How To Reupholster a Chair 101

My very first upholstery project was a chair similar to what you see in this post.  It is a simple chair with an upholstered seat.  Nothing else.  No crazy cushions, no piping, just the seat.  I recommend this is how you start if you want to get into it.  Pretty soon I'll have an upholstery 401 class (or should I say, "upholstery by Kelli 401" since I have zero authority except this is what I've done).

You will need:

a staple gun

staples

upholstery material (I made the mistake of buying thin material)

note: If the cushion is in bad shape, get new foam (but it's expensive so if it just needs to be cleaned, do that).

Before: $5 garage sale purchase

After

Obviously in the before/after you can see that I painted the chair.  I'm not doing the tutorial on that but I sanded, primed and spray painted.

Step 1:
Take the seat off.  Most seats are screwed on so flip the chair over and unscrew it.

Step 2:
Have your material cut and ready (face down) and place the seat on the material with the cushion down.  You can just upholster over the old upholstery or you can upholster over the cushion and wood if you previously took off the old material.

Step 3:
Fold one side of the material up over the side of the seat and staple in the middle.
 

Step 4:

Staple on both sides.

Step 5:

Fold the other side up, pull so the material is tight, and staple in the middle.

Step 6:

Then staple the sides.

Step 7:

Fold the edge of the adjacent side in.

Step 8

Fold the material up as though wrapping a gift and staple the corner.

Step 9:

Do the same to the other edge.

Step 10:

Do the other side the same way.  Then staple between all the staples so the material is secure and tight.

Step 11:

Screw the seat back into place and enjoy your "new" chair!

Linking up at the great Linky parties found at the bottom of the blog.  They are where I find most of my inspiration!  Check them out!

plus

Coastal Charm - Nifty Thrifty Tuesday

Savvy Southern Style - Wow Us Wednesday

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