How to Reupholster a Dining Chair Seat
- 1). Measure your dining chair seat with a tape measure. Take notes of the seat's length, width and depth. Draw out a paper pattern to use as a guideline when you buy the upholstery fabric.
- 2). Buy fabric for your dining chair seat. Cotton and linen fabrics typically withstand a lot of wear and are thin enough to staple easily. Buy the best quality fabric within your budget. Use your paper pattern to determine how much fabric you need, and remember that it's better to buy too much fabric than too little.
- 3). Turn your dining chair upside down. Unscrew the seat from the chair frame with a screwdriver. Put away the screws inside a plastic baggie. Pop the chair seat out of the frame.
- 4). Place your new upholstery fabric face down on a flat clean surface. Center your chair seat face down on the fabric.
- 5). Fold the fabric over the top edge of the seat. Staple the fabric to your chair seat. Use a staple gun to attach it to the center along the edge. Gently tug on the fabric to smooth it out and staple the fabric to the center of the bottom edge of the seat. Repeat these steps to staple the fabric to the center edges of the two remaining sides.
- 6). Staple around the edges of your chair until only the corners remain unattached. Work outward from the center staples. Keep tugging on the fabric to make sure no bunches or wrinkles form between the staples.
- 7). Pull the fabric over one corner of the seat. Fold the fabric as you would fold wrapping paper when wrapping a gift box. Staple the fabric to the seat. Repeat this process with the other three corners. Trim off any excess fabric with sharp scissors.
- 8). Apply fabric protector to your seat cushion. Follow the instructions on the product's label and allow the fabric to dry overnight.
- 9). Reattach your dining chair seat to the chair frame. Pop the seat back into the chair frame and reinstall the screws. Repeat the process for any number of dining room chairs you wish to reupholster.
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