How to Upholster Step-by-Step
If you are looking for a way to breathe new life into an old piece of furniture, consider upholstering it yourself. This technique is a favorite of do-it-yourselfers who want to add a personal touch to their home furnishings, from sofas to armchairs, benches and ottomans. Upholstering furniture may seem like a daunting task, but it is fairly simple to do if the project is broken into segments. And as a bonus, upholstering your own furniture will be only a fraction of the cost of taking it to a professional upholsterer. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Piece of furniture
- Screwdriver or needle nose pliers
- Jute twine
- Upholstery foam
- Spray adhesive
- Cotton batting
- Pencil
- Sewing scissors
- Muslin cloth
- Upholstery fabric
- Staple gun
- Piping or welting cord (optional)
- Hot glue gun (optional)
- Needle and thread (optional)
Instructions
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Strip the piece of furniture of any previous fabric by removing the staples from the furniture frame that hold the fabric in place. Use needle nose pliers or a flathead screwdriver to pull the staples out. Remove this fabric section by section. For example, if you are upholstering a wingback chair, start by removing the fabric from the arms, then the back and finally the seat cushion.
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Repair the piece of furniture as necessary. You may need to replace springs, or simply tighten them using jute twine. Jute twine, available at most art supply stores, is an unbleached rope that holds a knot well. Tie one end of the twine around the springs and tie the other end tightly around the furniture frame. To replace batting, apply spray adhesive to the foam and cover it with new batting before stapling it in place. Apply fresh paint before recovering the piece.
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Use the pieces of material you took off the furniture as pattern pieces for cutting the new pieces of fabric. Or, make your own patterns using muslin cloth. Muslin is a thin cotton material typically used to make patterns because it is very inexpensive and easy to work with. Lay the piece of muslin cloth over the area you want to upholster. Trace the shape you need with a pencil. Fold your traced shape in half vertically and, with sharp sewing scissors, carefully trim to make sure your pattern is as symmetrical as possible.
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Lay the traced muslin pattern on a flat surface. Add two inches around all the edges and cut out the pattern.
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Place the muslin pattern directly on the printed side of your new upholstery fabric. Pin in place with straight pins. Trace around the pattern and cut out the shape.
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Place the fabric piece over the section you are going to upholster. Use a staple gun to fix the fabric in place. Staple directly to the underside of the wooden frame. Cut 1-inch long slits around curved areas and corners. Walk the fabric over the area inch by inch, and, while pulling very tightly, fold each bit under and staple it in place to the underside of the frame.
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Fold the fabric edges under 1 inch as you would a hemline on a garment (to prevent fraying and provide a more professional look) and staple in place. Trim any excess fabric. Repeat section by section until you have completely recovered the piece of furniture.
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Add any decorative piping or welting cord. Piping and welting cord are decorative trims that add visual interest and a professional touch to your upholstery project. They are usually placed along the seams and are attached with hot glue or sewed in place by hand.
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Tips & Warnings
Pull your fabric as taut as possible when stapling to avoid wrinkles and lumps.
References
- Photo Credit antique chair image by MAXFX from Fotolia.com
