Reupholstering Dining Room Chairs HELP!

I found some really cute dinner napkins from Target that I loved and they just happened to be large enough to fit over my dining room chair seats. Unscrew the bottom, staple, replace screws and voila!

Google how to reupholster dining room chair. If you want to reupholster the seat, there are screws on the bottom of the chair seat. All you have to do is unscrew the seat. The upholstery is usually tacked on with staples which you need to remove. You can use a flat head screwdriver to lift the staple and then a pliers to yank it off. You can then make a pattern out of the existing upholstery. Then you could take it to a fabric store and ask for help in choosing the fabric or naugahyde, whichever you prefer.

On the other hand, you may just want to go to Craigslist.com and look for a nice dining set that would probably cost you as much as the fabric. Good luck.

Try contacting a local college or community college that carries an upholstery class. I've had luck and the workmanship is good because it's the students grade on the line.

If you turn the chair over and look under the seat, you will see screws in the corner(s) that hold on the seat. (Sometimes counter drilled into a corner block - it should look like it goes right up into the seat from underneath). Once you remove (at least) the corners (could be more - not likely) you should be able to remove the seat from the chair. Notice that the existing fabric is likely stapled on the bottom. Remove fabric and existing staples (if your chairs are not too old, you should be able to use your existing pads, if not, they are available at most fabric retailers). Cut flat pattern from paper using existing fabric or just trace onto new fabric from existing making sure to take the new fabric pattern into account (if floral, do you want the same flower pattern on each chair? or if it is a stripe make sure that you cut each one the same direction). Starting with the sides, pull the fabric taught (NOT TOO TIGHT) and staple on the bottom. Batting and/or reinforcement tape should help in making a more clean "professional" look. Pay special attention to the corners (they will require folding/notching to create a clean effect). When complete, reattach to chair and voila!!

GOOD LUCK!

P. P
Interior Designer

P. S. Boca Bargoons in Plano is a great place to look for upholstery fabric and they often have 50% and 75% off sales.

You can try Hancocks for decorator fabric. It's thicker than normal fabric & beautiful choices. They also sell the thich foam should you need to replace the old. They sell the tacks and can give you great advice on covering. Good luck!

Keeton Supply (www.keetonsupply.com) in Fort Worth was very helpful when I recovered my dining chairs. They told me how much foam, batting, fabric, etc. I needed, and they showed me tools that would help in the process. They sell everything you need but the fabric, and I recommend looking at Cutting Corners (one in Dallas and one in Fort Worth) for great prices on upholstery fabrics. If you are able to remove the old fabric in one piece from one of the chairs, you can use it as a pattern. The hardest part is pulling staples, but Keeton has a staple puller that makes this task easier. If you have an air compressor, I recommend getting a pneumatic staple gun because it really drives those staples in, but an electric staple gun(found cheap at Harbor Freight Tools)will work as well. Good luck!

I have done my chairs twice since we bought this set. It is pretty easy! The first time I did them I did not put plastic on, but this time I did to save having to do it again. (kids and sticky fingers!)

The process is pretty simple. You can get fabric at Walmart, Joanns or any other fabric store. I suggest a heavier fabric, usually it is called upholstry. If you look at the fabric stores you can catch them on sale (Joanns has a weekly coupon in the sunday paper too!).

You can also buy the plastic covering at the same store. I purchased mine at Walmart. There are different thicknesses, I picked one in the middle. To thin will rip when tugging on the chair and too thick will be hard to wrap to the chair when putting on.

I would take off he seat of one of your chairs (requires screwdriver) and undo the staples that are holding the fabric on. This fabric you will take to the store to let the fabric cutter know how many yards of fabric you will need. this fabric Xs how many chairs you have and how wide the fabric you pick out is.

Then use that seat cover as a pattern to cut your fabric and plastic with. I used pins to keep the old fabric attached to the new stuff while I was cutting. This seemed easier than trying to draw lines on where to cut.

Once you have all your seats cut out then you start assembling! This took two people for me. One to tug the fabric tight to the chair and one to staple with the stample gun, but I am sure you could swing it with one person.

After the fabric is on you repeat with the plastic. Then trim any extra off and screw back to the chair. It seems like a lot when you are thinking about it, but it was really easy and took me less than an hour to do all 6 of my chairs. I love them and the fact I can wipe them down after kids messes. And the whole redo cost under $50!

