You may have some upholstered chairs that need a refresh, or maybe you noticed the wealth of ugly thrift store chairs, and you want to tap into that booty. Whatever it may be, I’ll show you how easy it is to recover a chair. And, in this tutorial, we’ll put a fun spin on reupholstering, and use an inexpensive textured cotton rug in place of upholstery fabric. Check out the original chair I found for $4.99.
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What You Need To Get Started
The tools you need for a re-upholstery project are minimal, but there are a couple things you must have to complete the job. First you will need an upholstery stapler or staple gun. HERE you can find an easy, inexpensive upholstery stapler that’s great for smaller projects.
You will also need a screw driver and pair of pliers to remove the old upholstery and staples before recovering.
Remove the Seat
The first step in recovering a chair is to remove the seat. If you tip your chair over, you will typically find that the seat is attached to the chair frame with a few screws. Remove these screws, and your seat should be free.
Remove the old upholstery fabric from your seat. Using a pair of pliers and a flat head screw driver works great. I opted to keep the original foam that was under the fabric, but you can replace this with new foam if you want.
Reupholster Your Seat
It’s okay to think outside the box when you want to recover a chair. Because I am all in for the added coziness of woven textured fabrics, I picked up a cheap rug to act as my upholstery fabric. You may have run across inexpensive woven rugs when you were out shopping. Good places to look are TJ Max, Ikea and Home Goods. I’ve also included a few ideas below that can be purchased online.
Lay your seat out on the rug to get an idea of what part of the rug you want to use. An average sized seat should only require a little more than half of a 2’x3′ rug. Be sure you allow several inches on all sides of your rug for stapling.
When you’ve decided what portion of the rug you will need, cut it out. Save any significant excess for another project. A matching pillow perhaps?
Before you recover your chair, you will need to make sure the pattern lines up. Lay the piece of rug over the cushion and adjust it until you are happy with the way it looks.
Stapling
Fold the rug over the seat and staple it to the wood. Start by stapling the four sides down from the center of each side. This will hold your rug in place so it doesn’t shift around and screw up the placement of the pattern.
Continue stapling from the center’s toward the edges. Leave a couple inches on each corner so you can fold down the corners.
Another important tip to recover a chair: Make sure you check your pattern regularly as you are stapling your rug down. As you pull the rug around the edge of the seat and attach it, make sure you are using the same amount of effort all the way around the chair. This will keep your pattern from going wonky and any lines from developing a wave.
Fold the corners over stapling again in the center of the corner. Make sure you pay attention to your pattern and don’t pull it out of line. If you are using a rug, you can expect it to be thicker than upholstery fabric. I didn’t have any trouble tacking my rug down with 1/2 inch staples. Just be absolutely sure that your staples are not poking out the other side of your wood seat base. Staple pokes to the bum are not cozy.
Put It Back Together Again
Now it’s time to put the seat back on the chair. I did have to replace the old screws with slightly longer ones to accommodate the thickness of the rug material. You may or may not run into this problem. Again, just be sure the screws are not poking all the way through the wood.
Be sure to complete any refinishing of the chair frame before you replace the seat. I sanded down my frame and sealed it for a more natural wood tone.
Make life easier, and spray over your chair cushion with a protective layer of Scotchgard. This will keep dirt and liquids from staining your newly upholstered chair.
Take a Seat
You will love how much added coziness and style a woven rug adds to a chair cushion.
Because rugs are made to withstand underfoot abuse, you won’t have to worry about the durability of your cushion cover.
Our newly upholstered chair will be used as a placeholder in our living room until we can find the perfect armchair.
Enjoy!
More Projects
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