Half-seat dining chairs require little work to reupholster.
If your antique dining chairs have seen better days, but you can't bear the thought of getting rid of them, then reupholstering might be the solution. Reupholstering the seats of dining chairs not only updates the look of half-seat chairs, but also gives the seat and padding a new life. So long as the wooden back and frame of the chair is in good condition, reupholstering half-seat dining chairs is a straightforward project even for beginners.
Instructions
1. Measure the length and width of one chair's seat. Purchase enough foam to provide solid sheets of foam this size for each chair. Add 8 inches to both measurements and purchase enough fabric and batting to provide solid pieces this size for each chair. Cut the foam to the seat's size. Cut the fabric and batting to the seat size plus 8 inches.
2. Turn the chair onto its side or back. Look along the underside of the seat to find the screws that hold the wooden seat panel in place, usually just four screws with one at each corner. Unscrew each screw and set them aside.
3. Push the panel away from the chair frame. Lay the seat cushion on a flat surface with the wood panel facing up. Remove each staple that holds the existing fabric in place and peel off the fabric and old padding material.
4. Place the wood panel over your foam and mark the foam with a marker along any place where the foam extends beyond the panel. Cut the foam along the lines, if necessary, to make it match the shape of the panel.
5. Lay a piece of fabric out flat with the pattern facing down. Layer the batting over the fabric. Center your foam over the batting so 4 inches of batting and fabric stick out from all four sides. Set the panel over the foam with the underside surface facing up.
6. Wrap the fabric and batting around to the panel along the front edge of the seat. Secure the fabric by stapling every inch to within 1 inch from the side edges. Wrap the fabric around to the panel along the back edge, pulling the material tight, and staple every inch up to 1 inch from the sides. Repeat this step to bring the fabric sides to the panel tightly and secure to within 1 inch from the front and back edges.
7. Pull each corner of the fabric upward and then toward the center of the panel and smooth flat. Secure with staples. As you secure the corners, trim the fabric short when necessary to avoid covering the screw holes in the panel.
8. Replace the seat on the frame of the chair. Secure the panel with the screws you removed earlier. Don't tighten the screws so far that the paneling cracks. Turn the chair upright and repeat the process to reupholster the other chairs you have.
Tags: dining chairs, fabric batting, inch from, , around panel along