How to Buy Upholstery Tacks In the Right Amount

Want to spice up your newly upholstered chair, sofa or headboard with decorative upholstery tacks? Great! Now, how do you figure out how many nails you'll need?

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Upholstery Tacks
• Measuring Tape
• Nylon-tip hammer
• Your project

1. 
    
   Measuring Area to be Decorated

   First, use a measuring tape to measure the entire length of the area you want to decorate with upholstery nails. For this article, let's use an example of 50 inches.

2. 
    
   Upholstery Nails Laid Out Head-to-Head

   Now you need to decide what size upholstery nail you want to use. By this we mean the diameter or width of the the nail head. Decorative upholstery tacks come in a variety of sizes from as small as 5/32" or 7/32" to as large as 1" or 1 3/16"...and many sizes in between. Continuing with our example, let's say you choose an upholstery tack that has a diameter of 1/2".

3. 
    
   Upholstery Tacks with Spaces In Between

   Now you need to decide how you want to space the nails and this is purely a personal choice. If you want to place them head-to-head so that each nail touches the ones on either side, you only need to take the total number of inches of your project (50) and divide by the size of the diameter of your upholstery nail (1/2") - in this case, you would need 100 upholstery tacks of 1/2" diameter to cover 50 inches.

4. 
    
   Quick Nailer

   If you want to space the nails apart, then you will need to ADD the space in between the nails to the diameter of the nail. Say you want to place your upholstery tacks 1/2" apart. Adding 1/2" space to the 1/2" nail equals one inch. By spacing the nails apart this way, now you only need 50 nails to cover 50 inches.

Tips & Warnings

• For quicker installation and exact spacing, use a Quick-Nailer. This inexpensive tool allows you to insert five nails at a time with precise spacing.
• Never use a regular hammer to pound in upholstery nails as it will damage the finish. A nylon-tip hammer is recommended.

Resources

• Buy Upholstery Tacks at Furniture Restoration Tools and Supplies
• Visit Brandt and Whitney Upholstery Shop
• Visit Great Western Furniture Manufacturing

[BobbiK]

on 1/18/2009 Thanks for the tips - I am going to upholster a headboard and wondered about this part!