The upholstery of kitchen chairs will replace leather. Do it yourself: How to reupholster a chair with your own hands? How many samples does the measurer bring with him?

  • 13.06.2019

Beautiful covers in different shades are usually used to perfectly disguise battered chair upholstery. This option is really good. Should I spend money on covers if the chair doesn't look good enough?

If you decide DIY chair upholstery be sure to find out for yourself which installation work will be needed. It is up to you to decide if the upholstery needs to be replaced.

Restoring a chair is pretty easy. But the work requires careful attention. The old fabric is completely removed. After that, a thorough inspection of the entire surface will be required. If necessary, carry out repairs. Then a new filler is prepared and the upholstery fabric is necessarily strengthened.

Upholstery. Preparatory work

I want to do any business with high quality and quickly, the upholstery of chairs is no exception. And when it is done with your own hands for the first time, then there can be a lot of "delays". For this, you need to be prepared.

Any fairly thick canvas will do. If desired, leather (artificial or natural), wool or tapestry can be used.

Foam rubber of a certain thickness is suitable for stuffing. Batting, latex, synthetic winterizer are also often used.

Don't forget a furniture stapler, pliers, and a screwdriver. You will need them during the restoration process.

Your chair may need to be refurbished. If it is "flimsy", then it must be carefully glued, possibly nailed somewhere. this must be done at the preliminary stage. In this case, you do not have to remove the updated upholstery later.

And also this advice: "If the chair is "flimsy", its wooden part is "killed", then throw out such a chair and buy a new one. Restoration is relevant when the repaired chair is no worse than the new one."

Removing old upholstery

The chair is pre-disassembled. Initially, gently remove the seat. Then the chair must be turned over. Then unscrew the bolts and remove the brackets. All work must be done with the utmost care. There is no need to hurry in such a matter. As a result, you will be able to upholster high level. Pliers are used to remove staples. The screws are easy to remove with a standard screwdriver.

Be sure to find out how stable the whole structure is. If the legs are loose, they must be strengthened. All loose connections are sealed. To seal cracks, a mass of sawdust, PVA glue and dye is used.

If the chair is not in need of repair, then start by removing the old fabric. After that, you can proceed to create a new upholstery. Staples are removed carefully. Often, old upholstery can be used to create a pattern. Now the removed upholstery can be thrown away. The same manipulations are done with the back. The work is carried out in the same sequence as we described above.

Fabric and padding features

Prepare the foam rubber and the fabric of your choice. Make a cutout. A strong and dense fastening of the material is required. It is important to use a template. It is made from paper. I use wallpaper for this. The process itself is not difficult. After the chair is completely disassembled, the seat is placed on paper. front side and wrap around it carefully. It is required to retreat at least 5 cm from the line. This margin is provided for bending. The template is carefully cut out and everything marked is carefully transferred to the material.

Perfect for stylish upholstery

  • Furniture fabric of sufficient density. We recommend paying attention to high-quality wool, carpeting, velor with or without ornament.
  • High-quality leather (artificial or natural).

The choice depends directly on the features of the interior and the textiles used in the interior. It is important that chairs and cushioned furniture harmonized in style and color. We recommend choosing textiles that are ideally suited for bedspreads and at the same time repeat the pattern of curtains well.

The stuffing is traditionally foam rubber. For optimal reliability, we advise you to carefully place it on the seat and glue it. Do not use a piece of large thickness. In this case, it will be simply uncomfortable to sit on a chair. It is best if you focus on old material. You need to buy not only textiles and foam rubber, but also suitable threads. Use only those that are of optimum strength. At the same time, they must match the fabric in color. If the edges of the fabric need to be hemmed, they simply cannot be dispensed with. This will also be needed when the pattern is not so simple and is made not from one part, but from several.

Self-upholstery of furniture

To change the upholstery of chairs correctly, you must follow a certain sequence:

Initially, the foam rubber is glued to the base. At the same time, all excess is carefully cut off. Before doing this, do not forget to fold the edges. Staples are used to strengthen the hem from the wrong side.

Then they move on to cutting the fabric. On perfect flat surface place the fabric (face down). A seat is placed on it (foam rubber down). There is a margin for a mandatory hem. The rest of the fabric is cut off.

