How to Re-cover a Chair Seat

Changing the seat fabric can change the look of the chair.

Re-covering a chair seat can be accomplished by placing fabric over the existing upholstery and stuffing. The process is not difficult and the result is well worth it, creating a new accent piece for a room. The fabric chosen will affect the style and mood of the room. For example, a change in fabric can take a dining room from formal to more contemporary, or it can unify different chair styles. A little girl's room will get a boost from a chair with a bright pink seat cover.

Things You'll Need

• Screwdriver
• New fabric
• Ruler
• Fabric marking pencil
• Scissors
• Staple gun and staples

Instructions

1. Turn the chair over and remove the screws holding the seat in place.

2. Place the new fabric on the work surface, good side down. Place the chair seat on the fabric, the old fabric covering place against the wrong side of the new fabric.

3. Orient the front of the seat to the bottom of the fabric pattern.

4. Ensure there are at least 6 inches between the edge of the fabric and the seat of the chair.

5. Trace around the chair seat with the fabric marking pencil. Place an "X" on the wood on the center front of the underside of the chair seat. Place a corresponding "X" on the new fabric.

6. Remove the seat and draw another line 6 inches from the traced line. Cut the fabric on the new line.

7. Put the chair seat back on the fabric, matching the "X" marks. The old fabric lays against the wrong side of the new fabric, the underside of the old seat is on top.

8. Hold the new fabric at the center front of the chair seat and fold the fabric up and over to the underside of the seat. Staple through the new fabric to the seat 2 inches from the seat edge at this point.

9. Fold the new fabric over the center back and staple 2 inches from the seat edge. Fold the new fabric over each side and staple in the center of each side 2 inches from the seat edge.

10. Work from the center of each side toward each corner, folding the new fabric over the seat and stapling. Make small pleats to accommodate any extra fabric. Stop stapling 2 inches from each corner.

11. Gather the excess fabric at a corner with your left hand and gently pull it taut over the corner, smoothing the edge as much as possible with your right hand. Staple through all the layers.

12. Cut off the excess fabric.

13. Replace the seat on the chair and re-insert the screws.

Tips & Warnings

• Mark the front and back of the seats on the underside before you remove them from the chair. This helps place the seat correctly if the fabric has a definite one-way design.

• Protecting the fabric from stains is easy with the application of a stain repellent spray. Apply the protectant before the recovered seat is put back on the chair.

References

• Upholster.com: How to Upholster a Dining Room Chair Seat
• Dummies.com: Re-Upholstering Dining Room Chairs
• This Old House; How to Reupholster a Dining Chair; Matthew Haly

Resources

• The Independent; Sofas:Replace, Recover or Reupholster?; 2008