Tufting on Sofas

[deskjockey]

What is the purpose of tufting on sofas or other upholstery? Is this mostly related to the look of the sofa? What are the pros and cons of buying upholstery with tufting?

[drcollie]

Tufting is decorative, nothing more. You can just as easily make a sofa with a tight back sans tufting, but its pretty 'slab' looking in many instances. One thing I like about tufting is that it keeps the leather tight-tight-tight, you rarely get puddling 'wrinkles' with it. Now, as in most things there are the cheap ways to do tufting and the RIGHT way to do it.

Cheap: The tufted button is simply tagged onto the piece using a special tagging 'gun' with a needle and insert. Push the needle in until you hit the back webbing, click the gun and a barb holds the button on. These can - and do - pop off when the barb lets go.

Right: The tufted button is sewn on one at a time from the back of the piece, by hand, using multiple passes with the thread. It's very labor-intensive to do it this way - but means the buttons will stay on much better and also tighter/more even. Also, if really done right, a 'diamond' of padding in put into the areas between the tufts to make it soft when you sit on the piece. And the skill of the tufter is shown in that all the diamonds formed by the tufting are even and square. This is the hardest job and requires the highest skilled workers in the upholstery factory. The seasoned Journeymen are the tufters at a company like Hancock & Moore.

To see some photos of tufting done cheap - and done right, go find the Restoration Hardware sofa thread here from a few months ago and look at the photos.

No downside to tufting done right at all.

[deskjockey]

Thank you very much.

[deskjockey]

These can - and do - pop off when the barb lets go.

This cannot look pretty I guess.