For fixing the upholstery, a furniture stapler is used. The fabric stretches well. It is important that there are no folds and free spaces. Before this, the upholstery is bent, and the necessary points are outlined at which the fixation will be made.

The upholstery depends entirely on the shape of the seat. It is much easier to do the job if the piece of furniture is rectangular. If it is round, you will have to try. The same can be said about chairs.

Be sure to pay close attention to how the legs are fixed. Often, special cutouts are provided for them on the seat. In the process of attaching fabric and foam rubber, you will have to remember this. It is required to make cutouts so that this space is completely free.

Take into account what size and what shape the grooves for the legs are. If this is not taken into account in time, it will not be possible to produce high-quality upholstery. It will no longer be possible to carefully assemble the chair if you do not provide cuts in the fabric. There really is a way out of this situation. But it takes some patience. When you create a pattern, you need to pick up small wedges. They will very nicely surround the cutouts designed for fasteners.

In order to change the upholstery of your old, but so beloved chairs, you will not need significant time costs. Do not forget about the neat design of the back. There is an option to replace the method of attaching the material from staples to cloves (and sometimes vice versa).

But the news of the self-upholstery process on video

The fabric is carefully stretched over the foam rubber. Staples are baiting her. This will allow you to nail the cloves correctly. In this case, the folds are guaranteed not to appear. Then the fastening itself is performed. Always start at the top. The fastening step is different. It is not recommended to make it very large.

Restoration involves not only mandatory polishing and subsequent painting of all its wooden parts.

I think you understand that upholstery of chairs with your own hands is not particularly difficult. But for some reason, everyone can cope with such work.

Furniture workshop "Na encore" is ready to reupholster your chairs, armchairs, sofas, if you can't do it yourself!

Chair to the waist of the seat

Changing the upholstery with your own hands is not difficult, the main thing is to choose the right fabric. It is better to choose a strong, dense upholstery such as tapestry or furniture fabric; a chair with a denim seat will also look original.

Materials and tools for work:

  • fabric for new upholstery;
  • furniture stapler;
  • chalk or bar of soap for marking on fabric;
  • screwdriver

Sequencing:

First, turn the chair over and find out how the seat is fixed on it. If with self-tapping screws, then you will need a screwdriver or a screwdriver, and if fasteners with furniture nails, then pliers.

Loosen the screws or pull out the nails holding the seat. Wipe the frame of the chair with a solution detergent; if it is made from natural wood, then you can restore the shine to polishing with a piece of woolen flannel.

Measure the length and width of your chair seat. Add 10 cm on each side to the bend, and cut out the chair upholstery detail from new fabric. If the edges are very “fluffy”, then it is advisable to process them on an overlock or sewing machine overlay line.

Turn the fabric over to the wrong side, place the seat of the chair on it so that the hem allowances are the same on all sides.

Fold and attach the fabric with furniture stapler to wooden base seats on opposite sides.

Then staple the two remaining sides of the fabric. For strength and uniform load distribution, hammer the brackets with a stapler at least every 10 cm.

If the seat was previously fastened with nails, it makes sense to change the method of fastening to self-tapping screws - this is practical and convenient (provided that the design of the chair allows this)

A simple reupholstering of fabric seats can combine several different chairs into a set, or fit them into a new interior, for example, after moving.

inhale new life into your favorite chairs by removing the frayed upholstery and replacing it with a new one. And upholstery upholstery is a great way to fit your favorite furniture into color scheme renovated room interior. The method of upholstery will depend slightly on the type of chairs. Here are some standard methods.

Steps

Part 1

Remove furniture nails and other fasteners

This section is about how to remove furniture nails and other pointed fasteners. If staples were used for fasteners, skip to another section.

    Bring the chisel to the edge of the nail head or other fastener.

    Tap the tip of the chisel with a wooden mallet.

    Gently lift the nail (or other fastener) up with a lever. Repeat the procedure carefully until the nail is released from the wood.

    Put the removed nails in a bag or immediately throw them in the trash. This is to prevent you from accidentally stepping on sharp objects.

    Part 2

    Removing staples

    This section is about the large, reinforced type of staples that hold the upholstery fabric.

    1. Use the regulator to remove the staples. This is a specialized tool used in the wallpaper trade to remove staples from furniture. It can be bought online in specialized stores.

      Bring the end of the adjuster under the center of the bracket. Use the lever to lift the regulator up while pressing on the edge of the tree.

