Upholstery tacks

Upholstery tacks have two major uses – attaching material to furniture and to decorate furniture.

Upholstery tacks are available in a variety of shapes, sizes and finishes. The tacks’ shafts closely resemble that of thumb tacks but are stronger to enable its insertion into wood.

To insert an upholstery tack requires tapping it lightly a few times with a tack hammer, or rubber mallet, where after a last firm hit will set the tack completely. But care should be taken as hitting it too hard will cause the tack to bend, or even damage the head, destroying its decorative qualities.

Types available:

A few finishes are available to suit specific requirements.

Blue Cut tacks

These tacks feature an extremely sharp point and a flat head. It’s where the term “sharp as a tack” comes from and can be used for fixing soles to shoes or even upholstery to furniture.

It’s known as a cut tack because to produce it, it gets cut from a sheet of steel. The blue refers to the colour of the tack which is achieved by heat treatment after the tacks have gone through a cleaning process.

It’s said that the reason for the blueing of these tacks was to darken and dull its finish so that it’s not visible through upholstery.