New fabric and batting gives a Parsons chair new life.
Reupholstering a Parsons chair can add years of usability and attractiveness to a piece that was headed for the dumpster. People sometimes confuse reupholstering with recovering, but they are not the same process. Recovering replaces worn-out, torn or stained fabric and changes only the exterior of the chair. Reupholstering addresses internal issues, usually focusing on replacing old stuffing as well as recovering the piece. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Turn the chair upside down. Look for exposed staples attaching the fabric to the chair frame and, using your needle-nose pliers, remove those staples, starting from the underside of the chair and working your way up to the chair back. Cut the fabric off with your scissors if necessary, but try to leave the fabric covering as intact as possible, as you will be using it as a template. Once you have the fabric completely removed, rip open any remaining seams. Set fabric pieces aside. Leave no fabric, staples or tacks attached to the chair.
2. The cushion batting on the chair should now be exposed; remove any that is worn or stained. Cut the foam to the size of the seat, and place it on top of the seat. Wrap the cotton batting around the seat, then staple it to the frame. Wrap cotton batting around the chair back once or twice, as necessary for comfort, then staple it to the frame.
3. Lay out your new fabric on a large, flat surface such as a table or the floor. Place the old fabric templates that you have saved on top of it. Trace around the old fabric templates using chalk. Remove the old fabric. Draw another border around your previous tracings, this time leaving about two extra inches around the border. Cut around the latest markings you made.
4. Place the new fabric on top of the foam- and batting-covered chair frame, putting the pieces in the same spots from which their templates were removed. Pull your fabric tautly around the seat, but not too tight, and staple the edges of the fabric to the bottom of the seat. Stretch the fabric sitting on the front of the chair back, which should be attached to the fabric covering the seat, around the sides of the chair and staple in the middle of the chair back. Pull the fabric left at the top of the chair over the top completely, and fold the side over, creating a faux side seam. Continue stretching until the fabric reaches the bottom of the seat; staple. Trim any fabric left over after stapling is complete.
Tags: chair back, around seat, batting around, border around, bottom seat