      • If the wood is polished or this part of the chair is visible, place a metal plate or fabric under the regulator so that the lever touches them and not the wood. So there will be no traces due to pressure with the regulator.
    2. Wait until one of the ends of the staple shows up. The second one usually stays inside.

      Take pliers or side cutters and grab the brace. Pull up and twist a little to pull the bracket completely out of the wood.

      Repeat the procedure until all staples have been pulled out. Some people prefer the conveyor method: first, they lift all the brackets with the regulator, and then pull them out with the pliers, so as not to constantly switch from the regulator to the pliers on each bracket.

    Part 3

    We remove the fabric

      Remove the upholstery from the seat, backrest and armrests. Once you remove the fasteners, you can remove the old fabric and use these sheathing blanks to make new ones.

      Mark the removed blanks with arrows, letters, or something else so that it is convenient for you to draw the same on a new fabric. No need to be lazy: the effort will pay off later when you need to be accurate.

      • It will be easier if you draw a chair outline for each piece of upholstery that you removed and write down the corresponding letter or number on each piece of fabric printed on both the diagram and reverse side fabrics.
      • Pay attention to folds, folds, bends, etc., so that you can repeat them later when making a new upholstery.
    1. When removing skin sections, write down the order in which you do it. This will help you a lot when you start putting it all back together. Chair/chair upholstery sections are usually labeled as follows:

      • IB = inside back (back of the inside)
      • OB = outside back (outer back)
      • IW = inside wing (internal wing)
      • OW = outside wing (outer wing)
      • IA = inside arm (armrest of the inside)
      • OA = outside arm (armrest of the outer part)
      • S = seat (seat)
      • SC = seat cushion (seat cushion)
      • FB = front border (front edge)
      • SB = side border (side edge)
      • AF = arm facing (front of the armrest)
      • SK = skirt. (edge)

    Part 4

    Save the stuffing
    1. Carefully lift up the padding. Try not to break or tear anything. Her current shape was achieved by years of sitting in a chair, so her shape is already a perfect fit for that chair.

      • It should be lifted with both hands, putting the stuffing in the crook of the elbow and holding it with your fingers.
      • Prepare smooth and clean place on which you will lay the padding while you work on the padding.
    2. Cut off the glued part of the stuffing. Sometimes you have to cut off the packing, which was attached with glue. To do this, take a long-bladed knife, such as a serrated knife, and carefully slide it under the padding. Smoothly and extremely carefully cut off the stuffing.

      Remove other fasteners. You may find that the padding is held in place with additional staples or wallpaper nails or string. Remove nails and staples as described above, and simply cut the rope.

      Check the chair frame. Should it be repaired or left as is? If you can leave it as is, you can proceed to the preparation of a new upholstery. And if not, you will have to repair the frame of the chair / armchair.

    Part 5

    Repairing the frame

    This section is a summary of the basics for a standard modern chair/chair frame. Here we do not consider such intricate frames that require weaving, dragging and other corrections, because. do not talk about it briefly.

      First, decide whether you want to handle this yourself or entrust the matter to a professional. It can be tricky, but you can do the basic frame repairs yourself. The only thing that cannot be done is to leave everything as it is, because the weak frame will not last long and the chair will break.

      • If you are not in the mood for such a job, take the chair to an upholsterer or furniture maker.
    1. Check the glued joints first. If they need to be straightened or compacted or re-glued, do it yourself. Pull the slats of the chair in different directions to test for stability or strength. If no weak points are found, there are no questions about the joints. If they move in the grooves or bend, they need to be repaired.

      • AT old furniture staples, screws or tongue and groove. If you yourself do not understand, then it is better to show the damaged tongue and groove connection to a professional.
      • It doesn't take much effort during testing because a pinned (keyed) joint that is well held can come loose if you pull too hard.
    2. Check corner blocks. If you need to re-glue the joints, the corner will have to be removed first. This is a triangular part located in inner corner chair seat frame it can be glued, screwed or nailed in place. To remove it, you need:

      • Drive the tip of the spacer bit into the edge of the corner block where it meets one side of the frame.
      • Tap the tip of the chisel with a wooden mallet.
      • As the chisel advances, use it as a lever to pull the block out of the frame. Don't push too hard, the chisel may break, if you feel the block is giving out, remove the chisel and push with your hand only.
      • Do the same for the rest of the corners.
    3. Repair connections.

