How to Reupholster Folding Chairs

Folding chairs come in handy when you have a party or some extra people for dinner. They also make great chairs for the little ones to sit on when they are making crafts and you don't want paint and glue on your good dining room chairs. However, sometimes they get so badly stained and sticky you can't use them for company anymore. Reupholstering these chairs is the easy and inexpensive way to get them back into use. Anyone can do this project with just a little time and a few materials.

Things You'll Need

• Vinyl fabric Foam Vinyl fabric adhesive Staple gun and staples

Instructions

Reupholster Folding Chairs

1. Take the old seat or cushion off of the chair. Some folding chairs have seats that can be completely removed and others are covered right over the frame. If you take the entire seat off, take the covering and any foam off the base piece.

2. Cut foam to the size of the base and set it on the base. It is best not to glue the foam to the base in case you need to replace it again in the future. Cut a piece of vinyl 2 inches larger than the base, all the way around. Do this for each chair.

3. Place the vinyl over the foam and turn the assembly upside down. Spray or paint on the vinyl adhesive to the base, pull one side over and stick to the adhesive. Put a staple in the center of that side to hold it in place while you work with the rest of the vinyl. Pull the other side over tight and stick it to the adhesive on the base. Repeat this step on the front and the back also. Now work your way around with the staple gun, pulling the vinyl tight and stapling. If you are covering the entire frame of the chair, do it in the same fashion, except put the chair upside down on another chair so it's easy to reach.

4. Take the covering and foam off the back of the chair. Normally, the back of the chair cushion is only over a couple of bars on the back. Measure around the bars and add on 3 inches to the length and 1 inch to the width.

5. Put the vinyl adhesive on the sides of the vinyl and fold over 1/2 inch on each side. Press down until the adhesive takes hold. Do the same with the top and bottom of the vinyl.

6. Glue the foam on the front of the chair back to keep it from moving while you're putting the vinyl covering over it.

7. Wrap the vinyl piece over the foam and around the bars of the chair back. Put glue on the ends of the piece of vinyl. Pull it tight and have it meet at the bottom where you won't see the seam. Press together and hold until the adhesive takes effect.

Tips & Warnings

• You can use any type of fabric with regular fabric glue if you wish, but the vinyl is easy to clean and will last longer.