How to Reupholster your Favorite Old Chair

Entry #1393, July 19, 2012

Reupholstering is one of the most effective methods of preserving furniture. For some, remodeling an old chair is their way of enhancing their creativity. It makes sense because this is an essential fixture in every home. Reupholstering can save a classic chair and often times it can be cost effective to replacing the furniture all together.

Is it time to reupholster your favorite chair?

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But when is the right time to reupholster? Well, you don’t have to wait for the chair to fall apart before doing it. Just be sensitive and take time to check the functionality of your furniture.  For chairs, ensure the frame and structural integrity of the chair is still good. Here are a few tips for reupholstering your old chair:

Prepare necessary tools, equipment and materials.

You need to have a pair of needle nose pliers, scissors, fabric, a staple gun, upholstery tacks, hammer, handsaw and wood glue. Use the pair of scissors to cut and replace the clothes or fabric for the cushion. Using the glue gun and staple tacks, attach the new cushion fabric securely. Ensure that proper dimension are considered so as not to waste your materials.

Step by step directions for reupholstering your favorite chair

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Identify the areas you want to upholster.

Carefully remove the parts you need to replace. If you want to fix the seat cushion, unscrew the bolts from each side of the cushion frame. You may use needle nose pliers or flat screw driver to remove the staples or tacks. Then, remove the fabric carefully so as not to damage the foam inside the fabric. For other damage parts, replace it with the same material to maintain stability. For instance, a chair that is made up of wood should be replaced with wood.

Give your old chair a new face!

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Check the overall frame of the chair.

This step can be challenging because this may depend on the size and decorative features of your old chair. For example, a chair that is designed to have several curves may require systematic planning before reupholstering it into another style. For armchairs, the important consideration is the ability of the arm to support the weight. But feel free to remove this part if it isn’t necessary.

Reupholstering your old chair requires diligence and patience but you will be amazed after you have done it all by yourself. Use these tips to take your old chair it make it look like new!

For more reupholstering tips on Stagetecture, click here.