      • Place the chair on the workbench with the part that needs to be repaired facing up (facing you, not the workbench). Hold the chair firmly.
      • Tap near the joint with a rubber mallet to loosen it a little. Don't force it.
      • Remove the detached part. Clean and sand to remove any old adhesive residue.
    4. Replace broken keys. If you find that the key is broken, it must be repaired before the joint is reassembled.

      • remove the edges of the key with a chisel to a flat surface so that you can work with a drill. Then drill into the old key, being careful not to damage the chair frame.
      • Squeeze some wood glue into the hole, then insert a new key into it. Tap it lightly with a hammer. Wipe off excess glue squeezed out and let dry completely.
    5. Restore the connection. Pour wood glue into the holes for the dowels. Connect the components carefully but firmly.

      Clamp the entire frame together to give proper pressure to the joints and keep them from moving while drying. Wipe off excess glue so that it does not dry out in drops on the chair frame.

      • Put the corner blocks in place, wipe off excess glue again before they dry.

    Part 6

    Applying new upholstery fabric

    Here is a simple method using old skin blanks. There are more difficult ways, but for beginners, this method is better suited.

    1. Measure the fabric for the new upholstery. This requires great care when removing the old skin so as not to tear or cut anything, because you will be using the old blank as a template for the new one.

      Expand the old workpiece. Everything that is chipped or sewn must be laid out to see the seams and allowances that the upholstery manufacturers made.

      • Always allow enough allowance for stitching and stapling when you record measurements for new upholstery.
    2. Iron the blanks until they are leveled. They should be as even as possible.

      Place the old piece on top of the new fabric as a pattern. Then, with a chalk or invisible felt-tip pen for fabric, circle the contours, and so on for each workpiece.

    3. Cut out new blanks. Here's what to keep in mind:

      • Cut along the front side, you should see the structure of the fabric.
      • For symmetrical blanks, you can cut half, then bend and check if the blank is the same on the reverse side. If so, continue cutting. Or make adjustments if needed.
      • Cut all objects in the same direction, along the thread line.
      • Label all the cut pieces with the section names that you have determined for yourself so that they do not mix. Write down the correct indication for a particular workpiece, using the abbreviations recommended above. Add additional arrows so that you know which side the blank is for. Be careful when marking thin fabric, the marks may appear on the right side.
        • If the fabric has a design or design, the fabric should be positioned so that they point up towards the back of the chair. Keep this in mind when preparing the central blank of the chair. It is better to first try your hand at a plain fabric than to create additional difficulties for yourself until you have enough experience.
        • All removed pieces of fabric should be kept together in a plastic bag. Then you can use them again if you want, and they will be at hand.
        • Be careful when removing the cover. If you want to use it again, rips or cuts must be avoided. Moreover, it is possible to damage the wood during the process, so keep this in mind when removing the fabric. If you want to use the old packing again, you need to carefully remove it and do not touch it once again without work.

        A warning

        • If you have pierced the skin with an old nail, staple, etc. go to the doctor and get a tetanus shot. If the furniture is old, it is better to play it safe than to cry later. If you are up to big project or make a living by draping, it is best to keep your tetanus shots up to date.
        • Wear safety goggles when removing nails and staples. You can't predict when a piece of a sharp object might fly into your face, so it's best to play it safe.
        • If you are unsure of the condition of the padding or if it is too old, it is best to wear a mask. The padding released from the fabric can release a cloud of dust and enter the respiratory tract. If you suffer from allergies, then the mask will be especially useful to you.

There can be a great many reasons to update old chairs or decorate new ones with your own hands. This is the need to adapt furniture to the interior, the desire to correct design flaws, restore chairs inherited from the grandmother or found for nothing at the flea market. In this article, we will talk about 4 ways to transform your “four-legged friends” (including office and garden chairs) beyond recognition, and also present 70 cool photo rework ideas.

Method 1. Painting a chair

Even the most old-fashioned or just ordinary chair, say, a "Viennese" wooden, plastic, folding or office chair, can be transformed with the help of staining. The main thing here is to choose the right color. Here are some inspiring examples where color alone saved furniture from landfill.

Old Viennese chair before and after renovation

A few more examples of reworking the most common bent beech Viennese chairs, which can be found in almost every house or cottage.

