If you’re a fan of DIY refurbishing you’ll probably have upholstery tacks in your toolbox. They have two main uses – to tack down the material keeping it perfectly in place on your furniture or to add decorative embellishments (think about the striking studs of a Winchester sofa).

The decorative ones are pretty easy to clean – just don’t use any harsh chemicals or polish as it could take the surface off and leave them looking less than high end. And generally they’re not designed for outdoor use, unless specified.

When using the fixing type of nail, they are small and sharp so keep an eye out. And once you’ve measured and placed your material you really want to be adding a nail every inch or so along the frame to keep the material firmly in place.

If it’s decoration you’re after there are hundreds of different types of upholstery tacks on the market. Perhaps the most iconic and common is the dome-head found on high end furniture. But these tacks are available in a host of styles to compliment the look you’re trying to achieve.

By using them you’re pretty much guaranteed to give your furniture and high end and vintage look.

What’s really great about upholstery tacks is that you can totally transform the look of a piece of furniture without going to the effort of a full refurbishment. You can even buy them in rows, where you would hammer in every fifth or sixth nail, with the ones in between being dummy heads, as opposed to full nails. As long as you’re gentle with the hammer to avoid damaging the nail head (a light rubber mallet is best) you can have what will feel like new furniture with a minimum of effort.

Using Your Imagination

You’ve got your perfect upholstery tacks, so you follow the existing tack lines on the chair right?

You could…

But you could also use a little imagination and create a piece of furniture that completely represents your personality.

There are a variety of tack sizes on the market allowing you to mix and match, You can create unique patterns or go freestyle.

The internet is a great source for inspiration. Pintrest and the like can offer up a whole host of images of furniture with uniquely adorned patterns, to spark your imagination.

And of course, why stop at furniture.

Furniture tacks are inexpensive so you might discover your new found love for tacks extends to picture frames, shoes, clothes and other furniture.

A quick search on Google will uncover wardrobe and door panels studded for your aesthetic pleasure, or even edges where the wall and ceiling meet. They make great borders for table tops or stools. It really is only the limit of your imagination of what you can do. But if it’s straight lines you’re after you might want to invest in a ruler too.

Using tacks in this way also allows you to create pieces with similar design themes in your living room or bedroom.

Use a Template

A template is a simple way of getting the design just how you want it. Using a piece of cardboard mark out where you want the tacks and cut single line notches to each one. As you put a pin in place, slide a notch over it and use it to guide you to the next stud-point.

Final Thoughts

Even if you’re not sure what you want to do, you’ll probably enjoy experimenting with the styles you find online. Who knows, if you have an eye for it, your hobby might become a new business venture.