I think diy.com has a tutorial on doing the fabric.

Good Luck!

C.

As a working M. of 2 boys, I look for the easiest and least expensive fix to everything. I know it sounds like an old woman thing to do, but pick out whatever fabric you want, then go to the plastic sheeting. Ask what gauge it is that furniture stores use in their show room. Recovering is relatively simple depending on what kind of chairs you have.
Just unscrew the cushion, pull the material tight over it, and use a staple gun to secure the fabric on the under side. Then do the same thing with the plastic. Just pay careful attention to the corners. Good luck!

it is very easy! You can use your fabric to cover the chairs and attach the fabric first and then you can buy the plastic separate and you attach that next right over the fabric. I bought the clear plastic at Hobby Lobby and I'm sure any fabric store will carry it. You buy it buy the yard just like fabric. I change my daughter's chairs in their rooms to match their rooms. The chair that one of my daughter's have is my old furniture from when I was little so it is over 30 years old and by recovering the seat (many times) by changing the fabric and putting the clear plastic seat cover over it, the chair looks like new :)

HI Monica, my reply is more of encouragement to you. I made a slip cover for my couch and chair last year and i'm very happy with the fact that I did both for less 100.00 in fabric. My kids were 2 y/o and 3 1/2 and since they are still in that 'spilling' stage I didn't want to invest in new a new set just yet. I would recommend faux suede(itls like the micro fabric) fabric for your chairs. For spills, you just take a damp rag and clean it up. Congrats on buying your first home!

Monica:

It depends on the chairs... are they the type with a seat and back that are upholstered with wood for the rest? Or just the seat that's upholstered? If so it's really easy to unscrew each and lay fabric over. You can either glue gun or staple!

It's easy! My mother is very crafty!... Take out the "seat" part & you can either remove the old cover or material which is probably stapled on & put more one the same way or just cover it up! Pick out your material ( a strong type of material since you'll be stretching it) Pull it taut over the seat then fold it under & staple away! Then put the "seat" back on & waulah!

www.DIYnetwork.com has directions and videos on stuff like that. From what I've seen, you just take the cushion off, wrap the fabric around the front, and staple it to the back. Of course, I've never actually tried it. ;-)

Try HGTV online they usually have helpful hints.

I just did the same thing with my dining room chair. It's easy...I went to Wal-Mart and and bought 3 1/2 yards of "pleather" material with the backing (about $12). We took the seat cushions off and cut out patterns, then used a staple gun and put the new on top of the old. You'll need 1 maybe 2 people to help hold the seats down. Let me know if you need any other help.

I am also recovering some chairs. They should just screw off from the bottom and the seat should just come off. Then, you'll need a staple gun. You can get the fabric at a nice fabric store, and then, just work the fabric around to the bottom of the chair and staple around. That's the way I do it. I've done my chairs about 3 times now, and it looks good every time. It's cheap too!

Hi Monica. Before we had our little one, one of our nephews purposely put ketchup and mustard on our dining room table chairs and the cushions color is cream; we were able to get them clean for free under our warranty and I decided that just in case this happens again we need to reupholster. You can go to Joann's, Hobby Lobby or Wal-Mart. I wanted a vinyl material nothing too dark but I liked the color on the chairs so I chose a clear vinyl. Measure your chairs length across the seat and from back to front. When you go the store the employees in that department will help you with the amount that you need, always get more than you need. My chairs had screws on the bottom. We took the screws out and placed the material on top of the cushion and wrapped it to the bottom sides, the screws went into the bottom sides which holds the material into place or you can buy a staple gun to staple the material to the bottom sides and we placed the cushion back into the chair. If you purchase a cloth material and want that extra protection, you can buy a clear vinyl from Walmart for $1.00 - $1.97 a yard. I have 6 chairs and it took 2 1/2 yrds of the clear vinyl. If you buy a pattern be careful of stripes because you want to make sure the pattern when cut and wrapped has the same amount of stripes for each chair and is straight once it is secured on the seat. Now we have a little one and when she has accidents with her food or drink we can wipe the seats with a towel and no worries about the stain. I hope this helps.