And here are some cool ideas for painting stools.

Inspired? Then let's get down to practice!

To paint a chair you will need:

  • Acrylic paint, and preferably chalk paint in one or more colors;
  • Synthetic flat brushes (separately for primer, paint and varnish);
  • Protective gloves (it is better to buy at a pharmacy);
  • Primer for wood / metal (depending on the frame material);
  • Wax or matte varnish (polyurethane or acrylic);
  • Sandpaper of medium and fine grain.

How to paint a chair with your own hands:

  1. Prepare the chair for painting: wash it from coarse dirt and dust, then sand it sandpaper medium grit to remove upper layer old varnish or paint. The surface should be slightly rough.

  • If you want to update a metal chair, then it is not necessary to sand it (although it is still safer to sand the top gloss), but before priming / painting, the frame must be degreased with white spirit.
  • Also, you can avoid the tedious sanding step if you use chalk paint, but you can’t do without a primer.
  • If your stool is varnished, then it can be removed special means for removing varnish.
  1. If the chair has damage, such as scratches, chips and cracks, putty them with furniture putty.

  1. Wipe the chair from dust, wait for it to dry and apply a primer on the entire frame in two layers, allowing each layer to dry for about a day. Between coats, it is advisable to sand the primer with fine-grained sandpaper (No. 220 is suitable).
  2. Take a new brush and paint the chair in 2-3 coats, letting each coat dry completely. Make sure that the paint does not form smudges.

  • If you want to paint a chair with a scuffed effect, then first some places (for example, the edges of the seat, back and armrests) need to be painted with a dark paint, say dark gray or dark blue, and then waxed over them. Next, you should paint the chair with the main paint in 2-3 layers. And, finally, having slightly worked with a fine-grained sandpaper, expose the dark “substrate”.

  • Do you want to achieve the effect of the perfect factory painting? Then be patient: each coat of primer and paint (with the exception of finishing layers) will have to be sanded with fine-grained sandpaper. So the coating will turn out to be as even and reliable as possible.
  • To paint only certain parts or parts of the chair, use masking tape.
  1. Treat the chair with wax or matte varnish. Voila, your "four-legged friend" has found a new life!

Helpful Hints:

  • Don't know what color to paint the chair? You can't go wrong if you paint it white, because this color is the most versatile, goes well with any bright upholstery;
  • Before staining, stucco decor can be glued to the back of the chair using wood glue;
  • Achieve the effect of a very old and dirty chair in Provence style, you can use dark brown wax;
  • Chalk paint is relative new type paint, which has not yet entered the general market. However, we recommend using it, because due to its density, increased adhesive properties and super-fast drying (in 30 minutes), it saves a lot of time and effort. In Russia, you can buy chalk paints from designer Daria Geyler, and in Kazakhstan - at Vernenskaya Manufactory. Also, you can always order paints from foreign manufacturers - Annie Sloan and Rustoleum.

It’s better to figure out how to paint an old chair with your own hands this video master class will help you.

Method 2. Seat upholstery

Most often, if the chair has a soft seat, then painting the frame is not enough to completely update it - you need to change the upholstery. Here are some photo examples of how upholstering a seat can turn an old chair into a stylish piece of decor.

Office chair before and after painting, reupholstering the back and seat

By the way, if your chair or stool does not have a soft seat, then you can make it yourself: first, cut out the MDF base exactly according to the shape of the seat, then, following our master class, upholster it and, finally, screw it onto the chair frame with screws.

To make a soft seat for a stool, it is enough to glue the foam rubber directly onto the base, and then cover it with a cloth, hammering the stapler staples onto inside seats.

Upholstered stool

For work you will need:

  • Anti-stapler (or its alternative);
  • Furniture stapler and staples with a height not exceeding the thickness of the seat base;
  • Textile;
  • Foam rubber about 4 cm thick;
  • Batting or synthetic winterizer;
  • Scissors;
  • Knife-serreytor for bread (with teeth);
  • Screwdriver.

How to reupholster a chair with your own hands:

  1. First we need to remove the seat from the chair frame with a nail puller or a screwdriver.
  2. We are filming old upholstery using an anti-stapler and remove the filler if it is dilapidated (if it is in good condition, then it can be reused). Next, wipe the base of the seat from dust and dirt.
  • If the wooden base of the seat seems too old and unreliable to you, use it as a template to cut a new seat out of plywood.
  1. We put the seat on the foam rubber, trace its outline and cut it out.


