parts. 

Modern pieces are beginning to need care, and it is recommended that they be done correctly to ensure their historical integrity and monetary value. 

For samples of projects, visit our pages which follow:

To Contact MPF Conservation, click here!
Most of our PDF files are not printable.  If you would like a copy of them, or the ability to print them, contact us at dkatiepowell (at) aol.com

© MPF Conservation
Special Thanks to the Hearst Castle® for their permission in using the Flemish Sofa
and the National Park Service for their permission in using the Imperial line!