what do i need to reupholster a chair

The tools you need to reupholster a chair are pretty simple:

• Phillips-head or flathead screwdriver
• Staple remover
• New batting (if yours is too worn)
• 4 straight pins
• Staple gun
• New piece of fabric

Full Answer

How much does it cost to recover a chair?

Cost To Reupholster A Chair. The average cost to reupholster a chair is $200 to $1,000 depending on the size, quality of fabric, and labor. Dining room chair reupholstery costs $150 to $600 per chair depending on if it has a back. The cost to reupholster a recliner or wingback chair is $600 to $1,500.

How to reupholster a midcentury modern chair?

Reupholstering My Chair: Can I Do It Myself?

• Be prepared with the right tools for the job. ...
• Purchasing a little extra fabric to reupholster your chair is like buying insurance. ...
• Tear Down: Yes, I did just say epidermis. ...
• Upholstery tear down is a dirty job, but necessary in the process of reupholstering a chair. ...
• Take lots of pictures and notes. ...

How to upholster a chair seat, Part #1?

Staple the upholstery in the center of each of the 4 sides of the seat. Grasp the fabric on 1 side of the seat and pull it up and over the edge of the seat. Locate the center of the seat edge, and place a staple in the center of the edge to secure the fabric.

How to stain an antique chair?

Stain the piece. It is best to purchase a leading brand of pigmented wiping stain, which are color fast, direct-to-wood stains formulated to develop and highlight the grain of all wood species. Brush the stain on, leave it for a moment and wipe it dry with a dry rag. Make sure to use rubber gloves and a mask during the staining process as well.

Is reupholstering a chair difficult?

No problem. Just pull a few staples and start over. Reupholstering is a great way to bring tired-looking chairs-even tired-looking rooms-back to life. The materials are relatively inexpensive, the tools are simple and it's a project almost anyone can tackle with success.

What do you need to reupholster something?

To reupholster a chair, you'll just need: a staple gun, some fabric, sewing machine, and a screwdriver. Once you have these items, you'll need to disassemble your chair from the bottom. Place the fabric and staple it on.

What supplies do I need to reupholster a couch?

What Do You Need to Reupholster a Couch?Staple remover.Staple gun and staples.Flathead screwdriver.Pliers.Strong scissors.New fabric.Notebook and pen.Sewing machine (optional)More items...•

What is the easiest way to reupholster a seat?

InstructionsRemove the Seat. Turn the chair upside down, and unscrew the seat from the frame, using a drill or screwdriver. ... Remove the Old Fabric. Turn the seat over. ... Center Your Pattern. ... Cut the New Seat Cover. ... Attach the Fabric to the Seat. ... Complete the Corners. ... Reattach the Seat.

What is the average cost to reupholster a chair?

Written by HomeAdvisor. The cost to reupholster a chair ranges from $200 to $2,000, or around $800 on average. This price includes labor at $40 to $100 per hour and about $50 to $70 per yard in fabric.

What is the best tool to reupholster a chair?

Upholstery ToolsRubber Mallet. Every home needs a rubber mallet. ... Straight-Blade Sewing Scissors. Best for cutting fabric, thin foam, batting, and thread. ... Upholstery Needle. A must have. ... Stapler or Tack Hammer. These are necessary for adhering materials to furniture frame. ... Claw Tool. ... Webbing Stretcher.

Can you reupholster a chair yourself?

Luckily, as long as the bones of the furniture are in good shape, a bit of fabric and some staples can give an outdated chair an entirely new look. Whether you're updating an old favorite or refreshing a flea market find, reupholstering a chair is a DIY project that can make a big impact.

How many yards of fabric do I need to reupholster a chair?

You will need about 3 to 7 yards of fabric to reupholster a chair. This all depends on the type of chair. Simple dining room chairs with no arms, back, and base cushion will need 3 yards of fabric. High wing back, formal chairs will need about 7 yards.

Is Reupholstering cheaper than buying new?

* Cost. If a piece was expensive, recovering it will be cheaper than replacing it with something equally well made. Reupholstering is often 50 to 60 percent of the cost of replacing, Stills said.

Is it worth it to reupholster a chair?