  1. We cut the fabric and batting in such a size that they can wrap all sides of the seat (along with foam rubber), leaving free 10-15 cm. These surpluses are needed to make it more convenient to stretch the material.
  2. So, we got four blanks: base, foam rubber, batting / synthetic winterizer and fabric. Now we need to put it all in a sandwich. First of all, we spread the batting, put foam rubber on it, and on the foam rubber - the base of the seat with the wrong side up. Next, we simply bend the edges of the batting onto the seat and, slightly pulling the material, fix it with a stapler. The corners of the batting can be cut off, or you can simply bend and fasten in the same way.

How to restore a chair seat

  1. After all the batting is attached to the seat, trim off the excess.

  • If desired, the foam rubber can be pre-glued to the base or quilted around the perimeter with a stapler, retreating 5 mm from the edge of the seat.
  1. The most crucial moment has come - the stage of reupholstering the seat with a cloth. Spread the fabric inside out and place the seat on it. Next, fold the edges of the fabric along one of the sides and fix with a stapler. Now stretch the fabric slightly over the opposite side of the seat and fix it with a stapler in the same way.


Repeat the procedure on the remaining two sides and proceed to the design of the corners - they need to be wrapped as shown in the photo below.

Chair after restoration

  1. We return the seat to its place and fix it with "native" fasteners.

Helpful Hints:

  • The upholstered seat of the chair can be additionally decorated with furniture carnations around the perimeter.
  • Upholstery fabric should be selected in accordance with the style of the chair. So, for example, a traditional jacquard fabric is not suitable for a modern chair, and a classic chair with an elegant back is unlikely to “make friends” with a fabric with a new-fashioned geometric print.
  • The same fabric from which your curtains are sewn is ideal for upholstery of a chair. In the interior, such a coincidence will look very harmonious.
  • The print on the fabric may overlap with the carved crossbars as shown in the photo below.

For a more visual master class of upholstery of an old chair seat, see this video.

Method 3. Decoupage of a chair with paper

Do you want to decorate a chair with a cool print or cover up minor defects like scratches and stains with drawings? This can be done using the decoupage technique.

chair decoupage idea

chair decoupage idea

chair decoupage idea

chair decoupage idea

You will need:

  • Any paper with the desired print, for example, it can be multilayer napkins, pages from magazines and books, geographical maps, posters, wallpapers, etc.;
  • PVA glue;
  • Brushes 2 pcs (for applying glue and varnish);
  • Scissors;
  • Transparent matt varnish acrylic or polyurethane;
  • Water (if necessary);
  • Roller for working with large formats.

How to update decoupage chairs:

Step 1. Clean the chair from dirt and stains, paint if necessary, following the first instruction in the article.

Step 2. Cut out the fragment that you need from the selected polygraphy. The workpiece can be either large (for example, in the shape of the seat and back) or very small.

  • If you are using napkins, then first you need to separate the top layer with a pattern and only then cut it out.
  • If you want to cover the entire chair, including the legs, the paper needs to be randomly torn into small pieces of about 10x10 cm, as shown in the next photo slider.


  • To decoupage the back and seat, they must be removed from the chair frame with a screwdriver, and then used as a template for cutting the workpiece (see photo below).

Step 3 Lubricate the place you want to decorate with PVA glue liberally and attach your drawing to it, then smooth with a brush with the remaining glue, releasing all air bubbles and smoothing out the wrinkles.

  • If the cut out print is small, then it is better to grease not the chair, but the reverse side of the workpiece itself with glue.
  • If the paper is very dense, then it needs to be moistened a little in water - so it will become more plastic.

  • A top layer of adhesive is not required but is often desirable (it should be thin anyway).

Step 4. Repeat step 3 with other parts of the chair and leave the glue to dry for about a day.

Step 5. Coat the decorated areas or the entire chair with 4 coats of clear lacquer, allowing each coat to dry completely. Ready!

Method 4. Decoupage of a chair with a cloth

It would seem, how else can you radically modify the chair with your own hands, except by painting. In fact, there is another cool way - decoupage with a cloth.

