Upholstery provides new life for old chairs.
Caned chairs make lovely, old-fashioned additions to any dining room -- until they start fraying and developing holes from use. Before destroying the caning on old chairs, get a qualified opinion as to the effect the change will have on the value of the piece. If the effect is negligible or if you're just determined to change the style of your dining room, then go ahead. Removing the caning is easy and all you need is some plywood, stuffing and fabric to fashion new seats for your old chairs.
Instructions
Deconstruction
1. Locate the finishing border of the caning -- beading or binding around the borders of the caned portion of the seat. Some caning is wrapped around a thin wood binding attached to an inner vertical edge, and some lies flat on an indented part of the top surface of the chair.
2. Pry gently all the way around the caning panel with a nail puller or broad, short-bladed knife to detach the border and release the caning.
3. Sand any nicked edges smooth. Repair them with stain and a bit of varnish if necessary.
Build a Cushion
4. Make a chair top pattern with craft paper 1/2 inch smaller than the chair frame top all the way around. Cut a top out of 1/4-inch plywood for each chair.
5. Cut 2- to 3-inch-thick upholstery foam to fit each plywood . Glue one on each base.
6. Cut pieces of 1/2-inch thick upholstery foam 2 inches larger all around than the base to cover the thicker cushion foam. Turn the seat top upside down on the 1/2-inch foam and pull it evenly down around the plywood. Staple the cover to the base as close to the edge as possible. Trim the thinner covering so it does not extend more than 1 inch into the bottom of the plywood base.
Finishing the Cushion
7. Cut your upholstery fabric to fit the seat cushion so that the fabric extends about 3 inches on all sides of the base. Ensure that the fabric pattern, if any, is consistent from one chair to another before cutting.
8. Turn the fabric finished side down and square the cushion, upside down, on it.
9. Tack the fabric lightly to each side of the cushion base in the center to hold it in place. Turn the cushion over to check the orientation of the fabric and adjust it if necessary.
10. Staple or tack the fabric into the plywood back of the cushion, easing around the corners as you work. Place staples or tacks approximately 2 inches in from the edge. Trim excess material from the bottom of the cushion.
11. Place the cushion, fabric side up, on the chair frame. Attach it with wood screws through the seat frame corner blocks or the inner rim. If there are no holes, drill four to anchor the seat cushion.
Tags: , cushion base, dining room, seat cushion, that fabric