Every piece of furniture, especially those that we use often and/or is placed in a high-traffic spot will show some tired signs. It can be mold, wrinkles, scratches, spills, dirt, and other visible flaws that might make us want to get rid of it immediately. However, changing the furniture by buying a new one is probably not everyone’s final decision because of its price. You don’t want to spend more budget to buy a new one just for minor spots.
The best thing that you can do to get your furniture a new face is by changing the cover or we often call it the reupholstering process. In this case, dining chairs are one of the furniture that may be facing this problem and you will need to change its whole look. If you’re planning to redesign or recover your dining chairs, you might want to keep reading this page for easy steps.
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How to Reupholster a Dining Room Chair Seat and Back
Below there are some tools and materials that you will need to complete the whole process:
- Safety gears
- New fabric
- Pen/marker
- Scissors
- Utility knife
- Tape measure/ruler
- Staple gun
- Staples
- Screwdriver
- New foam (optional)
1. Remove Old Cover
The first step to do is by removing the old cover that you want to change. What you have to:
- Check at the bottom of the chair.
- Usually, the cushion has screws that hold it to the chair. By using a screwdriver, remove the screws on each corner.
- Once you’re done with this step, remove the original fabric by taking off the staples around it.
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2. Shape New Cover
When the first step is finished, you can go to make a new cover with the new fabric.
- By using the cushion or the old fabric that you have removed before, use it as a template to shape a new cover.
- Put the template on top of the new fabric and make sure that the size is perfect. You can make sure of the size by using a measuring tape or ruler.
- Once you get the perfect shape, mark the shape by using a pen or marker.
- Tips: if you use the cushion to trace the new fabric, it’s always good to give extra excess.
- Next is you can cut the newly shaped fabric based on the trace that you have made.
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3. Recushion If Needed
If you feel that the current cushion is not soft or fluffy enough to bring you comfort, you might want to change it as well. Of course, this step is optional so you don’t always have to change it if you don’t need it.
- Take out the old cushion or foam to trace the new one.
- Put it on top of the new foam and trace it by using a pen or marker.
- Once you’re done, you can cover it with the new fabric and batting.
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4. Apply New Fabric
When step 2 is done, now you’re ready to reapply it to the cushion.
- Now that you have a perfectly shaped new cover, you will just have to apply it to the cushion.
- Make sure that all sides are neat and well-attached to the cushion using the staple gun.
- Once you make sure that there’s no curved corner, put it back to the chair and fasten it with screws.
- Voila! You get a new face of dining chairs in the blink of an eye!
5. It’s Time for the Back
Just like the steps for the cushion part above, now it’s time for the back of the dining chairs. The steps are pretty the same as the cushion part.
- Just like the first step, you will need to measure the size of the back and match it with the new fabric.
- Once you get the size, place the new fabric on top of the back part and mark it with a marker.
- Then, you can staple the top part first to make the new fabric stays in place.
- After, you can continue to staple the other part and remove the excess.
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Reupholstering dining chairs might consume a lot of time but if you love a challenge or DIY work, it will bring you a thrilling feeling once you’re done with all the chairs. Now grab your tools and get ready to get some DIY projects!
