Bring old dining room chairs back to life with new upholstery.
Years of use and small children can wreak havoc on upholstered dining room chairs. Instead of buying a new set, reupholster the seats to give new life to the dining room set. You don't even have to remove the old fabric - simply apply the new upholstery right over the original material. The existing fabric will serve to further cushion the reupholstered seat.
Instructions
1. Remove the screws from the four corners of the seat with a screwdriver and set the chair frame aside.
2. Measure the a flexible tape measure. Measure front to back and side to side at the widest points. Extend the tape measure 1 inch beyond the existing fabric and record the measurements on the underside of the seat. Add a mark that indicates which side is the front.
3. Measure the fabric according to the dimensions you recorded. Mark it or make small snips with fabric sheers at the appropriate dimensions. Vinyl or another upholstery fabric is appropriate, but make sure you choose something durable.
4. Cut out fabric squares that are large enough to cover each seat you are reupholstering.
5. Lay out one fabric square on a flat, clean work surface with the finished side facing down. Line up the center of the chair cushion with the center of the fabric square.
6. Load a staple gun with 3/8-inch staples.
7. Pull the fabric on one side of the cushion up so the edge rests on the underside of the cushion. Hold the fabric in place with one hand and fire the staple gun with the other.
8. Shoot staples a few inches apart into the first side of the cushion. Stop about 2 inches from the corner.
9. Pull fabric on the opposite side of the cushion taut against the old fabric. Repeat the stapling process along this side, again stopping about 2 inches from the corner.
10. Staple along the final two sides of the cushion, not too close to the corners. Pull the fabric snug as you staple to ensure a tight fit around the cushion.
11. Trim away some excess fabric from the first corner, cutting parallel with one side of the cushion along the staples. Bring the fabric in and staple it around the corner of the seat. Cut away excess material as you staple until the corner is securely in place. Staple the remaining three corners the same way. Trim all excess material to about 1/2 inch from the staples.
12. Screw the cushion back on the chair frame, using the mark you made on the underside to find the front of the seat.
13. Repeat the steps above with all remaining chairs.
Tags: side cushion, Pull fabric, about inches, about inches from, chair frame, cushion with, dining room