DIY Upholstery

Add charm to a plain chair by upholstering it.

Turn plain wooden chairs into soft decorative cushion chairs by upholstering them. You can also restore old or worn-out fabrics on existing furniture with upholstery. Hiring a professional to upholster your furniture is a great way to achieve a new look; however, fees and labor can be pricey, not including good quality fabric and other supplies. With only a few materials and a bit of time, you can upholster your furniture yourself.

Things You'll Need

• Upholstery fabric with a stain guard
• Scissors
• Pliers
• Needle-nose pliers
• Flat-head screwdriver or tack puller
• Tack hammer or rubber mallet
• Staple gun and staples
• Tape measure
• Pair of safety glasses
• Upholstery tacks
• Foam or cotton batting
• Foam adhesive

Instructions

1. Put on your safety glasses to prepare the furniture piece. Remove the original fabric without tearing it if the chair is already upholstered. Use needle-nose pliers to remove the staples or tacks, or use a flat-head screwdriver to pry them up. Use the old fabric to measure the amount for the new fabric, or use a measuring tape.

2. Remove the chair cushion from the seat if you are upholstering a chair. Unscrew the screws or remove all tacks from the seat with pliers. Lift the chair cushion and place it aside.

3. Check the foam padding or cotton batting to see if it needs replacing. If it is worn out, use the old padding to measure and cut the amount for the new material. If the chair is wooden without an existing cushion, place the foam on top of the seat and cut the foam according to the seat size.

4. Place the old fabric over the new and cut the new fabric a few inches wider than the original piece with scissors.

5. Secure your foam to the chair seat with foam adhesive. If the chair seat is removable, place it upside down on top of the new fabric with the pattern side of the fabric facing out. There should be an equal amount of fabric on each side.

6. Attach the fabric to the chair seat by pulling the sides of the fabric in and stapling or tacking it down with the staple gun or tacks and hammer. Smooth the fabric as you pull to avoid wrinkles.

7. Cover the bottom of the chair with a small piece of fabric by pulling the fabric and stapling or tacking it down. Cut away any excess material.

References

• EduBook: How to Upholster Furniture
• 5Min.com: How to Re-upholster a Dining Chair Seat