How To Reupholster A Dining Chair In 6 Proven Steps

As a homeowner, you probably use your dining room table and chairs every day. It’s important that you keep them looking clean and presentable to avoid any hassle caused by unsightly wear and tear. You can make your chair look like brand new again by reupholstering it with a new fabric that reflects the character of your home’s design. 

To reupholster a dining chair, you need to choose a fabric of your preference and then attach it to the seat, back, and armrests. If you want to learn how to reupholster a dining chair step-by-step, then this is an excellent article for you! To get started, read along for six proven steps.

How To Reupholster A Dining Chair: 6 Proven Steps

Below you will find a simple guide on changing fabric and padding on your dining chair with no fuss.

Unscrew The Dining Chair Seat And Back From The Base

The first step is to unscrew the dining chair seat and back from the base. Remove all screws you can see. Then, remove the bolts. Gently lift the seat and back off from the base.

Remove Old Padding And Upholstery

Use a screwdriver if you need to pry off old padding and upholstery to reveal the wood of your dining chair base. Don’t worry if some of the fabric stays on your dining chair base; it will be easier to remove later on when you’ve already applied new fabric or upholstery on top of it.

Cut The Padding And New Fabric To The Dimensions

Ensure that you cut the new padding and upholstery are of reasonable size and dimensions to fit your dining chair. The fabric should have at least 2 inches of seam allowance on all sides. Next, trim the upholstery until it fits perfectly within the measurements of your dining chair’s seat and back.

Place And Staple Padding And Fabric

Measure your dining chair’s seat and back to determine how much material you need for your padding and upholstery. Purchase enough fabric so that you can work with a 2-inch seam allowance when it comes time to sew together its side seams, armrests, and backsides.

Cut The Excess Materials

After you’ve made a clean cut of the fabric and padding, trim any excess material on the sides of your dining chair’s seat and back. Then, use a staple gun to make properly placed staples along all sides of the upholstery and padding.

Attach Seat, Back, And Armrests To The Base

Attach your finished seat, back, armrests to your dining chair base, making sure they are properly aligned within their original screw holes and holes that you’ve already applied before. Fix everything in place using screws or bolts. Recheck all parts to ensure that they are correctly secured before you start using them again

Removing And Cleaning Up

Once you’re done reupholstering your chair, make sure to remove as much of your old padding and upholstery as possible. Don’t worry about any adhesive that gets stained with the new padding fabric because it will be easier to remove later on when it’s time to take down the cushion. Then, simply clean up the dining chair seat and back once more using a dryer or vacuum.

FAQ

Can I Reupholster A Chair Myself?

Yes, you can take on the task of reupholstering a chair yourself. It may be daunting at first, but after doing it once or twice, you’ll find that it goes fairly quickly and is easy to do. To reupholstering a chair by yourself, you will need a piece of material and padding, a screwdriver, and a staple gun.

Is It Worth It To Reupholster A Chair?

For many people, reupholstering a chair is an easy DIY project. But for others, it can be a headache-inducing project that yields an overpriced product with no real additional value. That’s why you have to ask yourself: Is it worth the time, money, and effort to reupholster your old chairs? The answer is yes if you want to make your old furniture beautiful again. And no, if you don’t.

How Do You Reupholster A Dining Chair Without Removing Old Fabric?

If you want to reupholster a dining chair but don’t know how to remove the old fabric, this guide will show you how without removing any of your old fabric.

Step 1 – Place your new fabric over how you want to secure it
Step 2 – Put in staples every six inches along all the edges
Step 3 – Put in staples a top of the fabric about every two inches, and make sure they are tight so you won’t need to retighten them over time.

  1. James KenwoodJames is a professional in furniture sphere. He has 5 years of experience in working with all types of recliners. And now he shares his knowledge with people, who don't have time for research and who want to make the right choice for the future piece of furniture.