DIY Saturday #137 – How to Reupholster Dining Chairs (Video)

Happy DIY Saturday! We are looking for ways to save money, live greener, and make use of what we already have. One way to take advantage of a current dining room set of chairs that you already have is to reupholster them and give them new life. Today we will show you a two-part video on what tools are needed and how to make your dining room chairs look great with new upholstery.

Learn how to reupholster your dining room chairs

Image via: Optimise Design

Then get a step by step guide below for assisting you in removing the old fabric on your dining room chairs and adding new. If you are visiting a garage sale, looking online in the classifieds or want to revamp old chairs sitting in your garage, today’s DIY Saturday is for you!

 You Tube Video – How to Reupholster a Dining Room Chair

Link to video –> How to Reupholster a dining room chair.

Link to video –>  How to Reupholster a Dining Room Chair – Part 2

Everyone has those favorite pieces of furniture that they like to hold on to.  However, time and events may cause the furniture items to become damaged and dull.  Well, one way to keep the furniture you have fresh and new is by re-upholstering it.  Reupholstering is a cost effective way to bring life back into the furniture pieces that have lost their luster.  Here are some steps to help you reupholster your dining room chairs and have them looking better than ever.

Reupholster you favorite banquette bench

Image via: BP.Blogspot

Supplies

1)      Upholstery Fabric

2)      Scissors

3)      Tape measure

4)      Staple gun with staples or upholstery tacks

5)      Screwdriver

6)      Cloth

Directions

Step 1

Dampen the cloth and begin to clean off the chair frame.  Make sure to wipe it dry before starting the reupholstering.

Step 2

Next, take one dining chair and flip up-side-down.  Take the screwdriver and unscrew the screw that attaches the seat with the center brace not the screw for the brace at the side.  You want to remove the seat.

Step 3

Take the fabric that you have previously purchased and lay it on a large flat surface, face down.

Step 4

Take the chair cushion that was removed and place it upside down on the fabric.  Then bring out your tape measure and measure the dimensions of the cushion (how wide and how long).   After obtaining the measurements add three more inches to each measurement to make sure that you will be able to fold and staple the fabric under the chair cushion properly.

Dining room chair ideas

Image via: VHT

Step 5

The number of dining chairs that you want to reupholster will be the determining factor of the number of fabric pieces you will be cutting. After you have the number of seats take the fabric and cut it into that number of pieces and see to it that they are equal to your measurements.

Step 6

Get one of the pieces of fabric and lay it face down.  Next, take a cushion and place it face down on the fabric making sure that there is an even amount of fabric for the entire cushion.  Pull the first side of the fabric to the back edge of the cushion and use the staple gun to staple it to the center of the length.  Take the opposite side of that same fabric and do the same making sure to pull tightly so that the fabric will look even for the end result and not bunch up when you sit on it. Keep repeating the process until the entire fabric is stapled down.

Step 7

Take and fold the pointed ends of the fabric onto the wooden part of the seat and begin to staple. Continue this process paying attention to the sides of the corner fabric being folded, tightly drawn back to lay down for stapling.

Step 8

Finally, put the seat back on the frame of the chair.  Check to see if the seat and frame are lined up appropriately.  Take the screwdriver and screw the seat back onto the chair’s frame.  (Since the new fabric is on the cushion more effort is needed to get the screw in there effectively)  Then repeat the process for the other dining chairs and viola you have your new set of dining room chairs.

For more DIY ideas on Stagetecture, & Stagetecture’s YouTube Channel, click here.