Do-it-yourself carriage screed: step-by-step instructions

The quality and decent appearance of any interior largely depend on correctly selected furniture. In addition to cabinets, sideboards, coffee tables, shelves and chests of drawers, the style of the room is determined by upholstered furniture, the quality of its finishing and covering material. In classic interiors, designers prefer to use quilted carriage screed, which came into fashion when equipping living spaces several centuries ago. However, factory-made such products are too expensive, and not every average person can afford them. In this regard, many home craftsmen purchase fabrics or leather and do the work of making and installing a carriage coupler with their own hands.

Carriage screed on the wall

What is a carriage tie?

Carriage screed is a special type of finishing of upholstered furniture in a classic style, the technology of which originated more than 300 years ago in Europe. Throughout the history of its use, right up to the present day, this type of interior design has been associated with vintage luxury and wealth. The technology got its name because initially the seats of carriages for aristocrats were upholstered in this way, after which the fashion for this type of finishing moved to the interiors of rich houses.

Carriage screed on furniture

Today, the carriage screed has lost mass popularity, but, at the same time, is in active demand among adherents of the classical style of decorating apartments, offices and private residential buildings. Over the course of a long time, the carriage screed, which also has a second name - “capitone”, has changed significantly, and designers offer many options for quilted covering for upholstered furniture, walls, decorative panels, high headboards and other interior items.

Carriage tie at the head of the bed

Where is it used?

Today this method is readily used by designers to decorate furniture, doors, and walls.

By decorating an old chair with a carriage tie yourself, you can get a completely new piece of classic interior design. It has proven itself not only as an exquisite finish, but also as an excellent soundproofing material.

Many will say that this is an expensive pleasure. Here you can argue: it’s one thing when you have plans for a whole hallway with a carriage screed, and completely different when you work with one object or its element. Sometimes a small element is enough for the interior to “sparkle with different colors.”

Advantages of carriage screed

The type of room decoration under consideration, combined with a classic interior, has many advantages over other techniques aimed at expressing the similar style of the room:

Increased comfort during use - soft quilted upholstery in combination with high-quality leather, corduroy, velvet or thick fabric ensures comfortable seating for residents.

Leather product

The surface is always in a taut state; new folds do not form on it during prolonged use. Sofas, panels and other interior elements are easy to clean wet or dry.

Material stretching

When properly selected high-quality material, “capiton” has an increased service life. Thanks to the tension of the tie, jamming and friction of surface elements among themselves is eliminated, which guarantees their long-term safety, even during intensive use.

High-quality velvet screed

Threads, buttons, braid and other finishing elements securely fix the material, giving it increased strength.

Buttons for the product

When physical wear and tear is reached, when the coating needs to be replaced or restored, it is easily replaced with a new one, without the need to purchase filler or a new piece of furniture.

Capitone repair

One of the main advantages of this technology is the possibility of widespread use on any type of surface. Experienced designers suggest using carriage screed not only on furniture and headboards, but also on parts of wall structures, columns, on vertical or horizontal panels and on many other interior details.

Carriage screed in the interior

The carriage screed is one of the main elements of expressiveness of several eras in many countries. Vintage interiors, the English style of the 19th century, and even the Empire style of the first half of the 20th century are perfectly combined with the “Capitone” surface finishing technique. This style is the best way to add luxury and respectability to a room.

English style finishing

Empire style finishing

If the carriage screed is installed on the wall, a porous filler made of natural or synthetic materials greatly increases the level of sound and heat insulation. It is advisable to use this decorative element when decorating the inner surface of walls bordering street space, as well as adjacent rooms belonging to other residents.

Filler

When installing carriage screed on walls or ceilings, unlike classic painting, plastering or wallpapering, this type of finishing does not require leveling the supporting or enclosing structure. The soft elastic material levels out all unevenness, and on the finished surface of the fabric or leather, defects are completely masked.

Elastic surface

This type of finishing device allows you to absorb sounds, which is especially important for large rooms with sparsely arranged furniture - in the absence of echo, comfort during its operation increases.

Soundproof barrier

This type of finishing is a classic of the genre that will always remain relevant and will not go out of fashion. Adherents of the vintage style don’t have to worry about the fact that the decoration will have to be changed in a few years, as the interior design style of an apartment, office or private residential building is hopelessly outdated.

Carriage screed in a modern interior in a modern interior

Considering the degree of tension of the canvas, when installing a carriage screed, you should choose only high-quality material of increased strength. Thin fabrics or cheap leatherette can easily tear in the first months after the start of use.

Disadvantages of carriage screed

In addition to many advantages, professional designers and premises owners often note some disadvantages of carriage screed:

A thick layer of lining material significantly reduces the internal volume of the room. Finishing like "capitonné" is appropriate in rooms with a large area and high ceilings.

