How to Upholster an Antique Chair
Whether you find it at a yard sale, antique shop or your grandparents' attic, that old chair is just too beautiful to pass up, even if its fabric has seen better days. The good news is that it isn't hard to reupholster a chair, which saves you money, increases the life of the chair and will give you a sense of accomplishment. Choose fabric that echoes the chair's antique beauty, or choose a more modern fabric to bring it up to date. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Needle-nose pliers or staple remover
- Screwdriver
- Staple gun with staples
- Hot glue gun
- Upholstery webbing
- Fabric
- Coordinating piping or welting
Instructions
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1
Turn the chair over and place it on a table. Underneath should be four screws you can remove to lift away the seat. If the webbing underneath is in poor condition, remove that, too, by pulling the tacks out with pliers or a staple remover. Pull all the staples or tacks out from the underside of the seat to get the fabric off.
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2
Replace the webbing, if necessary, by stapling three strips from back to front to the top face of the seat frame. Stretch tightly before stapling the front end. Weave three strips from side to side, under and over the front-to-back strips. Stretch tightly and staple in place.
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3
Cut a new piece of foam and batting for the seat by tracing the seat onto the foam. Lay it on the fabric and put the seat on top. Cut the fabric 12 inches wider than the widest point on the seat, and 12 inches deeper than the seat from front to back.
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4
Staple the fabric to the seat bottom, starting at the corners and working around, pulling the fabric tight so it holds the foam in place. Have a helper press down on the seat bottom so it stays in place.
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5
Screw the seat back onto the frame. Use the hot glue gun to add decorative piping or welting around the edges.
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