How to Repair Canvas Straps on Roll-Top Furniture

Roll-top furniture, typically confined to desks, have tops that roll down and cover up the surface of the desk. Canvas straps are glued to the underside of the wood on a roll-top desk, which allows it to move fluidly. In order to replace the canvas on the roll top, you have to disassemble the desk first and remove the rolling top from it. Luckily, roll-top desks were designed to be taken apart.

Wrench
Screwdriver
Cloth
Wood glue solvent
Canvas
Wood glue

Instructions

- 1
  Locate the screws, bolts or straps that hold the top of the desk to the body of the desk. These will be located on the back of the desk or in one of the top drawers. Loosen them with a wrench or screwdriver.
- 2
  Remove the top of the desk from the body of the desk. Pull the tambour, the rolling top, of the desk out of its track and turn it over to reveal the canvas straps.
- 3
  Fill a bowl with warm water and dab it on the back of the canvas then pull it off once it’s loose if the desk is an antique. If the desk is modern, use a wood glue solvent to loosen the glue on the canvas and remove it.
- 4
  Apply a thin layer of wood glue to the back of the tambour and press the new canvas straps into it. Allow the glue to dry for six to eight hours before you mount the tambour back onto the desk.
- 5
  Replace the tambour on its track and set the top of the desk on the body. Use the wrench or screwdriver to tighten the screws.

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