High-quality furniture is always worth reupholstering because it is built to last, so if you see that the frame is solid and made of hardwood, it means it's sturdy and worth saving; whereas, low-quality furniture will have engineered wood and staples and you'd be better off buying a brand new chair.

Can you reupholster chair over existing fabric?

So long as the old fabric isn't darker than your new fabric, you can even upholster right over it.

Do you need batting to reupholster a chair?

0:082:583 Tips for Using Batting in Your Upholstery Project - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipYou can see that the corners are puckered where batting will be filling this out giving a nice plumpMoreYou can see that the corners are puckered where batting will be filling this out giving a nice plump. Clean look. So it's a good idea to always use batting in your upholstery.

What materials do you need to make a chair?

Chairs can be made from wood, metal, or other strong materials, like stone or acrylic. In some cases, multiple materials are used to construct a chair; for example, the legs and frame may be made from metal and the seat and back may be made from plastic.

Can you do upholstery yourself?

DIY upholstery, a simple technique that will have you re-covering chairs, benches, headboards, and even box springs with your own two hands, requires only one tool, and it's a staple gun. The method is not unlike wrapping a present, and the results are more professional-looking than you can imagine.

Is it cheaper to reupholster or buy a new chair?

If a piece was expensive, recovering it will be cheaper than replacing it with something equally well made. Reupholstering is often 50 to 60 percent of the cost of replacing, Stills said. My armchairs would cost around $800 to $1000 each to replace. Recovering cost $500 per chair ($320 for labor, $180 for fabric).

How do you recover over existing fabric?

0:012:22Furniture Reupholstery: The Tricks You Have to Know - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipStart by using a seam ripper to remove the old fabric to make the job easier on your. Hands. If theMoreStart by using a seam ripper to remove the old fabric to make the job easier on your. Hands. If the cushioning has seen better days add an extra layer of poly fiber fill.

How to sew welting on a chair?

Sew Welting. Pin the side panel to the seat fabric, making any necessary adjustments to the fit or pattern placement. Mark the position for the bottom welting. Remove the side fabric from the chair and sew the welting to the right side of the panel, at top and where marked near bottom, starting and ending at the back.

How to staple a chair seat?

Holding the right side of the panel up against the seat, staple the top welting in place around the seat. Add a tack strip around the panel top against the welting and staple in place. Fold the side panel down over the tack strip, pull tight, and staple in place to the underside of the chair with the bottom welting fitting snugly along the edge. Snip notches in the fabric underneath the seat as you smooth around corners. Tuck any excess fabric underneath using a flathead screwdriver.

How to secure fabric to back of chair?

Use fabric glue or decorative upholstery tacks to secure excess fabric to the back of the reupholstered chair.

How to sew welting around seat apron?

Using the old pieces as your guide, determine the length of the welting needed to go around the seat apron at the top and bottom. Cut enough 2-inch-wide bias strips to equal that length, allowing a few extra inches. Join the strips with diagonal seams and trim the seam allowance to 1/2 inch. Fold the bias strip around the cord and use a zipper foot to sew in place. The welting will go around the bottom of the seat apron.

How to cut fabric for upholstery?

Lay the original upholstery pieces wrong-side up on the wrong side of the new fabric , watching for the grain, placement of the pattern or motifs, and direction of the pattern. Pin in place and cut around the pattern, leaving 2 to 3 inches of fabric beyond the stapled edges of the original pieces. This will give you fabric to grasp when stapling. (The original pieces were trimmed after they were stapled.) Repeat this process to cut out each fabric section. Transfer the markings for direction, welting, and seams onto the new pieces with chalk.

How to cover a chair with batting?

Cover the chair back first, stapling it down. To prevent visible indents from the staples, pull gently on the batting around each staple so the staple is inside the batting. Next, cover the seat with batting in the same way, folding neatly around the corners. Cutting new pattern for chair. Step 3.

How to attach a chair back to a chair?

Place back panel in position and fold the right side over the top of the chair back. Apply a tack strip to the top of the back rear and staple in place. Fold the panel back over the strip and pull tight toward the bottom of the chair back. Fold bottom edge under and staple to the underside of the chair back.

How to make a cushion with a pleated edge?

Starting at one corner, pull the point of the fabric over toward the center of the cushion, and staple it. Staple the remaining fabric around the corner by pleating it neatly and stapling as you go. Repeat this with the remaining three corners. Be sure not to staple over the screw holes.

