How to Upholster a Living Room Chair
Whether you have an old chair you love or found a great vintage living room chair, reupholstering your own furniture can be done with just a few supplies and a weekend's worth of your time. If you are choosing a piece for a home reupholstery project, look for one with the structure, including springs and foam still intact and in good shape. Once you have tackled a simple reupholstery project, you may will be ready to handle a great antique or even just your old couch.
Things You'll Need
- Needle-nose pliers Staple gun Scissors Jaw and cardboard upholstery stripping Upholstery fabric Cotton or polyester batting Upholstery trims as needed or desired
Instructions
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1
Remove all staples and upholstery tacks securing the old fabric into place using needle-nose pliers. Pull the fabric off of the living room chair, leaving each piece intact. Label the pieces as you remove them.
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Lay your fabric pieces out on your upholstery fabric. Be careful of nap or directional patterns and make sure all pieces are laid out appropriately. Cut each piece, allowing a 2- to 3-inch allowance of fabric around each side of your fabric piece.
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Cut batting pieces to the same size for any areas of the chair where you want additional padding or softness. This is critical if you have removed old batting, but may be less so for a living room chair in good condition. Place the batting pieces into position, pull taut and staple securely into place.
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4
Upholster a living room chair back by laying your fabric into place. Staple first the top, then the bottom of your fabric onto the back frame of the chair. Pull the sides through and staple snugly. Do the same for the seat, stapling fabric underneath the seat.
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Lay the arm fabric into place. Fold the back a third of the fabric forward onto itself. Staple the fabric on the outside of the arm into place on the wooden frame. Pull the inside of the arm fabric through and staple into place on the outer wooden frame. Using scissors, cut a slit in the center of the folded fabric to allow it to wrap around to the back of the arm. Staple into place. Create neat gathers or pleats at the front of the arm and secure to the outside of the chair arm. Repeat for the other side.
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6
Drape, fold and secure fabric for skirting, chair wings or other areas. Cardboard and jaw stripping may be used to secure these pieces without visible staples. Use cardboard upholstery stripping for straight areas and metal jaw stripping for curved ones.
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Sew covers for any cushions as needed for your living room chair. Cover visible staples with upholstery trim or covered welting to create a finished look when you upholster a living room chair.
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Tips & Warnings
Pros use a hot glue gun to cover their welting with coordinating upholstery fabric. A second set of hands can be very useful when doing upholstery projects.
Start with a simple chair as opposed to a complex upholstery project. Buy extra fabric to avoid running out. A large armchair will take approximately 11 yards.
