If you’re relatively new to upholstery, reupholstering a dining chair is a good way to practice. This guide will explain the basics on how to upholster a chair in your dining room. Follow this guide and soon enough your dining chair will be looking and feeling great!
How to Upholster a Chair - Things You’ll Need
There are a few things you’ll first need before beginning to upholster your dining chair. If your dining chair no longer feels comfortable to sit on, it’s a good idea to buy some new foam.
We sell a variety of upholstery foam sheets, many suitable for seating applications. You can also buy dining chair seat pads over at GB Foam Direct. This is a website which specialises in foam cut to size. Just input your required measurements and select a suitable foam. If you buy new foam, you’ll also need a suitable upholstery adhesive to glue the new foam down.
You’ll also need a screwdriver (Phillips or flat-head) to remove the seat pad. Be sure to check which type of screws are holding your seat pad to the chair frame.
A utility knife or scissors are required to remove the old fabric from the seat pad. You’ll also need a staple gun, a staple remover and a high-quality upholstery fabric.
We’ve put together a blog post on choosing the right upholstery fabric. Check that out for some ideas on which type of fabric to choose.
How to Upholster a Chair - The Right Length of Fabric
Working out how much fabric you’ll need to upholster your dining chair can seem confusing. It’s not as complicated as it seems though. As most upholstery fabric is sold in rolls, you’ll need to cut it down to size.
As a rule of thumb, you should measure the bottom of your dining seat and add around 6 inches to the outer edge. This will help to ensure that you have enough fabric to cover the seat pad and secure it down with staples.
Now to Start Upholstering Your Chair
Start by turning your dining chair upside-down. Remove all the screws from the underside of your seat and store them to one side.
Next, you’ll need to use a knife or scissors to remove the old fabric from the seat. Be sure to be extra cautious while doing this to avoid accidentally harming yourself. Remove the old staples from the wooden seat base.
If you’ve chosen to purchase new foam, remove the old padding and glue the new foam to the wooden seat base.
If you haven’t already, cut your upholstery fabric to size. Remember to add around 6 inches to the outer area.
Place the dining seat pad and wooden base onto the fabric. The inside of the fabric should be facing you. Take a section and tightly pull it over the wooden base, securing it with staples. Repeat with all sides.
The corners of the fabric should be pulled in last. You’ll want to try and make the fabric as smooth as possible when covering the seat. This may involve cutting away some excess fabric.
Finally, place your new dining seat pad back onto the chair frame. Retrieve the screw from earlier and screw them back into place.
And that’s it! Repeat as necessary for the rest of your dining chairs and don’t forget to give yourself a pat on the back.