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Got stuck with 10 Aluminum Group chairs  

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zepp02
(@zepp02)
Trusted Member
Joined: 15 years ago
Posts: 61
11/02/2009 2:47 am  

I made the mistake of buying about ten of the chairs that
are in the same condition at a surplus sale. The showing fabric is frayed the
reverse is OK. I found that no one was willing to take on
the job at a reasonable cost. I was suprised that
Herman Miller would use fabric that was not up to
the task. Anyone interested in a whole chair or parts
let me know.


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LRF
 LRF
(@lrf)
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Joined: 15 years ago
Posts: 2967
11/02/2009 2:57 am  

can you post a picture i ...
can you post a picture i could take one or two


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barrympls
(@barrympls)
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Joined: 15 years ago
Posts: 2649
11/02/2009 2:58 am  

I'm not sure I understand....
are you suggesting that the chairs are in excellent condition and were taken care of properly yet the fabric was of defective quality and fell apart with normal useage?
If this is what you are suggesting, this is the first time I've heard that Herman Miller's fabric wasn't made to last a long time.
Certainly, extreme misuse will ruin good fabric, but other than a few people complaining that the first Equa chairs fell apart under normal use, this is the first time i've heard anyone suggesting this.
The cost of getting the chairs redone depends on the condition of the materials underneath the fabric. Good upholstery fabric ain't cheap and it takes time to do them up properly.


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azurechicken (USA)
(@azurechicken-usa)
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Joined: 15 years ago
Posts: 1966
11/02/2009 5:36 am  

I
think you MIGHT be able to reverse the fabric you need to have one of the tool/keys to undo the hex at the sides.The chairs are really office type chairs(and have seen much rough treatment)...many fray at the bottom edge of the seat.


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zepp02
(@zepp02)
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Posts: 61
11/02/2009 6:24 am  

I assume normal use
I bought the chairs at a university surplus sale so all
I can asume is they were used daily in an office setting.
I will post pics as soon as possible. This could have been
a custom fabric!?


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zepp02
(@zepp02)
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Joined: 15 years ago
Posts: 61
11/02/2009 7:37 pm  

Here are aome pics
Here are some pics of the chairs.


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zepp02
(@zepp02)
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Joined: 15 years ago
Posts: 61
11/02/2009 7:47 pm  

Try again with pics
Pics of chair. Base is an eggplant color. Chairs have
armrests.


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Fungus Mungus (USA)
(@fungus-mungus-usa)
Noble Member
Joined: 15 years ago
Posts: 232
12/02/2009 12:44 am  

Now you know why these are on eBay all the time and never sell
Yep, looks like a 20+ year old chair. If you sit in an aluminum group chair every day for 20 years, it'll look like that.
So, where are you located...I might be interested in a few if you're in the SF Bay area.
Reupholstering these are incredibly expensive since it requires special tools and skills to do it. And you'll never get the same look that the original chairs have. I've seen these done in mesh (a la the Aeron), but those just don't look nearly as cool as the original ribbed fabric.
When I looked into having HM do mine (I got a great deal on 6), it was going to cost almost as much as a new chair.
fm


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zepp02
(@zepp02)
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Joined: 15 years ago
Posts: 61
12/02/2009 2:26 am  

they are in san antonio, texas
Yes after looking at reversing the fabric it just didn't
look that easy. Apparently these chairs were used for
about 10 years so the fabric was not up to the task.


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LuciferSum
(@lucifersum)
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Joined: 15 years ago
Posts: 1874
12/02/2009 4:13 am  

fabric
fabric doesnt look that bad. I mean, faded yes, but still solid and in one piece.
I've seen some of these that were completely shredded. My aluminum lounge was vERY expensive to reupholster. I went for it because I think the lounge chair is a beautiful, elegant, under-recognized piece. For the task chairs....I dunno how much I'd be willing to chip in to redo it.


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barrympls
(@barrympls)
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Posts: 2649
12/02/2009 6:04 am  

Why should it cost so much to reupholster?
see above


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Fungus Mungus (USA)
(@fungus-mungus-usa)
Noble Member
Joined: 15 years ago
Posts: 232
12/02/2009 11:50 pm  

It's not a simple re-foam and staple job
For HM to do it, it's understandable...they don't want to eat into their existing sales by redoing old furniture. For someone else to do it, it's not as expensive...I believe LRF does them. But it takes special tools and a lot of skill to pull them apart and put the new fabric in place. The fabric itself, with it's ribs would be a challenge to replicate effectively...the ones I've seen redone don't even have them.
I don't know if LRF does the seams or not, but I completely understand why it costs so much: the fabric isn't cheap to begin with and it's not a simple re-foam and staple job. I don't know anyone in my area that would consider doing one.
fm


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LRF
 LRF
(@lrf)
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Posts: 2967
13/02/2009 12:13 am  

fm
you are right 100 percent
we cannot create the original fusing like Herman miller did so we machine sew them. we have never had a complaint or any dissatisfied.
as stated before you must make the pad and have it fitted with the side holes and then make sure it is tight the biggest problem , it is expensive, labor wise,
It take 5 hours of shop time at 60 a hour just to make the small ones so you can fixture the rest,


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azurechicken (USA)
(@azurechicken-usa)
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Joined: 15 years ago
Posts: 1966
13/02/2009 5:26 am  

.
Eggplant color is not real common as far as I know.Mine could be near perfect if I could reverse the fabric...I think the bases are the best part.


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