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This question comes up a lot. I know there are some good threads. The biggest problems with removing the upholstery are:
a) the foam is glued on pretty solidly
b) there are 3 small holes drilled in the base of the chair to let air flow out.
www.retroredo.com does reupholstery of these things. They seem to be the only place I've heard of that does.
lucifersum is right
Thanks lucifersum you are right on that one... We are the only company that I know that recovers the eames shell chairs. We have made a science out of it but no degree to be offered, If you peel the old Vinyl off the chair all you get is a bunch of old foamrubber that was compressed under pressur with glued 40 years ago . We have tried everything from acid baths
for 48 hours, burning the foam(a mess)
elbo grease using scraping tools but i guess when the old Herman Miller company was putting the vinyl and fabric on 40 years ago they wanted it to last........ toooo bad that 99 percent that come to our shop for some reason have seams that have split, and the foam rubber is like a brick or corn meal . The fabric is always soiled and the vinyl looks terrible, yes they would not be sending them to us to recover if they were in great conditon . I know!!! . but if I have to brag on our company that is perhaps the number 1 item that people send us to recover and from what i read on apt Therapy we have a lot of happy customers.
So if you want to peel that old vinyl off and see if it works please let me know always like to pass it on to our cutomers.
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