How is the restoration of the chair with your own hands? Do-it-yourself office chair upholstery: features, instructions and recommendations How to update an old chair with your own hands.

29.08.2019

An armchair is an integral attribute of the interior, which is found in almost every home. A person uses this furniture almost every day, which leads to a deterioration in its condition. Will help restore technical specifications construction such an operation as the repair of chairs.

Features of furniture restoration

Furniture repair is a complex operation, which depends on the type of product and the breakdown itself. Today, such operations are rarely carried out independently. It is advisable to entrust the solution of such tasks to experienced specialists who will perform them much faster and better.

Restoration of furniture is the restoration of not only its functionality, but also its appearance. A feature of upholstered furniture is that it uses fabric upholstery. To repair the internal structure, the fabric will need to be dismantled or replaced. This operation also requires certain skills and efforts.

What can be done with your own hands?

Breaking the chair is not always a problem, as you can try to restore its condition yourself. There are several types of operations that are easily performed at home:

Padding. This process involves replacing the old fabric with a new one. This also includes changing the filler (foam rubber, etc.) and restoring the internal structure of the chair. If necessary, the wooden surface itself can be restored.
Upholstery. This approach involves upholstering fabric on the surface of the chair in order to update its appearance. Often such operations are performed with old rigid structures, the surface of which is not so easy to restore with paint.
Repair. This general concept, which includes the previously discussed operations. But often this word is understood as all repair work related to the restoration of the state of the chair frame. This includes strengthening the structure with metal corners, replacement of legs or seat, as well as restoration of the surface of the material with paint and sanding.

To carry out all the previously described operations, you should not only have experience, but also stock up on a lot of special tools.

Accessories

Modern armchairs are made from various materials. The design of such modifications consists of many elements that can be replaced if necessary. Often, such chairs include office models that are equipped with a gas-lift mechanism. For the restoration of such products, several types of components may be needed:

Videos. This mechanism is made from various kinds plastic. When choosing this product, it is important to consider its purpose, connector type and method of fixation.
Gaslift. Almost all office chairs are equipped with this element, which allows you to hold the chair at a certain height. There are several types of these structures on the market today. It is important to pay attention to the type of mechanism that was previously used in the damaged chair.
Cross. Plays the role of a support element. Performed in the form of a 5-ray star, to which the rollers are attached. When buying, it is important to pay attention to the quality of the material and the way the parts are connected.

There are many other accessories that will be needed when repairing such furniture. This includes everything from small knobs and bolts to specialized fabrics.

How to drag and drop: step by step guide

One way to restore an old leather chair is to reupholster it. This process is quite lengthy and laborious. First of all, new fabric is bought. Padding can be done with leather and other popular materials. Some experts also recommend purchasing stuffing materials (foam rubber, batting). To simplify the hauling operation, you must also have a stapler, nails, hammer, etc.

The algorithm for solving this problem can be described in several successive steps:

At the first stage, the fabric is dismantled from the bottom of the chair. IN simple models this part is fixed only from below. But there are complex models, so it is important to initially free this part, and then proceed to the rest of the operations.
After that, the fabric is completely removed from the surface of the structure. It is important to do this consistently to avoid any damage to the elements. Please note that each element of the chair is covered with one piece of fabric. Therefore, it must be released sequentially, layer by layer. These elements should not be torn, as they will then need to be used as blanks for cutting.
The next step is to remove the old foam upholstery. To remove it, you should carefully unbend and remove all the metal staples with which it was fixed. Also try not to tear the material, which will later be used as blanks when replacing foam rubber.
Cut out the material. This operation involves the formation of new upholstery elements. To do this, use old pieces of fabric that were attached to the armrests, back and seat. The size of the new elements should be slightly larger than the old ones. This is due to the fact that it is not always possible to predict how accurately the fabric will lie. Therefore, it is better to take it with a margin.
This step involves fixing the foam rubber. Previously prepared pieces are sequentially placed on a specific part of the chair. If the foam protrudes in certain places, then it should be cut off. Thus formed appearance each element. Then a synthetic winterizer is placed on top of the foam rubber. After that, both substances are fixed on the frame with a stapler. It is important to glue them so that they follow the contours separate parts designs.
The process is completed by attaching the fabric. This operation is very similar to the previous one. But it is important to properly position the pieces on the surface. Before fixing, carefully align the fabric and stretch it. Initially, the middle part of the workpiece is nailed with staples. This is necessary in order to avoid distortions. Then each of the corners is sequentially stretched and fastened with a stapler.

How to sew yourself?

The chair upholstery process is slightly different from the upholstery, although in many ways it is very similar. This operation involves covering the chair with a cloth. For such purposes, only furniture is used that was not originally equipped with fabric upholstery.

