Helpful Tips on Reupholstering Dining Room Chairs

By: Annie Deakin

Reupholstering is a great way of enhancing the look of those old dining room chairs that you have in your home. You can not only change the way that piece of furniture looks, but also improve the look of an entire room.

Although many people will seek the help of a trained professional who specializes in reupholstering furniture, it is also possible to do the entire job by yourself.

An added bonus to doing the task by yourself is that you will have that feeling of self worth that is provided by a job well done.

Tips on reupholstering

Although taking on the task of reupholstering your dining room chairs may seem intimidating you can easily accomplish the job by simply following a few easy steps.

The first thing that has to be done is pick out the material which you plan on using. There will be many considerations that go into making this choice such as color, durability, and stain resistance. Make sure that you match the fabric to the rest of your dining room and purchase more than you need. As a rule of thumb it is recommended that you double the amount.

Once you have the fabric picked out you will need to remove the old cushions from all of the chairs. This can easily be done by using a screwdriver and taking out all of the screws anchoring the cushion down.

Take the material off of each one by using the same screwdriver and a pair of needle nosed pliers. Gently pry the staples up and pull them out. Take care to dispose of them properly so that nobody steps on one at a later time.

Measure the seat and them double that measurement before tracing and cutting each piece of material. This will ensure that you have plenty of fabric to cover the area of the seat and still have enough to fold under.

Lay the material down on a flat surface making sure that the right side is placed upside down. Place the chair seat onto the middle of the fabric and start folding the material around the seat.

After making the first fold be sure to staple it on the back securely, and continue the step with each of the folds. Take care to pull the fabric tight to reduce bunching or wrinkling on the top side. Also, don't forget to pleat all of the corners as you go along.

Once all of the fabric is folded and stapled to the back of the seat take some scissors and trim away all of the excess material. This will help when you are trying to reattach the cushion back on the chair.

Now that you have finished the chair seat the only thing that will be left is to put it back on the chair. Put all of the screws back in and your job is done.

By taking care to go through each step accurately and with precision, you will soon have the chair of your dreams at fraction of the price. It will boost your self esteem and save you lots of money in the end.