Here are several web sites to read before you tackle this project. It is easy if you take your time but do only one chair at a time.
http://www.ehow.com/how_###-###-####_reupholster-diningro...

http://www.expertvillage.com/video/17763_chair-one.htm

http://thefurnituredoctor.net/covering83006.htm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nT-yUFKd6I

The seats remove easily in most chairs. There are screws in each corner. You could actually leave the covers that are there and use something really inexpensive for your first try then upgrade as you wish and asyou get more experienced. I have used bath towels when I had small children. Upholstery material can be purchased in any fabric store. You can use glue gun or staple gun to attach. Good luck! Have fun - you can't ruin them.

We reupholstered our breakfast room chairs last year and it was pretty simple. My one piece of advice is this. Our chairs had a very thick layer of padding (cushion) on them. When we removed the old upholstery and replaced it with the new stuff, the padding was not as tight and therefore the chairs were not as comfortable as they were previously. It was probably because of the difference in the fabric, or it may just have been that we weren't able to staple them as tightly as they were before, but if I had it to do over again, I would have left the old fabric on and just reupholstered over it. That was my plan to begin with, but I let my best friend, who was helping me, talk me out of it and afterwards, I regretted it. Of course if you plan to replace the padding as well, then that's a different story.

Good luck!

Please call Tim Morales @ ###-###-####! He is what you need! The point of reupholstering is to save money!!!! Tim will do that! Second, I am an antiques person. Actually I am a family furniture person. I am originally from N.O., and the first to leave since the late 1700's. Whenever, I go home I always bring something back with me that belongs to my family! I know crazy! The point is, Tim does all my work. It is beautiful! He knows all of the inexpensive fabric stores, and he refinishes furniture. He is the first true reasonable pro I have ever met, and will never use anyone else!

Liz

Monica,

If you turn the dining room chair upside down you can see how the seat is secured on the chair. Most the time they have four small screws (one in each corner), some don't have anything they just "sit" in the chair. You can go to JoAnn Fabric or any other fabric store in your area to get fabric. Since you are covering in plastic also you can use just about any kind of cotton or tapestry fabric to match your decor. I know at JoAnn's they have pamplets to help figure your measurements. Sometimes it helps to take the chair seat with you.

By the way, you will also need to buy some batting to replace the cushion of the chair.

If you have any questions please feel free to e-mail at ____@____.com

Good Luck,
J.

the how to advice you've gotten is what I did - but I got some pleather stuff at the fabric store on sale - looks like leather, wipes like vinyl.

Hi Monica! I did the same thing when we moved into our house 2 years ago, and it was very easy! I just have two things to add to the other posters: first, I got a GREAT deal on my fabric at Boca Bargoons in Plano. We hit a sale there, so we got VERY nice fabric for much less than we would have paid for cheaper stuff at Joann's or wherever. The people were also very helpful in figuring out how much we needed to buy. Secondly, when you sit down to do this, BE SURE TO HAVE A FRIEND (OR HUBBY) HELP! It's really easy if you have one person to hold and one to staple, but is nearly impossible with only two hands! Have fun and good luck!

You can go to the Better Homes and Garden web site www.bhg.com. They do have an annoying popup trying to get you to buy there magazine, but you can just close the popup to continue.

here are the two links I found:
http://www.bhg.com/bhg/slideshow/slideShow.jsp?slideid=/t...

http://www.bhg.com/bhg/slideshow/slideShow.jsp?slideid=/t...

Good luck.
C.
Mother of a wonderful, smart adorable 9 yr old son

Congratulations on buying your first home! My husband and I reupholstered our dining room chairs last year and it was SO much easier than I thought it would be. We just needed fabric, foam (for the seat cushion) and a staple gun, and they turned out really nice. Of course, after that project I got hooked on do-it-yourself stuff and also reupholstered our ottoman and other chairs. I would suggest the website diynetwork.com. There's all sorts of great tips and instructions for do-it-yourself projects. Good luck.

If the chairs have screws underneath the base, you can unscrew them and take off the old covers. You can then go to Joanns, or a fabric store and I'm sure someone there can help you with the fabric choices. On line I found these websites, hope they can help.

http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/dc_fabrics_tips_hints/article/0,...

http://www.wikihow.com/Reupholster-a-Dining-Chair-Seat

the 2nd website has some information about fabric.

Good luck and have fun!

go to HGTV.com You can learn how to do anything there.

