Vincent Cafiero for Knoll excecutive office chair: restore or toss?

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NULL NULL

(@klm-3verizon-net)

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14/10/2010 10:32 pm

I got this chair for $2. The foam is shot, the black hopsack fabric is a mess, the vinyl (not leather) is mildewed and I'm pretty sure that duct tape on the arm is not original.

I like the look of the chair and I have no doubt that I can reupholster it correctly with appropriate Knoll fabric IF it wasn't assembled after upholstering with the aid of machines.

I say this because I once attempted to reupholster the kind of office chair that you get in Office Depot only to find that the parts were upholstered and then assembled using machines that smooshed them together much more tightly than my puny arms could ever do, and I couldn't get the bolts to even come close to their respective holes.

So my question is this: does anyone know how these were put together? I'm really short on time right now and I can't spend even an hour stripping down this moldy, smelly thing only to find out that I can't reupholster it by hand.

Thanks.

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shipwright (UK)

(@shipwright-uk)

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14/10/2010 11:20 pm

love
it will return the love ten fold, but even that may not be enough!

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NeutraBox.com

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15/10/2010 5:01 am

You can call Mike Boloyan, an...
You can call Mike Boloyan, an expert Modern Furniture Upholsterer (KNOLL SF uses him). 510-843-2596.

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fastfwd

(@fastfwd)

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15/10/2010 5:14 am

Dammit.
Now his backlog will be even longer.

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Pegboard Modern

(@davidpegboardchicago-com)

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15/10/2010 11:24 am

Cool chair
That is a nice design and well worth refurbishing. If you are capable, I think it would be a good investment of your time.

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NULL NULL

(@klm-3verizon-net)

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15/10/2010 7:30 pm

Thanks, hecdog...
...I'm sure he'd know about the construction.
fastfwd, no worries, I wouldn't send it out for reupholstering. I just want to know how it was put together.

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fastfwd

(@fastfwd)

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15/10/2010 9:37 pm

It's not your one chair, WHC,
it's the phone number.

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NULL NULL

(@klm-3verizon-net)

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18/10/2010 9:47 am

Update!
I decided to treat myself after a particularly odious few hours cleaning the garage, so I started stripping this disgusting chair. (And yes, I realize my idea of a treat isn't everyone else's.)
I was thrilled to find that though the arms were at least partially upholstered before assembly, the only thing holding them to the seat and back are three large bolts in each, which I easily removed by hand with a screwdriver. Yeehaw!
The rest of it is just standard upholstery and should be pretty easy to do. I'm gonna hit up PA Fabric Outlet for some Knoll wool hopsack or some other appropriate Knoll wool and will get some latex foam somewhere.
The frame is mostly hardwood, by the way. Really nicely made. I'm glad I went ahead with this. When it's done, I"m gonna sit in it and pretend to smoke a cigarette and be all Don Drapery.

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