How to Reupholster a Chair | Home Decor Furniture Rehab Tutorial

Learn to Reupholster a Chair. Ready to reupholster even more furniture? You’ll love this chair project.

How to Reupholster a Chair

Tools & Materials Needed

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• Standard flat head screw driver
• Needle-nose pliers
• Tiny flat head screw driver
• Bowl for discarded staples and tacks
• Paint
• Fabric
• Foam
• Scissors or knife
• Stapler
• Hammer

Step 1. Remove all tacks and fasteners.

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Take the chair apart by removing all tacks and fasteners using a standard flat head screwdriver or needle-nose pliers. Do this with caution. It’s best to wear gloves during this process. Keep all removed staples and tacks in a bowl to prevent unnecessary injury.

Once the fasteners have been removed, you can take the old fabric off and use it to cut out a new one. Mark the fabric with indicators that will help you draw the same pattern for the new fabric. This will help you save time trying to figure out which end of the fabric goes to what side of the chair.

Step 2. Cut out the foam

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Use the chair base as a guide to cut a new foam. Simply place the wooden seat onto the foam and use a knife to cut the foam contouring the seat.

Step 3. Paint the chair

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Paint the chair with your color of choice. For best results, sand all exposed wood first and apply a coat of primer.

Step 4. Cut out the fabric

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Lay the newly cut out foam in your new fabric.  Cut the fabric around the foam leaving at least 6” to 7” around each side. Mark all cut pieces with the panel names you’ve chosen in step 1. This will help prevent mix up and confusion.

Lay the new cut out fabric on the chair to check for fit. Make adjustments as needed.

Step 5. Put everything back together

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It is best to work on the chair seat first then put the panels back together. Place the panels in reverse order to that in which you removed them. Refer to your list of indicators.

To attach fabric, pull the fabric snugly over the foam and carefully staple it. Secure fabric with a few staples first and work your way up by adding more staples later. This way, it won’t be too much work if you commit a mistake and need to redo your work. Hammer down the staples if your stapler wasn’t able to staple all the way through the wood. Cut off any extra fabric.
Watch this video for a play by play:

How will you be reupholstering your furniture? Share with us in the comments!

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