How to Recover Vinyl Dinette Chairs
Whether you're redecorating in a retro look or simply freshening up an old dinette set that you've had for years, sometimes you need to recover a set of dinette chairs. Upholstery stores can charge hundreds of dollars to redo a dinette set, but you can refinish your chairs for a fraction of the cost. Recovering a dinette chair only takes a little over an hour, and you'll have your choice of colors and patterns for your new vinyl seats. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Screwdriver
- Vinyl fabric
- Measuring tape
- Scissors
- Quilt batting
- Staple gun
- Staples
Instructions
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1
Turn the chair over and remove the screws that hold the seat onto the frame. Place the screws in a safe place so that they don't get lost. Lift the seat from the frame and set the frame aside.
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2
Pull the vinyl off of the seat, beginning at the bottom of the seat. You may have to pull the fabric from underneath staples, or you may have to cut it off. You will be left with a plywood base covered in padding. Remove the padding and discard it.
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3
Lay the plywood base on the batting and use it as a pattern. Cut around the base to cut a piece of batting the same size and shape as the seat.
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4
Measure the length of the chair base, from front to back. Measure the width of the chair base at its widest part. Add 3 inches to both numbers. The new numbers will be the length and width of the piece of vinyl fabric that you need. Cut out a piece of vinyl fabric to these measurements.
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5
Place the cut-out piece of vinyl on the table with the right side down. Place the batting piece in the center of the vinyl. Center the plywood base on top of the batting. You will now have three layers in place, with the plywood and batting in the center.
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6
Hold down the plywood with one hand while pulling one edge of the vinyl up and toward the center of the plywood. When the vinyl has been folded over, staple the vinyl to the plywood. Pull the center of the opposite edge of vinyl up and onto the plywood base and staple it down. Repeat the stapling with the centers of the right and left edges of vinyl. You now have the vinyl stapled to the base at four points.
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7
Pull the vinyl edges up and over to the base and make a line of staples along each edge. Secure the entire length of each edge of the vinyl. When you come to a corner, neatly fold and wrap the fabric so that it lays smooth on the top of the seat. Staple down any fullness when needed. You will have a base with staples all around the perimeter, holding on the vinyl cover.
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8
Place the newly covered seat onto the frame and replace the screws, tightening them down to secure the seat together.
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Tips & Warnings
Update a thrift store buy with one of the new neon or metallic vinyls to make an inexpensive set that looks expensive.
Resources
- Photo Credit chair image by Gina Smith from Fotolia.com