How to reupholster a chair?

How much does it cost to reupholster a chair, and what materials do I need? 1 Phillips-head or flathead screwdriver 2 Staple remover 3 New batting (if yours is too worn) 4 4 straight pins 5 Staple gun 6 New piece of fabric

How to make a cushion out of fabric?

Lay your fabric right-side down on a flat surface, and top it with the cushion, right-side down. Align your pins at the corners again. Fold the top of the fabric over the cushion, and staple it once in the center. Repeat on the bottom and then on the right and left sides, pulling the fabric tight each time.

How to remove seat cushion from chair?

Turn your chair upside down, and remove the seat cushion by unscrewing it. If your chair has a tack strip (a long piece of cardboard holding the cushion in instead of screws), simply pry out the staples using a flathead screwdriver. Use a staple remover or needle-nose pliers to remove the staples holding the fabric in place on the cushion.

How to measure for a chair cushion?

It's easiest to measure correctly after removing the cushion from the chair. Measure the length and width of the cushion and add 3 or 4 inches to each side to account for folding the fabric around the sides . It's easiest to use your cushion as a template, especially if you're positioning the fabric on the cushion in a specific place due to the pattern or design. Assuming standard-sized cushions, you can get around two seats out of three-fourths of a yard of upholstery (54-inch-wide) fabric.

How to make a seat cover with a seat cushion?

Turn your seat right-side up and arrange the fabric as you like it across the cushion. Mark the corners using four staple pins. Turn the fabric over and put your old fabric on top of the new fabric. Line up the corners of the old cover with your corner pins.

How to remove staples from a cushion?

Use a staple remover or needle-nose pliers to remove the staples holding the fabric in place on the cushion.

What is an upholstery pin?

Upholstery pins or skewers are used for securing fabric and base material in place. They are much larger than normal sewing pins and range from 2” – 4” long. They generally have a large loop at one end (a bit like a kebab skewer!) to ensure they don’t disappear into your piece of furniture. They make life much easier for when you are trying to anchor a piece of fabric in place before stapling or stitching it.

What are upholstery needles made of?

Upholstery needles are understandably much sturdier than ordinary household fabric or garment needles. They are made from steel and come in various sizes and shapes. Straight needles come in very long lengths 12”, 14” and 16” – in order to pull through heavy fabric and also any other layers you may have in your chair; padding, batting or foam.

What is a regulator in furniture?

So, what is a regulator. A regulator is in appearance like a long needle. It comes in several gauges and lengths. It is used to adjust padding or smooth any lumps and bumps in your fabric. It can also be used to tuck fabric in between a tack strip. As you attach your fabric to the strip you can use your regulator to smooth everything into place before using your rubber mallet to finish it off. It creates a wonderful finished edge, as no staples can be used on certain areas of your furniture piece, ie on the top back and sides of a chair.

What is a rubber mallet?

A rubber mallet is your gentle but aggressive tool. You can use it to break furniture apart that needs to be repaired. A piece that needs parts replacing without damaging the wood or structure. It won’t leave a mark where you hit it. Some people go that extra bit and stick some cotton on the end for extra protection. It can also be used for tapping rails or snap fasteners without doing any damage to your new fabric.

Step 1: Choose a Chair to Reupholster

This is the chair in its original state. Awful. Seriously, this was truly offensive. It is also important to pick a fabric. I warn you that this is a very difficult step, so you may want to shop around a bit or look at some design websites for ideas.

Step 2: Start at the Bottom

When you are removing fabric and pieces, start any chair from the bottom first. Most chairs are finished on the bottom, so the best method is to remove fabric in the reverse order it was put on…this way the last pieces you will remove will be the first pieces you put back on.

Step 3: Remove Exterior Frame

For this chair, I needed to remove the bottom frame to get to the fabric. I used a thin flat head screwdriver and a hammer to get between the frame and the chair, then I just pried it apart. Be careful with any nails or staples that are exposed…I recommend wearing work gloves.

Step 4: Remove Your Panels in Order - Bottom First

You can see all of the staples that were used – removing these is the most time consuming part of the project. You want to be careful removing the fabric so that you can reuse it as a template for the new fabric you choose. The best way to remove these is using any method that works for you…I used a pair of pliers and a thin flat head screwdriver.