The following is a quote from one of my freecycle.com friends(we were looking to borrow something to help with our son's wedding and she had some wonderful "budget" suggestions)
"...looking for fabric, direct her to Perth Street, off Harry Hines. There are several fabric outlets there. The prices and selections range from "Why did I bother walking in here?" to "Omigosh! This is fab!" My omg place is Golden D'or, which is actually on Harry Hines, a block or two from Perth. The other fave is on or near the corner of HH and P on the north side. Pursley's on Main Street in Duncanville may also have what you need..."
Good Luck

A couple of comments -- first, the pleather is a great idea if you want to "wipe off" because for a first time upholsterer it will be tricky to get decent-looking corners if you try to do an overlay with plastic. Second, don't skimp on your fabric purchase. It doesn't take much extra fabric to pull around to the bottom of the seat, but it is very easy to cut it too skimpy and have a devil of a time getting it stapled. If you get a pattern, you may also want a certain part of it centered over the front edge of the chair. If you want to save money I'd recommend an all-over pattern instead of anything with a medallion (pleather solving all these problems). Third, it is common to have a gap between the finished cushion and your seat base, especially because more fabric is pulled over the frame in the corners so the sides will not meet the chair. Trim is the fix-all, and it is pretty cheap at the discount fabric stores like Farbic Yard and Cutting Corners. Don't limit yourself to stores like JoAnn Fabrics, although Hobby Lobby has some pretty decent trims that go on sale for 50 percent off. The brush fringe hides a multitude of sins, and can be had for as little as a dollar a yard at the Cutting Corners outlet off of Midway.

Both JoAnn's and Hancock Fabrics have all the materials you'll need. If it's just the seat cushion, it's super easy, just unscrew, cover with new fabric, staple in place with a staple gun and re-screw. If it is more involved than that, your best bet is either buying a book or check one out from the library. It will usually give you a list of materials required for your project. Sign up for the store's online coupons. Sometimes you'll get a 40%-50% off coupon that is not available to the general public.

K. C.

I don't know what kind of chairs you have but most the seat is separate. Turn the chair over and unscrew the seat from the frame. The old cover may be stapled to the seat. Remove the staples and use the cover for a pattern. The new cover will be replaced in the same matter with a staple gun. You can go to any fabric store or even walmart and find the fabric and plastic as well. Let the attendant know you're looking for upholsery fabric. Cut the plastic and fabric and staple it to the seat with the plastic on top. Screw the seat back in place

The response from Pam P is exactly what my co-workers & I did to reupholster 4 dining room chairs for a set we had in our office. We went to Wal-Mart and got nice fabric that has a leather look to it and did the job for about $15 total. You can pick just about any fabric and your set will be like new.

Turn the chairs upside down and see if they will come off. If so then that will be easy. If they will not come off go to Home Depot they are always glad to give free advice.

Monica,
Just turn the chair over and unscrew the upholstared seat cushion. Turn the cushion over and look at the underneath side. Should be stapled on. Use a screwdiver and pliers to remove the fabric. Use the fabric to calculate the amount of fabric you need to purchase. Yes, you need to purchase medium to heavy weight fabric that will hold up.
Use your old fabric as pattern-pin it to new fabric and cut out. Using your staple gun, reattach the fabric to the wooden base. (You may want to replace or add to the foam on the board) I usually start in the middle of the back with one staple, then one in the middle of the front. Then do one in the middle of each side. This anchors the fabric. Then just work around pulling the fabric tight and stapling. Trim off excess and screw the base back onto chair frame. Voila! New cushions.
S. B

try this link...Design on a Dime is a great source for this type of reinventing your furniture..

http://web.hgtv.com/hgtv/web/searchResults/1,8213,,FF.htm...

Hello monica,
I will be gladd to give you the help you need on your upholstery proyect, I am an Interior
Dedorator you can see my
web is esthersdrapes.com and my e-mail ____@____.com
thank you,
A.

Once you do recover your chairs, you can keep them clean by using a removable protective cover when your kids are eating. I found a really lovely one that is made from soft, comfortable fabric that is also waterproof. It is called the SmartSeat. http://www.pbjdiscoveries.com/. Good luck!

Dining room chair seats are not hard. My suggestion is that you take the Reupholstery class at JoAnns. The teacher at Frisco and Plano is great. She does home dec as a business. Classes are discounted through March 14th or 15th. You work on your piece in class.

One of the cheapest and easiest things to do is just buy some of the cloth chair covers for the chairs. You can sometime find some nice ones on sale at Tuesday morning. . or
It depends upon the chairs. If you only have to do the seats (and have a wooden frame) then I have just bought fabric or fake suede - and unscrewed the seats, cut the fabric in squares and use the staple gun or hot glue to put the fabric on.

