Reupholstering Chairs - Do It Yourself Guide

The upholstery of any furniture wears out with time. After repeated cleanings the fabric tends to lose its luster and also fades. You may think it is time for you to get rid of the older furniture items and buy new ones. However, this can be a very expensive affair. Moreover, certain pieces of antique furniture may hold great sentimental value for you. Hence, you can consider reupholstering and thereby giving a completely new and personalized look to old pieces of furniture.

Why is Reupholstering Necessary?

Chairs are one of the most frequently used pieces of furniture, and consequently are the first to show signs of wear and tear. Since olden furniture was made to last, the chair might be in good condition, save for the upholstery. Reupholstering these chairs will take of this problem and will also help in improving the overall decor of your home. Moreover, this can even be done at home, albeit with the help of a do-it-yourself guide. Explained in this article is a simple guide to get that new upholstery on your chairs with a minimum of fuss.

You will require the following things while reupholstering chairs:

• Upholstery fabric
• Needle nose pliers
• Rubber mallet
• Scissors
• Glue
• Staple gun
• Wool batting
• Tailor's chalk

A Do It Yourself Guide to Reupholster Chairs

It is advisable to not to opt for leather if you are upholstering the chair for the first time, as it is not easy to cut and staple leather. Also remember to use sharp pliers and scissors and be careful while handling them.

1. The first thing you need to do is remove all the worn out cushions, fabric, nails, staples and tacks from your old chair using needle nose pliers. Do not tear the old fabric while taking it out as it will help you to take measurements for the new fabric.
2. Use existing fabric from your chair to measure the new fabric and mark with tailor's chalk. Cut the new fabric along the markings with the help of scissors. Keep at least three inches extra on the sides in order to be able to wrap it around the edges.
3. Place the new fabric on the existing cushion, stretch it and wrap it in a way similar to how you would wrap a gift. You can make use of the staple gun to staple the fabric in place. Make sure the design on the upholstery, if any, is properly placed.
4. In case, you do not wish to use the existing cushion, you can replace the stuffing with woolen batting. Either way, you have to be extremely careful while taking the measurement for the new fabric.
5. Now is the time for smoothing the edges. Staple the edges with the staple gun or make use of the glue meant for sticking fabric. You may also need to pleat the fabric for properly covering the cushion. Make sure to seam the edges properly. Keep a check so that the pattern is right and there are no creases.
6. Place the cushion on the chair and use the nails and screws to keep it in place. You can make use of the rubber mallet to hammer in the nails and tacks.
7. If the chair has different pieces, like a back rest and cushioned arms, you will have to follow the same procedure for every single piece, individually. On completion, you will have a chair that looks brand new!

Advantages of Reupholstering Furniture At Home

• You can have the design, pattern and color of fabric that can perfectly suit your room decor. This will save a lot of time in researching to get perfectly matching furniture.
• Sometimes, the chair is good to use, only the cushion is worn out. It is better to reupholster the cushion instead of buying a new chair.
• To make the chair completely new, you can even repaint the chair and then reupholster it.
• With this do it yourself guide, you can save a lot of time and money.

As you can see, reupholstering chairs is not as difficult as it seems, if you have patience. It will be a lot of fun if you can manage an extra pair of hands. Once you master this technique, you might want to take that extra step and remodel all your home furniture!