What staples should I use to reupholster furniture?

Construction staplers are widely used today by specialists in various professions. It is used to connect various materials. The presence of many other names, for example, tacker, staple gun, staple gun, nailer, emphasizes the popularity and versatility of this tool. But to operate such equipment, you need consumables: staples, nails or pins. In practice, the first fastener option is most often used. Consumables differ in shape, material from which they are made, geometric parameters and other characteristics. The dimensions of the staples for staplers are the determining factor when choosing the appropriate fastener for the model being used.

Operating principle and advantages of the stapler

The traditional tool of professional furniture makers has found wide application in everyday life. A furniture stapler (stapler, tacker, gun) is designed to perform many operations, which can be divided into two groups:

Attaching thin material (fabric, film) to a solid base (wood, chipboard or MDF). The bracket is recessed into the base, only the back of the fastener is visible on the surface.
The connection of two layers of equal thickness. The materials are pierced through, and the edges of the staple are bent.

The principle of operation of the tool is simple. Fastening elements (staples) are loaded into the clip, the working part is installed in place of fixation, and when the trigger or button is pressed, the stapler fires a staple that secures the material.

The list of household jobs for which you can use the device is extensive and varied:

securing the upholstery to the furniture frame;
covering surfaces with finishing materials;
laying insulation, films, carpets;
construction of film greenhouses and greenhouses on the site;
fixing glazing beads on windows;
assembly of packaging boxes and much more.

In the absence of such a unit, a hammer is usually used in the household. However, the advantages of using a furniture stapler are obvious:

work is done faster and with less physical effort;
You can support the material being fixed with your free hand - this makes the process easier; one person can handle the job;
the accuracy of the fastening does not cause springing or mechanical damage to the fastened parts;
The sharp ends of the staples are inside the tool and cannot cause cuts or injuries.

Tool Features

The most rational option would be to buy a mechanical stapler: it is lighter in weight than an electric one, which significantly simplifies the work. In addition, it is independent of the power source. The tool works very simply: a clip of fasteners is loaded into the magazine, the working part is brought to the installation site of the fastener, and when you press the handle, the bracket flies out and plunges into the material. This way you can attach soft upholstery to a wooden frame, or sew together sheets of chipboard or plywood. This is an indispensable tool for a furniture maker, but increasingly it is being used in everyday life. The simple design makes use understandable even for a beginner and eliminates all sorts of breakdowns that often happen with electric and pneumatic analogues due to improper operation. The service life of mechanical devices can reach 6–8 years, so the purchase costs will be justified, and the tool will help you out year after year.

Have you decided to buy a furniture stapler for work in your home workshop? Or are you planning to open your own furniture manufacturing and finishing business? In this case, it is necessary to take seriously the issue of choosing a tool that is optimally suited to the volume of work and the upcoming tasks.

Types of staplers

There are many varieties and modifications of furniture staplers - they can be divided into 3 groups depending on the design complexity and performance.

The simplest and most mobile type of tool that does not require additional accessories and devices. To perform the operation, you only need to apply physical force. Simplicity of design and the absence of wearable elements are the key to the reliability and durability of such a device. Maintenance consists of periodic lubrication of parts. The service life of hand tools is 6-8 years.

A mechanical furniture stapler is suitable for performing simple household operations. For large volumes of work, using physical strength is tiring, and achieving high labor productivity is impossible.

The device is designed to perform medium-sized work at a professional level. The tool requires connection to an electrical outlet. There are modifications that run on a rechargeable battery. The impact mechanism is set in motion by pressing a button; no physical effort is required.

The electric motor increases the impact force several times. This allows you to quickly and easily pierce hard materials, and the fastening has increased strength. One of the subtypes of electric tools is a construction stapler, designed for fastening boards, lining, baseboards and other finishing materials.

The disadvantages of an electric device are its relatively high cost, increased weight due to the motor, and a limited working area by the length of the cord.

Electric models quickly fail due to incorrect selection of brackets or violation of operating rules. For beginners, it is better to first purchase simple and unpretentious mechanical staplers.

