Do you have old chairs that you think needs a make over? Or did you just recently redecorate your living room with new colors? There’s no need to buy a new furniture set to go along with it, of course. Also, no need to store them away because their designs don’t match with the rooms anymore. There’s a simple solution to that and we call it chair reupholstering. The materials are relatively inexpensive, the tools are simple, and it’s a project almost anyone can do with ease.
Why Do It?
Why do it, you ask? Reupholstering simply involves removing the old covering and replacing it with a new one. In this way, you are also bringing life back to your old favorite chairs. Reupholstering is also a great way to match old chairs with an updated room theme too. Plus, in doing so, you are also replacing an old and possibly dirty covering with a new and clean one.
How To Do It?
The methods for reupholstering will depend on the chair type. In this article, we focus more on chair reupholstering for “drop-in” or “screw-on” type of seats which is common to many benches and stools. The seats are normally screwed on but can also be glued on or dropped in. The cushions can be foam, cotton, or other natural materials as well.
What You Need
We recommend purchasing upholstery grade fabric for its strength and stain resistance. For the dust cover, we recommend using landscape fabric from a home center. You will also need a stapler but any type will do. You will have to choose, however, which one will require less effort squeezing. Your stapler buying decision will also depend on how often you’ll use it.
Do it Step By Step
- First, remove the padding on your chair then cut the batting of your new covering so it overhangs all sides of the seat.
- Drive a single staple on each side to hold the foam in place. Do make sure that any patterns or stripes align correctly.
- Hang the edge of the seat over your work surface then drive a staple, from below, in the centers of the front and back.
- Working from the center outward, install staples along the front as you lightly tension the material with your hand.
- Repeat the process along the back edge and sides.
- Cut off the excess batting and upholstery so you don’t end up with lumps at corners.
- After you trim the excess fabric and batting, staple on a dust cover.
- A dust cover neatly hides the exposed fabric edges.
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