The Importance of 8-Way Hand Tied

By: Andrea Schuch
Eight-way hand tying in upholstery cushions is always selling point in our showroom. I wanted to take this week to really delve into why this is important - and why it is sometimes not an option. I thought I would ask Temple Furniture for all the details - and they definitely came through for you!
The process of eight-way hand tying is very complex, it doesn't take long to learn but takes years to master. Due to the higher expense, this process is a fading skill; Temple's upholsterer's have 20+ years of experience which is just one great reason to choose their furniture.
The process of making an eight-way hand tied cushion takes five steps.
     1. The process begins with the webbing. This is the foundation for the spring system and is attached to the bottom of the sofa. It is made of very strong propex webbing reinforced with (12) strips of 3/4'' wide steel strapping(sofas). This foundation is both strong and flexible, complimenting the spring system.
     2. The average size eight-way sofa has 27 coil springs, usually of an eight or nine gauge steel. These 27 coil springs are aligned in nine rows with three coils per row. They are tied from back to front in rows of three, with a very strong spring-up twine, these are the main ties.
     3. Then the nine separate rows are secured together with three long ties running from one end of the sofa to the other.This long tie is knotted twice on each spring, locking it in place and straightening it. At this point the springs are pulled downward about 2 inches, they are tied four ways and the springs are secured with absolutely no side-to-side or front-to-back movement.
     4. Next are the diagonal ties. There are 22 of these ties that complete the eight-way system. These ties add extra strength to the seat and have two added functions....they act as an''emergency brake'' in case a main tie fails and they give support to the bedding materials which are layered on top of the spring system during upholstery.
     5. An edge wire, coated with plastic for noise reduction, is fastened around the perimeter of the spring system. In most cases it is attached to each outside spring. This, along with the tying system unites the entire system as a unit.

Because this process is very labor intensive, there are (of course) alternatives out there. The most common alternative is the no-sag system. It is much cheaper to do and requires much less skill. This system is less durable and has between nine and 12 no-sag springs stretched between the back rail and the front rail. It has less "ride" than an eight-way system making it more likely to bottom out and places more strain on individual components.

There are other ways of making cushions as well, especially for pieces with contemporary lines. A system that is used by Thayer Coggin is the Matrex Webbing. This uses strips of polypropylene yarns and natural rubber filaments which have been processed. They have discovered that this process will give the foam a longer life. Thayer Coggin has had very few problems with this seating system and continues to stand by it.

Hopefully this will help your clients understand the differences in the cushions and why better quality upholstery lasts longer!