DIY Saturday #65 – How to Reupholster Dining Room Chairs (Video)

Guest Blog #157, Entry #631, August 27, 2011

Happy DIY Saturday! If you are trying to determine how to make use of hand-me-down chairs from your grandmother’s house, or you just found some killer dining room chairs at a garage sale, but the upholstery looks awful, how about reupholstering?

Dining room chairs can have a new life!

Image courtesy of Urban Jane

Today, see how to reupholster your dining room chairs in this You Tube video and my Guest Blogger gives 8 easy steps to update your dining room, while re-purposing dining room chairs.

You Tube video – How to reupholster a dining room chair

Guest Blogger: How to Reupholster a Dining Room Chair in 8 Easy Steps

If your dining room chairs are in good condition but need a little updating, reupholstering is an easy project that can save a lot of money! For just a fraction of the cost of buying a new set of chairs, you can customize your old chairs to fit perfectly with your dining room by handpicking the fabric to match. Just follow these 8 easy steps to make your dining room chairs look like new!

Reupholster your dining room chairs with ease

Image courtesy of Used and Abused Vintage

What You’ll Need

• Flathead screwdriver
• Pincers
• Staple gun
• Fabric of your choice (just make sure it’s non-stretch)
• 1 in. thick foam padding
• Cotton batting
• Cambric backing fabric
• Strong spray adhesive
• Ruler
• Marker
• Scissors
• Chairs (of course)

8 Easy Steps to reupholster your dining room chairs

Image courtesy of Dummies

1. Pop the base of the chair off the frame. If it doesn’t come off right away, check to see if it is screwed in. If it is, use a screwdriver to unscrew the base and make sure not to lose the screws. (Once the base is off, this is a good time to sand and repaint the chair frame if you need to!)
2. Remove the old fabric from the base using the flathead screwdriver and the pincers to pull out the staples. Once the staples are out, toss the old fabric and foam so you’re left with the wooden seat base.
3. Use a marker to trace a ¼ in. boarder around the wooden base onto the sheet of foam padding. Cut out the foam and use spray adhesive to stick it to the base. Spray the adhesive around the edges of the foam, and then tuck the top edges toward the seat base to create a rounded look for your seat. Let this dry completely before the next step.
4. Next you’ll want to cover the seat with cotton batting. Using a staple gun, insert a staple in the center of each side of the seat.  Then work your way around with the staples, pulling the batting tight as you go.
5. Lay out the fabric you’re using to cover the seat upside-down on a flat surface. If your fabric has a pattern, make sure that you set your base down so the print is straight and centered on the seat. Once your seat is in a good position on the fabric, measure 4 inches from each side so you have enough fabric to wrap around the base. After you’ve measured and traced your fabric, go ahead and cut it out.
6. Fold the fabric in half and mark where the middle is, so you can line it up properly with the seat base. Attach the fabric just as you attached the cotton batting. Remember to pull the fabric tight as you staple.
7. Flip the base of the chair over to cut off any excess fabric. Then, to cover the exposed wood, measure and staple a piece of cambric backing fabric to fit the bottom of the seat.
8. Finally, set your newly finished seat base back into the chair frame.  Repeat for all chairs, then sit back and admire your handiwork. (Then maybe take yourself out to lunch with all of the money you saved!)

This article was written by Erie Construction.

Watch Stagetecture’s You Tube Channel for more DIY ideas