Upholstery technology involves several sequential operations:

Before you cover a chair at home, you should stock up on some tools and materials. To perform such operations, you need fabric. As this substance, you can use products made from bamboo, cotton and other natural materials. It is important that the fabric withstand constant loads and retain its properties. long time. Also you will need construction stapler, scissors, etc.
At this stage, you need to disassemble the chair into separate parts. This will greatly speed up the plating process. At the same time, try to remember in what order the elements were dismantled so that in the future it is easy to assemble the structure back.
After that, fabric blanks are made. They are cut out in accordance with the dimensions of a separate element of the chair. Try to use substances with a small margin in order to be able to correct the location of the material on the surface. If you are planning to do easy chair, foam rubber is placed inside it. This substance also occupies a certain volume, which should be taken into account when forming a tissue blank.
The final step is plating. Start it with small details, such as an armrest. The skinning algorithm is quite simple. Initially, the fabric is placed on the surface of the product and pulled a little so that it evens out. It is advisable to do this with an assistant, which will greatly speed up the process. When everything is in place, the material is nailed to the frame with inside. It is important to constantly control the tension in order to avoid distortion.

All other elements are sheathed in the same way. If necessary, the material can be cut.

How to update old furniture: ideas

Old chairs are often very strong and durable. But after a long period of operation, they lose their attractive appearance. Do not rush to throw away such furniture, as it can be easily restored.

The technology for updating the chair depends, first of all, on its design. This can be done using several approaches:

Products from the 60s can be restored simply by changing the upholstery. This process is relatively simple. The main thing is to choose the right style of fabric. Some designers recommend using multiple color shades that fit into the overall interior.
Restoration of the outer covering. This approach involves changing the paint layer on wooden or metal surfaces. It is used for armchairs made of rattan, wood, wicker and other natural products. This also includes the restoration of natural or artificial leather (painting, cleaning, etc.).
Replacing certain items. An old chair will look original if you change the armrest in it for a product of a different shape. Similarly, you can do with the legs or back. It all depends on your imagination and possibilities.

How to repair yourself?

Armchairs today have different design, on which the algorithm depends repair work. If it's common wooden product then fixing it is pretty easy. A problem should be identified, which is often poor-quality fasteners or a violation of the structure of the material. You can fix this by replacing wooden element(backrest elements, frame base, etc.) with a new one or simply by tightening the bolt.

It is more difficult to repair shell chairs, which often have outer fabric upholstery. To get to the breakdown, you first need to dismantle the fabric. The process of repairing such chairs is much more complicated, therefore it is not always possible at home.

Office chairs are mechanisms that consist of several parts. There are many reasons why this design loses its characteristics:

Dropout of rollers. Often this can only be corrected by replacing the cross or these moving elements. It is important to first check what the cause of the breakdown is (broken hole, missing retaining ring on the roller, etc.).
Disruption of the gas lift. There are also several reasons here, including improper fastening of the piastres or malfunction of the control lever mechanism. Therefore, these attributes should be checked first.
Cross breaks. You can restore the health of this element only by replacing it with a new one.
The back does not bounce. The root cause of this problem is a violation of the integrity metal parts inside. Sometimes the spring mechanism also fails. You can restore the work only by replacing parts with new ones.

Chair restoration can be global or fragmentary. Sometimes it includes not only upholstery with new fabric, but also the replacement of springs and soft parts - the back and seat. What actions and in what sequence to perform, we will consider.

You will need: an old armchair, jute cords, foam rubber, synthetic winterizer, burlap, batting, any coarse fabric for a pattern, soft fabric for upholstery (for example, velvet), furniture buttons, staples for hidden trim, scissors, needle, thread, furniture gun, electric knife, tailor's chalk, spray glue.

1. Not only the soft seat helps to enjoy the comfort in the chair, but also the correct base, which is hidden under the skin. Worn-out springs can be replaced with jute bundles - a fiber that is similar in characteristics to a rope.

2. We twist the jute strips in a checkerboard pattern and sew them with a furniture gun to the back of the chair frame.

3. Next in line is the soft seat padding. Let's make it three-layer: from foam rubber, burlap and synthetic winterizer.

4. Before cutting out the seat from the foam rubber, we will make a fabric template: we apply the fabric to the seat frame, outline the edges with tailor's chalk.

5. According to this template, we cut out two more layers - from burlap and synthetic winterizer. In this case, the cut from the synthetic winterizer should exceed the size of the template by 5-10 cm.

For cutting, it is better to use an electric knife. The usual tears and spoils the material, especially in the hands of beginners.

6. We fasten the “soft pie” of the seat in the following order: burlap (covers the jute from below and above), on the burlap - synthetic winterizer; then foam rubber (it is the soft part of the “pie”) and again a synthetic winterizer - while its edges cover the entire “pie” and are sewn to the frame.

For greater reliability, we fasten all layers of the “pie” to each other using aerosol glue.

7. Let's move on to seat upholstery. We place a piece of fabric cut according to the template in the center of the seat. Allowances on the edges should cover the entire "soft cake".