Step 5: Label Your Steps

You will want to save the piping that you remove, as it is already cut to be the perfect length for each section. Again, just keep on removing the staples and fabric. Make sure to label each section that you remove so that you know where they go when you are recovering.

Step 6: Pli-Grip

Ply-grip: Our worst enemy and our best friend. The sharp metal teeth you find on large sections such as the back and sides are called Ply-grip. You will want to be careful with these pieces because they are very sharp. The best way to open them is using a butter knife to pry it open (seen in the next picture).

Step 7: Completely Remove Fabric

Continue removing fabric panels until the frame of the chair is totally exposed. Be cognizant of where batting and foam pieces are – some of them need to be removed to get to where fabric was stapled in, and some (like in this picture) should be left along because there is nothing further to remove.

What you need?

To get started, we have highlighted a few things you would need to get your chair looking beautiful again. They are not very far-fetched, and you can get them from a local store. You might most likely have a few of these things at home. However, it is best to keep them close as you work to avoid going up and down. We have also divided them into the ‘tools’ and ‘materials’ to make them easy for you to grasp.

How to cover a chair with breathable fabric?

Use the old piece as a guide to know the exact length you need. Turn the chair over and then staple the new fabric to the underside. This is usually done to hide any spring and to act as a dust cover. When doing this, ensure that the material is well-stapled to cover all edges of the fabric. Then, you can turn the chair back to its normal position.

How to staple a chair back?

Make sure the back panel is in the correct position before you begin. Then, fold the right side to the top of the chair and use your tack strip to staple it in place. Firmly fold the back panel over the strip, ensuring that it fits nicely into the chair.

What is upholstery furniture?

Upholstering is the art or process of providing ‘extra’ to your possessions. For a piece of furniture, you might add a little more spring, padding, or webbing to the seats. You can also customize your furniture pieces with leather or fabric covers (if they didn’t come with it).

How to make a pattern for a new fabric?

To make new fabric patterns, align the wrong side of the old piece with the wrong side of the new fabric and watch the directions of the patterns. Then cut around this pattern. However, note that you need to extend the material by 2 or 3 inches beyond the stapled edge of the old piece. This ensures that the new fabric will not be smaller than the initial fabric after the process is completed.

What is a hot glue gun?

Hot glue gun. A heavy-duty staple gun, pneumatic staple gun, or a hand staple gun. Here are the other things you might want to consider getting, especially if you’re going to make this a regular thing.

How to make a chair pattern?

Start by carefully removing the backcloth from the underside of the chair. You need to do this carefully and ensure that you don’t destroy any old pieces- as you will need them in the long run for making your patterns. Then, label the pieces and mark each end with a marking pen.

How Much Fabric to Reupholster a Chair?

From my experience, there is no single determining amount for it. It will vary a lot depending on the fabric’s dimensions, the size of the chair, and how much of the chair you want to cover.

How to Determine the Amount of Fabric?

If you can consult an expert, it’d really help you as it did in my case. There are a few factors you want to consider before you take up the measuring tape.

What are the different types of fabrics used for upholstery?

The different types of fabrics commonly used for upholstery are cotton, linen, wool, leather, acetate, hemp, silk, polyester, and so on. There is no end to it. You’re free to choose anything! But it’s certainly better to choose the same fabric type as before. You don’t want to get used to the new texture and feel.

What is a Parson's chair?

Designed during the 1930s, this Parson’s chair is a common dining chair. It’s an armless chair. Compared to the previous one, this has more of a linear design and square-shaped legs.

Can you use fabric on a chair?

Most chairs have the same structure, but the measurement of the sitting space and the back can vary slightly. If the chair has its fabric, you can use this fabric as a template to cut your purchased fabric.

Should I reupholster my furniture?

For those who don’t have such sentimental aspects, you should also be reupholstering your furniture. Why am I saying it? It’s from the perspective of quality. The quality of your old chairs and sofas is better than what you’ll find today at the same price or more. Especially, the quality of the wood was far better.

Is fabric thickness worth considering?

Therefore, the fabric thickness is something worth considering. If you genuinely like the pattern of the fabric, but it’s thinner than you’d like, buy a separate fabric of the same color without the pattern.