If you have to do the whole chair back then it is more expensive to have it redone. I have four chairs waiting to be doen becvause it was going to cost me about 100 per chair. . .it is worth it only because they are my grandmothers chairs. .but at that price I can buy antique wooden chairs instead.

Hope this gives you some ideas.

Blessings,
L..
PS Spiritual M. to many. .

Hi Monica! I just redid my 8 dining room chairs for less than $40! I unscrewed all the bottoms and unstapled the fabric of one chair. I cut the material in that size for all chairs and then I stapled gunnned the material on top of the old one except for the "model" chair. It was easier to do it this way because the material stretched better. I didn't do that plastic on top, I just scotchguarded the chairs with the spray you get at the grocery store. I got the material at Hobby Lobby in a burgundy medium thickness fabric. They look great!

Pike Upholstery in Arlington. They are great with dining chairs and all other upholstery projects. They also have a wide array of fabrics to choose from and are very customer service oriented at a minimal expense. ###-###-#### is thier number.

I can't help you with your chairs but I may be able to save you some money on your mortgage. Please feel free to contact me for a free consulation. I have 10+ experience and I advise based on my clients needs and wants.
###-###-#### Liberty Mortgage, Flower Mound TX

J. Burt

You might try hgtv.com. They have a lot of different projects from shows and upholstering dining chairs is not too hard.

I googled "recovering dining room chairs" and found this site right away - the instructions are simple and have instructions - http://www.fabricworkshop.com/slipseat.htm

I've done it myself and it's really easy to do! It's definitely better than buying a new table!

You will need to get a staple gun - look for a light or medium duty one at Home Depot or Lowes. I have a nice one made by Black & Decker that's really easy to use.

As far as fabric, you'll want a fairly heavy fabric, so look in the decorator fabric section of your local Joann or Hancock fabric or there's a good place off Midway called Cutting Corners that has alot of fabric at excellent prices. I've purchased fabric for several projects including my dining room chairs from them.
Here's their info: Cutting Corners -
13720 Midway Rd # 200, Dallas - ###-###-####

Good luck! They'll be beautiful!

This is such an easy project! Unscrew the bottoms, cute your material, staple gun it back- screw back on. You can get material at Hobby Lobby, Jo-Anns, or if you want an even higher end there are some fabric outlets over off a Harry Hines. The Golden Dior fabric store has thousands and thousands of fabrics at very good prices- they have a back clearance room- I bought 20 yards of fabric to make a bed skirt, curtains, and upholster the head board for less than $50.

I just reupholstered my 6 dining room chairs for $150, using R&R Upholstering on N. 12th (if in fact you are in Abilene). I purchased the fabric from a furniture store for less than $300. That is about $75 a chair. Much cheaper than purchasing new ones. Also, I am not very handy when it comes to that sort of thing. Good luck!

Everything the other lady said is great. This is how I reupholstered our chairs, but I used whatever material was cheap. My kids are young and messy so I want to be able to change them at a moments notice without paying the cost.

You should know everything about reupholstering with all your responses--I just wanted to add that the plastic is available at wal-mart in the fabric section and the fabric stores, too.
This is an easy project you can do it--you shold watch HGTV--I love it--they can teach you how to do many of these things-Decorating Cents, and Design on a Dime are great money saving Designing shows--once you watch you will be hooked!!!!!

Check on Martha Stewart's website. I would have to look but I may have it also. One piece of advice when I did mine...I added the material over what was there to provide more protection on the corners. I had gotten a table of hutch of my husband's Grandmother and had chair custom made to match the finish. After redoing 2 chairs I went back and put the fabric back on and the new fabric on top. Shouldn't be a problem for the corner edges. Not sure if you can use 40% off Joann's coupon for upholstrey, if not try Cutting Corners on Midway, 1/2 mile north of LBJ. Great large selection & trims. If can't use 40% of fabric at Joann's...bet you can on their trim. Go to the Joann's at Preston and Royal..Trim is kinda hindden in the back...not visible, I almost left thinking they didn't have any. Good Luck. S.

I just reupholstered an antique rocking chair. I went to Google and keyed in reupholstering a chair. Several options were available, so I just read a few of them. They were actually very helpful.
C. M