Bulky furniture

Carriage screed covering upholstered furniture or headboards visually enlarges the pieces of furniture. When it is used within standard apartments with small rooms, the comfort of the room is lost, due to the fact that the usable space of the room seems smaller than it actually is.
If this type of finishing uses not leather or a high-quality polymer substitute with a glossy surface, but velvet fabric, then accidentally introduced oil, food waste or other contaminants leave a greasy mark on the surface, which is very difficult to remove.

Marks on the fabric surface

If you choose cheap material, it is easily damaged by the paws of pets, or from rough mechanical impact when in contact with sharp objects.

Damage to the coating

The complexity of finishing work and the increased price of high-quality materials compared to other types of design solutions for interior equipment.

The complexity of the screed device

All disadvantages are subjective and may not be taken into account. Properly selected colors, high-quality screeds combined with the overall style of a classic interior allow the owners to get an elegant interior and enjoy its use for many years.

Do it yourself

If you have an irresistible desire to cover the buttons yourself, then stock up on the required amount of fittings and fabric. Let's get started:

place the button on the fabric, trace it along a diameter twice as large as the original and cut out the blank;
Using a needle and thread, make medium-sized stitches along the edge of the outer circle;
place the button in the center and tighten the thread so that the material fits tightly;
fasten the thread.

How to choose the right fabric for a carriage tie

The quality, as well as the service life of the carriage screed, largely depend on the characteristics and composition of the material from which it is made. When choosing fabric for covering, it is necessary to take into account the following features and requirements:

Regardless of the composition, it should be taken into account that when manufacturing this category, the material is subject to strong tension, which is why it must have increased thickness, density and strength. Regular cotton fabric, or thin polyester or silk are not suitable for carriage ties.

Thick fabric for covering

Thick genuine leather for covering

When choosing the density of the material, it is also necessary to pay attention to the elasticity of the fibers. The fabric is tensioned not only during installation - it remains in this state throughout its entire service life. Thus, fabrics that easily stretch when a load is applied will eventually become unusable, and the coating that has lost its shape will have to be changed.

Elastic fabric

When making a carriage screed, many folds form on the surface of the material. In this regard, if there is a pattern on the surface of the material, upon completion of the work, most of its surface will be hidden in these folds. This means that with this type of finishing only plain material is used. At the same time, the use of a periodic meaningless ornament covering the entire surface of the material is allowed, since it will successfully merge with the folds after finishing.

Considering that the cost of the work is quite high, the material must also be from a higher price category, and its quality must justify this price. As a rule, when constructing carriage screeds, dense, high-quality natural leather or multi-layer compounds with a velvet or smooth surface are used. Modern designers trying to create fashionable interiors often recommend using thick denim fabric. This significantly improves the quality of the coating, increases its durability during intensive use, and also adds originality to the bold design solution.

If you choose fabric or leather of poor quality, all expensive finishing may become unusable and must be replaced after 1 to 3 years of use. Purchasing an expensive coating followed by high-quality installation while following the technology will allow the surface to be used for decades without the need for repairs.

Auxiliary materials for constructing a carriage coupler

To make a panel from a carriage screed, or to decorate any interior detail using this technology, in addition to fabric or leather, you will need a number of auxiliary materials, since the coating is a whole complex structure:

Base - a sheet of plywood, OSB, board panel and other elements of increased strength can be used as a supporting material. The thickness of the sheet for the base must be at least 5 - 8 mm, and the material must have increased strength against impact. Also, there are additional requirements for the flexibility of the material, which depend on the overall dimensions of the product.

Fabric or leather for upholstery, the selection criteria for which are described in detail above. Also, it should be added that the material has many folds, which is why the construction of a wall or panel requires much more of it - 30% - 40% than the total area of the future product.

Leather range

Assortment of fabrics

The carriage screed implies a soft volumetric surface, which is why elastic material of the internal padding must be laid between the base and the finishing coating. As such a composition, a well-compressible synthetic material that is not susceptible to settlement over time should be used. As a rule, foam rubber, which is sold in rolls, is suitable for such purposes. The perception of the volumetric structure will depend on the thickness of the packing material, and therefore the minimum value of this parameter should not exceed 50 – 70 mm.

Foam rubber for stuffing

Finishing this type of surface always involves making deep stitches using special furniture nails with wide heads or buttons. You should purchase only metal products, as they will not crack or fly off during use.

Furniture nails with wide heads

To stitch the fabric and attach buttons to it, high-strength thick nylon threads are required that can withstand a force of at least 15 - 20 kg.

