How to Upholster a Club Chair

By carefully removing the zipper from the original upholstery, it can be reused.

The elegant style and low profile of club chairs make them a popular choice for many styles of décor. Some feature rounded backs, while others have a more squared design. If your club chair has worn or outdated upholstery, instead of spending a fortune for a professional to reupholster it, consider doing the upholstery yourself. While the curves inherent in a club chair make for a more challenging project, upholstery requires only a few simple tools and basic sewing skills.

Things You'll Need

• Marking pen/pencil
• Staple remover
• Seam ripper
• Upholstery fabric
• Scissors
• Pins
• Staple gun with staples
• Upholstery thread
• Heavy-duty sewing machine
• Tacking strip
• Zipper (optional)

Instructions

1. Remove the fabric from your club chair, starting with the fabric that covers the sides and back. Take notice of how this fabric was attached to the frame. Often in chairs of this type, the fabric is held on with either tacking strip or upholstery tacks. If cardboard is underneath the fabric to help it hold its shape, salvage it so that it may be reused.

2. Take the rest of the fabric off the chair, using the staple remover to take out any tacks and staples from the chair frame. Do not cut into or tear the upholstery fabric, since this fabric will serve as your pattern for your new upholstery. If your chair has a zippered cushion, unzip and take the foam out of the cushion cover. Take apart the cushion cover as you did with the other upholstery fabric.

3. Write on the wrong side of the old fabric pieces with the marking pen, identifying where they were located on the chair, as well as the top or front of each piece.

4. Open any remaining seams between fabric pieces with the seam ripper.

5. Cut out your new upholstery fabric with scissors, using the old fabric as a pattern. If any pieces need to be pieced together for the correct width, such as the back and sides of the chair, place the seams in the same locations as the original upholstery.

6. Label the new fabric as you did the old upholstery, but write only on the wrong side, within the seam allowances. Any show-through from the marker will ruin your project if not within the seam allowances.

7. Pin the pieces together to fit your new upholstery onto the chair. If any alterations need to be made to get a better fit, adjust your seam allowances.

8. Sew your upholstery fabric together with the sewing machine and upholstery thread, starting with the front seat and the seat back pieces, and working out to sew the arms. Do not attach the back fabric of the chair at this time.

9. Attach the sewn fabric to your club chair by smoothing it down onto the chair's foam and stapling the lower edge of the fabric to the wood frame, using the staple gun. Staple once on each side of the chair's seat and back, pulling the fabric taut as you do so. Finish by placing more staples, about one inch apart, around the entire edge of the fabric. Trim any fabric that hangs down from the bottom of the chair, using scissors.

10. Place the cardboard, if any, into position, and use the tacking strip to attach the fabric to the back and sides of the chair. Start at the top of the chair and work down to the bottom, pulling the fabric taut as you go.

11. Sew the rear zipper into the seat cover, if your original seat cushion had a zipper. Attach the top and then the bottom to the side piece of the cover, leaving the zipper open. Turn the cover right side out and slip the cushion into the cover. Zip the cover closed.

Tips & Warnings

• Extra fabric may be necessary if you choose a patterned fabric, so that you can line up stripes or design motifs.

• Wear safety glasses when using a staple gun or staple remover.

References

• Upholstery Techniques: Upholster a Chair