How to Make Upholstery Trim

Upholstery trim is often found on couch legs.

Upholstery trim serves two purposes: it covers the point where fabric edges meet, and makes the furniture more aesthetically pleasing. Upholstery trim is almost always found on couches where the fabric is stapled to the front edge of the legs. This trim piece is called a fillet. It can be covered with fabric or it can be stained and sprayed with lacquer. The fillet is one of the most common pieces of trim on any upholstered item. You can make custom fillets for any couch in about an hour.

Things You'll Need

• Tape measure
• Paper
• Scissors
• 2 1/2-by-6-by-32-inches pieces of oak hardwood
• Bandsaw
• 100-grit sandpaper
• Hand block
• Aerosol lacquer
• 180-grit sandpaper
• 1 1/4-inch brads
• Hammer
• Putty stick

Instructions

1. Measure the length and width of the front of the legs on the couch with a tape measure. Make a rough sketch of the leg using the measurements on a piece of paper. If there is a curve or the leg has differing design characteristics, draw as well as you can. It doesn't have to be perfect.

2. Cut the design out with a pair of scissors. Hold the cutout up to the leg for comparison. If the design fits, cut around the perimeter to reduce the size of the design by half. Hold the reduced design up to the leg. Compare the size. If it still looks too large, cut it down by half again until the trim fits and looks balanced.

3. Lay the paper design down on the oak. Trace the paper design onto the oak. Use a bandsaw to cut the design out of the oak. Make two pieces.

4. Sand and round the edges of the trim pieces with 100-grit sandpaper attached to a hand block. Sand the face of the trim, always sanding parallel to the grain until it's smooth.

5. Spray a light coat of aerosol lacquer on the trim pieces. Let the lacquer dry for 30 minutes. Sand them with 180-grit paper by hand and then spray another coat of lacquer on them. Let them dry for one hour.

6. Hold the trim pieces in place on the front of the couch legs. Hammer four 1 1/4-inch brads through them into the couch leg, evenly spaced around the perimeter of the trim. Putty the holes with a matching putty stick.

Tips & Warnings

• You can stain the trim pieces if you want to match the upholstery, or leave them natural for contrast.

• Wear safety glasses.