8. We shoot the fabric from the underside of the chair frame. First with large intervals, then reducing them. We methodically align the folds of the fabric on the seat.

If you are upholstering a chair for the first time, practice on pieces of old fabric: make a pattern, attach, try to feel the fabric. For both trial and final upholstery, it is better to choose soft textiles. At home, velvet is perfect. It stretches a little, which successfully hides the shortcomings of amateur furniture upholstery.

9. The most difficult thing is to beautifully sew the corners of the chair and the attachment points of the armrests. We use the so-called nesting method. If possible, it is advisable to remove the armrests before the upholstery of the chair.

10. Let's move on to the back cover. We chose the most decorative type of upholstery - capitonné stitch, with deeply seated furniture buttons covered with fabric. It is this technique that will help beginners in hauling mask all the shortcomings of the work. Smooth smooth upholstery, on the contrary, is much more difficult to perform.

11. As in the case of the restoration of the seat, we sew jute bundles to the frame. We cover them with burlap, which we also attach to the frame of the chair.

12. With an electric knife, we cut out the filling for the seat from the foam rubber. Here, remarkable efforts and an excellent eye gauge will come in handy, because even having made the back according to the template, it is important to cut it on the spot to a perfect match with the outlines of the frame.

13. Having carefully calculated the proportions, we cut holes in the foam rubber for the legs of furniture buttons - screws.

14. We cover the foam rubber with batting, in which we also cut holes.

15. We cover the “soft cake” of the back and wrap it around with a thin padding polyester. We shoot the edges with a pistol. We fix all layers with aerosol glue.

16. Cut out the fabric (with a margin at the edges) for the front of the back. On the wrong side of the fabric, mark and cut out holes for the legs of furniture buttons.

17. We cover the front of the back with a cloth, insert the buttons, shoot them with a furniture gun with reverse side. Cut off excess fabric.

Please note: the “legs” of the screws must be long enough so as not to overtighten the stitch, i.e. do not deepen the hats very much into the upholstery of the back.

18. To sew the fabric to the back without showing a single stitch, we use a special fastener, which is called a “grip-grip” * (English ply grip, flex grip, curve grip, pli grip). They have only one drawback - the complexity of the purchase: brackets (slats) for hidden sheathing are sold in specialized stores selling furniture fittings.

If you failed to purchase a bracket, you can sew the fabric on the back of the back by hand - as furniture restorers did hundreds of years ago. Another option is to shoot it with a pistol, and manually close the staples with a decorative edging. Or sew on the fabric with furniture studs with decorative hats - you must admit, a very original and practical decor, accessible even to beginners!

One of the easiest and most unexpected ways to update an old chair is to repaint its upholstery. This option will help if the upholstery is not damaged, but, for example, you need to hide stains or just want to change its color. You can repaint the upholstery using paint from a spray can or from a can. Choose a universal paint or acrylic for fabric, and before painting, you can put a layer of a special primer. You can find paint and primer in construction, art and craft stores. The bonus of such an alteration is that the upholstery treated with paint acquires not only a new color, but also water-repellent properties, and stains from it can most often simply be removed with a damp cloth.

You will need:

Fabric paint;

A large brush for covering wide surfaces and a small brush that is more convenient to paint over the edges;

- a container for mixing paint;

Spray bottle with water;

If desired, masking tape can be used to protect the wooden parts of the chair from getting paint on them, and the primer can be dispensed with without it).

1. First, remove the cushions from the chair. Remove all dust, wipe the upholstery with a damp cloth if there are significant greasy spots, it is better to treat them with a stain remover so that they do not prevent the paint from lying flat.

2. If you want, prime the surface of the chair. You can do without it. In this case, first soak the upholstery with water by spraying it with a spray bottle. Don't forget the seat cushion(s). Before the upholstery is dry, dilute some paint with water in a 1:1 ratio and saturate the upholstery with this mixture. This step is especially important if your chair is upholstered in thick fabric. Can be protected before painting wooden details chairs with masking tape.

3. When the first layer is completely dry, you can proceed to the second. This time paint the chair undiluted. Carefully go over the brush in all corners, painting over all the necessary areas of the upholstery.

5. If you wish, you can decorate the finished chair with decor by putting it on glue. Ready!

More upholstery chair ideas:

2. How to drag a chair: a master class

This method is, of course, more difficult than repainting. However, by reupholstering, you can almost completely update the old chair, getting rid of holes and scuffs and getting an almost new item for your interior.

You will need:

Hauling fabric (choose a strong, dense fabric);

Scissors;

Sewing machine and thread;

Furniture stapler and staples to it;

Glue gun;

Braid for decoration;

Screwdriver to remove the staples from the upholstery of the old chair.

1. Using a screwdriver, carefully remove the staples holding the upholstery to the chair. The removed parts will serve as patterns for new upholstery parts of the same type. You can remove not all the upholstery or, if desired, not remove it at all. Then you will have to take measurements from the chair and build patterns for new upholstery parts.