Chair Rehab

I have six great dining room chairs that came to me free from some friends who acquired them and then discovered they hated them. They were unremarkable, a medium stain with brown tweed upholstery, which I remedied by painting them black and then covering the seats in denim. 

You'd be surprised how much water damage six burly firemen with hoses can inflict.

 

The seats were toast, and the kids had scuffed up the paint as well.

But there's no reason to live with ugly furniture, is there?

And dining room chairs are the easiest makeover ever.

First, Sammy removed the seats.

We're also going to wood glue any loose joints while we're at it.

Then Thom hauled them outside for a light sanding and a couple of fresh coats of spray paint.

This gorgeous tropical print is by Waverly from Outdoor Fabrics Direct.

Locally, it's $17.95 a yard. Online, I snagged it for $8. And because it's an outdoor fabric, it's tough, stain resistant, and wipe clean.

Remove your old upholstery and lay your seats on the fabric. Make sure you have enough to fold around the seat to the bottom.

Now that you know how much you need, fold the material over. I have these six chairs and two still in storage. Two seats will fit on the width, so I folded the fabric four times to get 8 squares.

Now cut out the individual seats.

Place your fabric right side down and place the seat on top of it.

 

Now, with an upholstery gun, start stapling the new fabric down. Once you have one side done, pull the opposite side tight and staple it down. Finish all 4 sides.

Gently pleat the corners and staple them down to get a smooth finish.

Trim any excess fabric and admire your work.

When you reattach the seats, stack them and do the armchairs first.

 

While you have the chair upside down, check the pads on the legs and replace them if necessary.

 

And voila! 

 

$6 for paint, $24 for the fabric, and a new look for the dining room!

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