The most productive, powerful and durable models. To operate such tools, a compressor is required, so they are used in furniture factories, where individual workplaces can be equipped with a compressed air supply and a dedicated power line. Their use is not advisable for home and household needs.

Instead of a spring, the tool is equipped with a pneumatic cylinder. It is driven by air entering when the pedal or trigger is pressed. This design solution makes it possible to increase the workforce many times over and perform large volumes of work. The average speed of such pistols is 1 staple per second.

Otherwise, the design of pneumatic models is quite simple and does not require complex maintenance. You just need to periodically clean it and replace the O-ring as it wears out. The main disadvantage is stationarity. The range of the device is limited by the length of the air supply hose.

Useful recommendations from professionals

By reading the advice of professionals, you can make the right choice among the universal furniture staplers available for sale. The tool must meet the following specifications:

Sturdy and durable body . For a long service life, choose models made of light alloys rather than polymer materials. Metal products are resistant to mechanical damage and last longer than plastic devices;
Collapsible design , thanks to which it is possible to make minor repairs. A one-piece body eliminates this possibility;
Ergonomic handle with rubberized inserts that fits comfortably in the master’s hand;
Store made of transparent material . During operation, it is possible to control the number of remaining staples and replace the clip in time;
Stopper preventing erroneous feeding of staples;
Penetration force adjustment mechanism , which may look like a wheel or switch. With it, you can adjust the gun depending on the hardness of the surface. If the staple does not pass through durable material on the first shot, the technician turns the adjuster and changes its position from minimum to maximum. This action is performed until the desired result is achieved. The test feed is carried out on the rough surface;
Double impact mechanism , which increases the productivity of the furniture stapler. If, after the first pull of the trigger, the staple does not penetrate through the surface, another impulse is applied to it. For comfortable work, choose furniture guns with an impact mechanism on a spring spring that does not give recoil;
A power tool for professional use must be highly productive . In one minute, the device should supply from 20 to 30 staples. It is important to choose a device with a long cord, a capacious battery and a long battery life. The speed of work is directly dependent on these parameters.

A furniture stapler is a convenient tool for use in home or professional areas. Mechanical models are suitable for small amounts of work. Electrical devices that demonstrate high performance indicators are suitable for work in a workshop environment, during installation during construction.

How to choose a stapler?

Depending on the type and volume of planned work, decide on the type of tool: mechanical or electrical. Now you can proceed to the selection, focusing on the types of brackets with which each model under consideration is compatible. This information is indicated on the product packaging. The cheapest and simplest models are usually designed to work with one type of staple. For semi-professional household models, you can use several types of fasteners, including nails and pins.

It is better to choose a more expensive universal stapler, which is useful for many types of household work. The difference in price compared to the simplest models is insignificant, and the scope of application is much wider.

The following staple sizes are suitable for household tools:

Forum members tell how to reupholster upholstered furniture with your own hands

Over time, favorite things become old and go out of fashion. And the once beautiful sofa, arousing the envy of all the neighbors, difficult to obtain through connections or bought at a sale, turns into a shabby, dull piece of furniture. Which, however, can be a pity to part with. You can return upholstered furniture to a fresh and neat look by reupholstering it. FORUMHOUSE users talk about how to update their favorite sofa and armchairs.

If the upholstered furniture has a simple shape and design that can be disassembled and assembled without special tools and equipment, and all the mechanisms are still strong enough and do not require replacement, you can do the reupholstery yourself. True, it is better to start with fabric upholstery - leather and its synthetic substitutes are considered complex materials, and such reupholstery requires experience and skill.

Alternative solutions

The Novus J-19 EADHG model will be more convenient, which has a rubberized handle and weighs 1024 g. This professional tool has a multiple impact mode, a safe reloading system and a remote stop. There is a special latch to fix the handle in the lower position, and a plastic hook allows you to hang the tool on your belt if necessary. The Rapid R353 model has an impact-resistant rubber insert on the body; it weighs 886 g, and also has a shock-free release mode, which simplifies operation and makes it more comfortable.

What staples should I use to reupholster furniture?