High-strength nylon threads

Dressing leather or fabric using carriage screed technology requires preliminary preparation of templates, which must be cut out of soft plastic or thick cardboard.

Cardboard templates

The padding material must be securely fixed to the base before performing this type of screed. In this regard, a special adhesive composition that does not contain high concentrations of toxic substances will be required.

Furniture adhesive composition

Depending on the method of finishing the edge, you will also need to purchase additional tape, metal or plastic corners, a wooden baguette or other framing material that allows you to implement the design project.

Types of screeds

The panels are made of rigid material and can have different shapes and configurations of individual parts. The appearance will depend on the location of the buttons or pins. An unusual pattern can be made on a large panel to create a distinct relief design.

There are 3 types of carriage screed:

traditional rhombus;
square;
with geometry changing from floor to ceiling.

The screed acquires uniqueness and chic thanks to buttons, which can be completely different. Upholstery material can be of either natural or artificial origin, the color palette is chosen according to the interior.

Buttons or nails can be placed quite deep or slightly recessed according to the pattern, it all depends on the chosen relief.

Tools for installing a carriage coupler

Carriage screeding is considered a complex production process, which requires not only high-quality material or extensive experience of the craftsman, but also a set of special tools and other equipment:

First of all, before cutting and starting work, it is necessary to take measurements. This procedure is carried out using plastic, wooden or metal rulers with a length of 1000 mm or more. Such measuring instruments are often used in many professional studios.

Long ruler for textiles

To accurately measure flexible material around a circle or any other curved surface, you will also need a flexible measuring tool made from fabric or polymer material.

Flexible measuring tool

To mark the wrong side of the fabric before cutting or stitching, specialized fabric markers are used. These tools are clearly visible on any textile surface, but at the same time, when applied, the material does not get wet.

Textile markers

To tighten and make holes, it is necessary to create a torque, which is achieved using a special device - a screwdriver.

Screwdriver

To cut the product after applying a load, you need to purchase a bit with a built-in blade.

Cutter for screwdriver

Punctures in fabric or leather are made using an awl.

Awl

Bit attachment for a screwdriver or drill with a crown, for making round cuts in soft material.

Drill bit

The cutting of the base in the form of plywood or chipboard sheet is carried out using a circular saw or an electric jigsaw with a replaceable cutting blade.

Hand circular saw

Jigsaw

To secure fabric or leather to the base from the wrong side, after tensioning and stuffing, a furniture stapler with reinforced staples is used, which can easily pierce plywood.

Furniture stapler

Staples for furniture stapler

All tools used when making carriage screeds must be of high quality and in good working order, and the cutting edges must be well sharpened. Otherwise, good quality work will not be achieved.

Base repair and filler replacement

If the furniture needs repair, then before restoring the screed and upholstery is the most appropriate moment for this.

The top layer of foam rubber is removed immediately, the inner layer with perforations is assessed for drying and maintaining its shape. If replacement is necessary, you must first measure the hole diameters, pitch and row distances, and transfer them to the drawing. You need to cut holes in the foam rubber according to the markings made with a marker; do this with a conveniently sharpened tin can. Perforated foam rubber is laid in 2–4 layers of 12 mm each, with one solid layer of the same thickness placed below and above. It is recommended to fasten the layers of padding with glue, which is applied by spray or brush.

It is imperative to evaluate how loose the plywood base of the screed has become. This is checked by the degree of compression of the sheet; a bend of about 3–4 mm per meter is allowed. If chipboard was used as a base, it is advisable to strengthen it with an overlay sheet of 5 mm plywood 70–100 mm smaller in size. The holes for pulling threads through the shield are restored from the wrong side.

The load-bearing frame of the furniture has connection points; they all need to be checked for rigidity and further strengthened if necessary. In general, all connections are inspected, access to which is blocked by the casing. At the same time, the restoration of wooden parts and their varnishing are carried out.

Briefly about the main thing

Carriage screed is a high-quality covering of walls, ceilings, furniture or headboards of beds. The screed is created by creating diamond-shaped folds on the material and fixing the figures with buttons to a rigid base made of plywood or chipboard. Before starting work, you need to choose a high-quality fabric that can withstand increased tensile forces both during installation and during operation. To carry out the work, you will also need a special tool and an extended working surface with the possibility of access for the master to the reverse side of the base. Work on the installation of a carriage screed is carried out in strict accordance with step-by-step instructions, and markings are carried out according to pre-prepared patterns.

Bonding

Carriage tie buttons, buttons, and nails with decorative caps are used to secure them and give them an interesting look.

You can cover them with the material yourself or purchase ready-made ones, especially since manufacturers offer a variety of shapes and options for studs: from glamorous ones with rhinestones to eccentric LED ones.