  • A chair updated in this way will last a surprisingly long time even under heavy loads. And if individual threads are knocked out of the fabric along the edges of the chair, you can simply cut them off and process them with a layer of PVA glue.

Decoupage idea for an old chair

You will need:

  • Textile;
  • Wooden chair;
  • PVA glue or special glue for decoupage;
  • Sharp clerical or dummy knife;
  • Brush for applying glue.

How to update a decoupage chair:

Step 1. Using a screwdriver, remove the back and seat from the chair. If you want to paint the chair, do so before taking it apart.

Step 2. Spread the fabric on a flat surface, put the seat on it and circle it along the contour, stepping back about 2.5 cm from the edge, then cut out the blank.

Step 3 Coat the outside of your seat with PVA glue, then place the fabric over it and smooth it out. Once the fabric is leveled, coat it with PVA glue and leave to dry overnight.

Step 4 When the fabric is dry, make sure it is completely stiff. Next, cut off the excess fabric with a sharp knife exactly along the edges of the seat.

Step 5. Now again treat the perimeter of the seat with PVA glue to prevent wear at the edges.

STEP 6. Repeat steps 2-5 with the back of the chair and other details you want to decorate and finally put the chair back together. The main condition for the successful restoration of the chair is that the pattern must exactly repeat the shape of the surface to be decorated.

Here are some more photo ideas for decorating a chair with fabric.

Decoupage office chair fabric with additional protection with polyurethane varnish

Decoupage ideas for stools

Going through many articles with high-profile titles “we will help you replace the upholstery on chairs”, “how easy and simple it is to replace the fabric on the seat of a chair” - you will see mountains of text with incomprehensible names of tools, intricate turns of speech and photos “Before” and “After” . But many are interested in just what to do "Between".

We try to add a lot of photos, set concise descriptions and describe only simple projects that everyone can do. So let's start a new project "Replacing the upholstery of a chair."

You will need: Chair upholstery fabric, black fabric, batting, flathead screwdriver, Phillips screwdriver, scissors, pliers, furniture (construction) stapler.

Step 1: Remove the seat cushion. Use a screwdriver (phillips or flathead) to remove any screws that hold the cushion to the chair frame.

Step 2: Let's start removing the staples. Use a flathead screwdriver to pry up on the brackets to loosen them.

Step 3: Remove staples. Here it may be necessary male power so get your family involved! Use pliers to remove the staples from the seat of the chair.


Step 4: Adding a new batting. If the batting in your chair is in decent condition, you can skip this step and breathe a sigh of relief :) But if it still needs to be replaced, then we advise you to buy batting (it is sold in rolls in fabric stores), cut it to the shape of the chair seat and glue hot glue to it.

Step 5: Choose your upholstery fabric. The complexity of this step depends on the fabric you have chosen. If the fabric is plain, then covering the chair with it will be tantamount to a walk in the park! But if you have chosen a fabric with a pattern (especially for lines), then you will have to approach this step responsibly. You will need 1-2 meters of plain fabric, or 2-3 meters of patterned fabric (because you will need to adjust to the pattern).

We'll use an example to show you how to work with striped fabric First, decide in which direction you want the stripes to appear on the chair. Attach the fabric to the seat for better visualization. Make sure the horizontal lines are horizontal and the vertical lines are vertical :)

Step 6: Cut the fabric to size. Turn the batting seat upside down onto the fabric and cut a piece of fabric to fit the shape of the seat. Leave a margin of 5 cm so that you can wrap the fabric or correct the pattern.

Step 7: Checking the pattern. After you've cut off a piece of fabric, double-check that the pattern is in place. If you are afraid to make a mistake, pin the fabric with pins around the perimeter to the batting.

Step 8: Staple the fabric. Make the last adjustments to the pattern and stretch the fabric so that it does not sag anywhere. Now fix the fabric with a furniture (construction) stapler. The distance between the staples should be 1-2 cm.

Step 9: Cut out the fabric "lining". It is the presence of this step that transfers this project from the category of “self-riveted” to the category of “pro”. To hide staples and bumps upholstery fabric under the chair, use the black “facing” fabric. Lay the seat on the fabric and cut to shape. In this case, the stock is not needed, rather the opposite - the lining should not protrude beyond the edges of the chair.



Step 10: Fix the black fabric. Fix the fabric with a stapler, try to make sure that the paper clips go tightly to each other in one row.