How to Recover a Chair Seat

Old, torn and dirty covers on the chairs are the last thing people would expect in your house. After all those poor covers have served you so long. You must show some mercy on them and with a big heart decide to change them. Recovering the chairs doesn't come for free and costs lot of bucks.

Before giving any instructions about reupholstering chair, you would require following supplies:

• Screw driver
• Pins
• Scissors
• Staple guns for upholstery
• Needle and thread
• Glue
• Pliers
• Chalk
• Rubber mallet
• Padding
• Upholstery fabric

Once you are armed with the given equipment, you are all set to learn to recover a dining chair seat or a couch as well. But make sure you have chosen the right fabric for the chair that is compatible with the other home furniture. You must go for a thick and durable fabric, especially if you have kids or pets at home.

First, you need to remove the existing cover with the help of a plier. You need to do it carefully so that no damage is caused to the original frame of the chair. Also remove all the pins and padding. If the padding is no more fluffy and soft then you can throw it in the trash but if it is still in the usable condition, then keep it aside. 

As you are removing the fabric, take a note of its placing so that you can easily use these hints while recovering the chair. Also, do not tear the fabric. It can help you cut the new fabric.

Now put the old fabric on the new one and mark the shape and size with the help of chalk. You can use it like a stencil and cut the new fabric accordingly.

To be on the safer side, leave almost 3 to 4 inches margin when you cut the fabric. While cutting make sure that you know which part has to be placed where. You can make marking on the fabric to avoid the confusion later.

Once all the fabric pieces are ready, start covering the chair again. It is advisable to start from the seat and not the chair back or chair arm. Simultaneously, start stuffing in the padding or foam like material so the chair becomes soft and comfortable to sit on.

Wrap the fabric around the sitting frame in such a way that it fits properly. Here your observation comes in handy. Once the fabric is filled tight without having any creases, fix at the back with the help of pins, staple guns, glue, needle and scissors. Once the seat is recovered, follow the same procedure for the back and arms.

The last step of reupholstering furniture is giving it a final touch. Now give the finishing touch to the chair by cutting the extra fabric and threads. Check if all the pins or springs are fixed well and none of them would poke anybody in any manner, just to ensure the safety. 

Also, make sure that you have placed the padding evenly so that the chair feels even and smooth and not one with the bumps on it. Less or more padding at the back can make it difficult for the user, so put adequate padding to the back as well.

After going through the given simple steps, you know how to recover a chair seat. With similar steps you can reupholster other dining room furniture. You also learn how to reupholster a couch by following given steps with relevant changes. So go ahead, reupholster all the old furniture, and make your abode a new one without spending much.