Give your dining-room or other straight-back chairs a fresh look by reupholstering the chair seats. While occasionally you will find chair seats that can be recovered only by a professional, most seats, especially on wooden chairs, are designed for easy replacement of seating materials and fabric. Recoverable seats are usually attached to the chair frame with screws and are easily replaced using the steps below. General directions for replacing seats edged with decorative braid or headed upholstery nails follow in the final section. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
Before you shop for supplies
1. Turn a chair over to see how the seat is attached. If you find a flat piece of fabric stapled across the bottom of the seat, remove staples and fabric (keep fabric as a pattern for replacement). You should see screws--one at each corner of the frame and possibly more. Remove screws.
2. Remove stapled or glued seat fabric (again, keep to use as pattern). Under it, you are likely to find another muslin-like fabric; under that, foam cushioning or, on older chairs, loose cotton batting (keep all fabrics, dispose of batting). Under that you will find plywood (leave as is) or crisscrossed coarse fabric strips called buckram tape (remove and keep).
3. Measure all the materials you have saved from dismantling one chair. Multiply these measurements by the number of chairs you are reupholstering. Now you're ready to shop.
4. Locate replacement supplies. Nearly everything you need is available at a good sewing supply store. You may, however, need to call more than one store to find foam padding you can cut to size and buckram tape. Call fabric stores and describe what you need, including dimensions, for foam and buckram tape; you can also search out an upholstery supply store.
Reupholstering seats
5. Use your old materials to cut the new ones. You can work one chair at a time or on all of them, assembly-line fashion, depending on your space and time. Replace materials in the order you removed them, and attach them to the chair seat in the ways the old ones were attached (a staple gun can be used as an alternative to replacing old nails or tacks). If old buckram was drooping, replace it stretched flat. If old muslin sagged, pull it firmly over new foam. If you begin to feel as though you need more hands, anchor each layer with thumbtacks as you go along, then remove as you staple.
6. Examine old top fabric carefully before you attach the new final layer. The fabric should show you how the original craftsman folded or gathered materials at the corners to achieve a smooth fit. Learn from the previous work before beginning to staple.
7. Replace reupholstered seat on chair. If old screws were missing or fitted loosely, replace with new ones just one size larger. Take old screws with you to the hardware store if they are very old; you may need advice on replacement.
Braid, nails and springs
8. Decide whether you would like to tackle chairs with fabric covers edged in decorative braid or rows of headed upholstery nails.
These require a bit more effort but can certainly be done at home. Use the following factors to make your decision:
1. The quality of the chair. If this is a beloved family heirloom or the wood appears to be very dry with age, you may wish to practice on other chairs for a while or get professional help.
2. The complexity of previous work. Notice especially whether the top layer has been cut and seamed--this is work you will have to duplicate to get good results.
3. The presence of springs under the padding (this is often the case if the upholstered part of the seat sits 2 or more inches above the wooden frame.
9. Add a few supplies to your basic list if you have decided to go ahead. See the (if needed) category, above. Obtain some single-edged razor blades and wood-scratch repair crayons in the color of your wood finish. Use razor blades to remove glued braid carefully and repair accidental scratches from braid or nail removal.
10. Follow previous step-by-step removal instructions. Use scissors carefully (or a seam-ripper) to open any stitching--once again, your old fabric pieces will serve as patterns for new work. With careful copying, you can reproduce any necessary stitching.
11. Examine how springs were tied before removing the twine that holds them (the hardware store will have new twine). Every set of springs will be tied in the way the craftsman thought best, but the goal is always the same--a level, secure surface on which you can place replacement foam and fabric. On your first chair, you may wish to gain expertise by replacing one piece of twine at a time, till you literally get a grip on the system. Cover tied springs with buckram tape to increase stability.
12. Replace by layers. Finish with new nails, braid or both. Glue helps with both; if you are not certain that new nails will hold tight, coat old nail holes with a coat of glue and let dry; the coat of glue will slightly tighten the hold of new nails. A thin coat of glue also insures that braid stays in place. Use wood-repair crayons to cover any accidental scratches once glue is dry.
Tags: buckram tape, coat glue, accidental scratches, chair seats, decorative braid