The range of uses of staplers in the 21st century is large. This tool has become an indispensable assistant in construction, home furniture repair and in the production of furniture factories. Modern progress does not stand still, and what was previously routine work and took a lot of time is now automated and does not take much effort and time from men.

Now there are many varieties of construction staplers and staplers for furniture, and there are several times more types of fastenings. They all differ in height, strength, quality, and materials of manufacture. There are a huge number of types of staples, so much so that sometimes when you come to a hardware store to buy staples for a stapler, your eyes run wide from the variety of choices.

Information about what type of staples are needed for a particular stapler can be found in the instructions for the tool, and this information can also be found on the box.

Brief contents of the article:

Types of staples for construction staplers

At the moment, the most popular form of fastenings is “U”-shaped, but it is not the only one on the market. There are also arc and “T”-shaped staples. Staples in the shape of the letter “T” are not as reliable as classic ones and are extremely rare; moreover, they are used only for a special purpose.

Arc ones are popular in North America. They are used for fastening small diameter cables.

There are several types of arc brackets:

Type 28 (or S). These semicircular brackets are usually used when fastening cables with a diameter of no more than 4.5 mm
Type 36 (or L). Their shape is exactly the same as that of type 28 staples, their diameter is larger - only 6 mm.

Which staples are best?

It is better to use galvanized or stainless steel staples. This material is very reliable, most importantly durable and not susceptible to corrosion. Most manufacturers use this material for their staples. However, it is worth remembering that in fastening areas where the load is minimal, it is necessary to use lightweight aluminum staples.

It is important to know that staples can be either sharpened or unsharpened. It will be much easier to work with sharpened staples: they will not have a high load and sharpened ones will be easier to use for a large amount of work.

The thicker the material needs to be joined, the more massive and higher the staple required, which will be used when working with a stapler. But in this case, the stapler needs a lot of power.

To keep the fasteners invisible, narrow staples are needed. However, it is worth knowing that in this case, not all tools will work with these staples.

When work will be carried out with strong material, it is better to choose fasteners of small thickness - such a bracket will be sufficient in this situation.

A little history

A device for fastening sheet materials is called a stationery stapler . Stitching occurs using a thin wire that pierces several pieces at once. The owner of the first such device was the French king Louis 15 in the 18th century. It was rarely used as a tool; it was more used as a toy.

A century later, when the rapid development of science and industry began, and with it the office, through the efforts of John McGill, who improved this mechanism, the stapler came into use among all bureaucrats in the world.

How to properly thread a stapler with staples?

To perform this simple operation, you must first put on safety glasses. Then you will need to make sure that the stapler is empty and there are no staples in it.

Almost every construction stapler has a black protrusion that must be pressed in order for the spring block of the tool to come out. After this procedure, you can insert the staples into the construction tool and check that the staples are stable. If after these steps you don’t hear a loud click, then we’ll get to work.

It should be remembered that you cannot replace staples of the same type with similar ones, as they will have different geometries, and this will inevitably lead to tool failure.

Popular consumables for stitchers

The most popular types and sizes of staples for construction staplers are 53 and 140 numbers. The first has the following values:

The height of the leg is 4-14 millimeters.
The back is 0.7 mm thick.
Width 11.3 mm.

For 140 paper clips, respectively, the height is 6-14 mm, the width is 10.6 mm, and the thickness is 1.25 mm. There are staples for office staplers, the types and sizes of which are determined by the number of sheets punched in one cycle. The most common type of paper clip is 10. For other series, this will be a fractional number, where the first digit is its number, the second is the height of the leg. Therefore, when purchasing these products, you need to know which products are suitable for this particular stapler model.

Staples for furniture stapler

If you need to choose staples for a furniture stapler, then you should again proceed from the instructions from the stapler manufacturer and be guided by such parameters as the depth of the staples and their type.

The depth of such fastenings starts from 4 mm and reaches 14 mm. The choice will be determined by the nature of the work being carried out. If you need to cover your home furniture with fabric, then 8 mm brackets are quite suitable.

Staple type – must match the specific stapler model. To make the right choice, you need to remember that the markings must be identical for this model and for the staples.

If the fasteners are small, there is a possibility that during one of the shots the staples will fly out or the tool will jam.